# Privet vs. American Holly



## Brad Bee (Apr 15, 2013)

Privet is going to get 20 feet tall unless you want to prune it. There are more varieties of hollies and you can probably find one that will max out closer to your desired size but most of them get taller. Holly blooms are worked feverishly by the bees here. They bloom much earlier than privet does in our climate, not sure about yours. Privet is about the last thing that blooms here, which is good to extend the flow, but hollies bloom early when buildup is in full swing. Given those two options, I'd chose hollies but we have lots of both. There is a large row of hollies that are 10 feet tall about 3/4 mile from our farm. The hedge is probably 100-150 yards long. When it's blooming, my bees cover it up. My mother has several hollies at her house, down the driveway from my house and the bees wrap them up too. 

Deer won't destroy either one. They do browse on privet, but the won't destroy it, or maybe it's so abundant here that our small deer population can't wipe it out.


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## b1kfd (Mar 6, 2014)

I second Brad Bee. I hate privet. It's like a giant noxious weed.


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## GZB (Jan 29, 2013)

Holly grows more slowly so if you're in a hurry you might mix it with privet and have half the pruning workload until they mature and you can remove the privet.
My hollies have been nibbled by the deer pretty much every winter. You'll have to see if your deer have the same tastes.


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## Joe Mac (Jun 1, 2016)

I know it isn't on your list but another possibility could be sumac. It grows very fast and the bees work it on my property like crazy. I have one sumac tree about 15' tall and there were probably a couple thousand bees working it when it was in it's peak. It sounded like a swarm in the air. It produces nectar and pollen early in the day but the bees stop working it about 11:00 a.m. It is pretty invasive unless you keep it under control though. 

I personally don't like privet. It smells like a strong cheap cologne and I think it gives the honey a nasty flavor, but that's just my opinion. Some people like the smell of the flowers and the honey flavor. It does bloom for a longer period and produces a lot of nectar. 

I have a lot of holly trees on my property, but they are all in heavily wooded areas. I kept an eye on it during it's blooming period but didn't see any bees on it. Maybe it needs to be in a more open, sunny area to produce nectar.


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## Hops Brewster (Jun 17, 2014)

English privet is a classic privacy hedge. Different varieties will grow to different heights. It is easily trimmed once a year with hedge shears. Where I live it is not invasive at all. But it is drought tolerant.

It's Chinese privet that is invasive.


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## ruthiesbees (Aug 27, 2013)

Holly blooms when lots of other stuff is also blooming. I'd try and find something that blooms later to help keep the nectar flow going for your bees. Not sure if Leatherleaf Viburnum is hardy in your area, but that blooms late June here in Virginia, and is worked heavily by all the pollinators, including the bees. You won't find it listed in any bee forage book though. It's a fast growing evergreen that the deer won't eat.


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## GaryG74 (Apr 9, 2014)

Of the two, I'd go with a Holly. Chinese Privet is very invasive and might be on your state's invasive species list. There are several different varieties of holly that will give you different heights, widths, color of berries, and shape of leaf. Burford Holly is a good standard in my area that can be pruned to maintain a certain height without too many problems.


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