I first remember this shrub as a child around Louisiana.  I loved the smell of the flowers growing around Metarie.  The groups of white flowers attracted bees and turned into pretty blue/black berries which young boys love to pick and throw at anything close (sorry to sister Allison).  To this day, the smell takes me to my childhood.  Sadly, my love of the smell was overtaken with the realization of the horrible, terrible, viciousness of this nasty, mean, cancer of a plant.  When I moved into my home in 2000, our backyard was filled with ligustrum. (I have decided to not capitalize the plants spelling, to show it less respect)  The ligustrum in our backyard was an understory plant to our 30 foot+ live oaks.  The ligustrum grew towards the light, and grew to 30 feet also.  As an evergreen, they shaded out the native plants which once grew in our backyard.  As I took out the huge ligustrums in our backyard, a transformation took place.

    As the sun began to strike the ground, I noticed a resurgence of natives.  Frostweed, Turks Cap, Persimmon, and Mountain Laurel began to spring out of the ground.  Our natives had been being stunted into submission from the evergreen shading of the ligustrum.  The ligustrums grow and grow and grow.  When the light hit the ground, I would also find baby ligustrum sprouting from those pretty blue/black berries.  They were EVERYwhere.  But, at a young age they are easy to pull, especially after a rain.  So, on to how to kill this nasty plant. 

    At a young age, pull in your yard after a rain. 

    As an adolescent ligustrum, you may need help getting the beast from the ground.  Try a shovel, the Axe Mattock (I capitalize this out of respect), or the Weed Wrench.  The Weed Wrench is the lord of death for the adolexcent waxy leaf ligustrum.  Buying a weed wrench is a costly affair -- $200 for the one you want or $100 for the one you can barely afford. You might be able to borrow one if you have access to friendly invasive killing folks like www.keepaustinbeautiful.org and www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks.

    To kill the mature tree you must use a chain saw - or pull with a tractor.  I use a combination of the two.  If you just cut the ligustrum you will have a stump.  You will need to treat the stump with poison -  have a tree line with 20+ foot ligustrums.  My first step is to cut them with the chain saw. Cut the tree as close to the ground as possible. Then, as soon as possible, brush the trunk with herbicide.  I have used Image, BrushBeGone, and Roundup.  My most successful was Image.

But, even with all of these, I often get sprouts from around the trunk.  Alas.

    If I have the patience, I cut the ligustrum to about 3 feet above ground. I then plant the replacement plants around the “new” sunny area. Mountain Laurel, Yaupon Holly, and Persimmon are good starts.  You can find others.  The missing shade of the missing ligustrum will help the new plants take root.  Also, the ligustrum will begin to sprout.  You need to lie in wait, just like a spider. From time to time, Austin will have a long rainy spell.  After the ligustrum sprouts long branches, and after a long rain spell, you put a chain around the bottom of the trunk.  You pull the ligustrum out like a bad tooth. Some may say that this takes some time.  To them I say, “sure”.  But you have to balance three elements in gardening - time, energy, and money.  If you have much of one, then you can do with little of the others.  I go with time and energy for the ligustrum.  Once the tree is pulled, it is gone.  Yeah!