Question
Dear Mr. Ward'
I am thinking of making a Lugustrum Hedge with Rocks in the Bed instead of Mulch. Is this OK with Lugustrum?
I live in Edgewater, FL. This is >25 miles south of Daytona Beach, FL.
Thanks, Bob Rabren

Answer
Good morning Robert. So very sorry for the delay in getting back with you.

A ligustrum hedge can be a very beautiful and private hedge if you maintain it properly, and regularly, and if fed properly can grow quite quickly in our planting zone of central Florida.

One of the drawbacks to ligustrum is that they drop lots of leaves. This would make the use of rocks a rather tedious maintenance issue. Ideally, rocks are best used away from heavy foliage plants and in accent areas, but not in hedge applications.

I would recommend that you use cypress or pine aggregate instead of rock, and that if you do, that you use a commercial grade weed barrier like that of the products that DeWitt Company uses.

I believe that you can order directly from them online, or they could be able to give you a distributor near you where you can purchase it. Their website is:

http://dewittcompany.com/

They can provide specification for installation and I am confident you will be very happy with the results. Every client that we have used this product with has been very happy in how this solution has solved their weed issues.

A planting note for added growth would be to pick up a bag (or two depending on the number of ligustrums you are planting) of Milorganite (6-2-0). Add two cups to the planting area of each plant, being one at the base of the plant (about two inches above the bottom of the root ball, and the other mixed into the soil as you backfill around it. It will NOT burn your plants so do not be timid in adding it. This will flush out your hedge quickly and give it a great head start on the growing season.

I would enjoy seeing a photo of your completed word when you are done if you have the opportunity. You can e-mail it to [email protected].