Ligustrums

Our local golf course just planted a barrier of 60 ligustrums between the end of my back yard and the golf course, to presumably keep golfers out of my yard. They are presently about 3 - 4 feet tall and extremely ragged looking, branches extending every which way. When should I prune and with so many is there an easy way to accomplish this. Thanks for your help.

Roger P.

Anne's Response:

There is no easy way to “crop” the ligustrum. It is not a “green meatball” shape by nature and does better when allowed to be more “freeform”. To make it useful as a screen and keep the golfers and their errant golf balls out of your yard you want it to allow the plants to form a dense hedge. Maintain the desired height and width of the plants by selectively removing limbs or branches that rub against others, limbs that grow down instead of up or out. I prefer to prune the plant when it is in bloom because I do not care for the fragrance of the plant but it can be pruned at any time from late February through its blooming season.