Chick Fil A Parking Lot Shrub #1 - Ask Extension
Good morning,
I labeled this one, and the email behind it, Chick Fil A, because these shrubs were taken in a Chick Fil A parking lot. Folks at the re...
Knowledgebase
Chick Fil A Parking Lot Shrub #1 #832274
Asked May 27, 2023, 7:50 AM EDT
Good morning,
I labeled this one, and the email behind it, Chick Fil A, because these shrubs were taken in a Chick Fil A parking lot. Folks at the restaurant probably think that I am nuts because I was taking pictures of their plants last night, but I just could not help myself. I saw two shrubs (second on email separate from this one) that I really like. Can you tell me what they are called? This one that I am attaching looks very soft and adds a nice barrier. I want something similar to this so that I can drown out the traffic noise in front of my house. Can you tell me a little about them?
Thank you so much.
EJL
Baltimore County Maryland
Expert Response
Hi Eric,
Unfortunately we can't see enough detail in the photos to make a confident ID. From what we can see, an educated guess is that it might be Privet (botanical name Ligustrum), which is invasive and should not be grown in Maryland landscapes. (It's not illegal to do so thus far, but discouraged, including by the MDA, which regulates the sale of certain invasive species.)
The pictured plants also resemble Lilac (Syringa), which does happen to be a cousin as Privet (same plant family), though it's not invasive here. In fact, quite the opposite -- lilacs struggle in our heat and humidity and sometimes develop leaf infections and stem dieback issues that cause them to look like an eyesore come late summer. (Some species and varieties are much more resilient than others with regards to heat tolerance and disease resistance.)
The landscaping choices in commercial developments is often non-native (unless the property managers made the conscious decision to make more sustainable choices) and sometimes includes species that are invasive and not recommended for gardens. This is partly because of lack of sufficient awareness about their ecological hazards, but also because the same traits that enable those plants to take over natural areas with ease also allow them to survive the often-challenging growing conditions where they are planted. This includes a tolerance for drought, pollution (both water/soil and air), reflected heat from the nearby pavement and idling car exhaust, lack of irrigation or improper irrigation, excessive pruning, and other factors.
If you wanted to take more photos next time you're near the plants, we'd be happy to look at them, but for many species an identification is much easier to make with blooms since plant ID relies heavily on flower characteristics. (Sometimes, autumn seeds/berries are also diagnostic enough in their appearance to suggest an ID, if the landscape maintenance crew doesn't trim them off before they form.)
Miri
Unfortunately we can't see enough detail in the photos to make a confident ID. From what we can see, an educated guess is that it might be Privet (botanical name Ligustrum), which is invasive and should not be grown in Maryland landscapes. (It's not illegal to do so thus far, but discouraged, including by the MDA, which regulates the sale of certain invasive species.)
The pictured plants also resemble Lilac (Syringa), which does happen to be a cousin as Privet (same plant family), though it's not invasive here. In fact, quite the opposite -- lilacs struggle in our heat and humidity and sometimes develop leaf infections and stem dieback issues that cause them to look like an eyesore come late summer. (Some species and varieties are much more resilient than others with regards to heat tolerance and disease resistance.)
The landscaping choices in commercial developments is often non-native (unless the property managers made the conscious decision to make more sustainable choices) and sometimes includes species that are invasive and not recommended for gardens. This is partly because of lack of sufficient awareness about their ecological hazards, but also because the same traits that enable those plants to take over natural areas with ease also allow them to survive the often-challenging growing conditions where they are planted. This includes a tolerance for drought, pollution (both water/soil and air), reflected heat from the nearby pavement and idling car exhaust, lack of irrigation or improper irrigation, excessive pruning, and other factors.
If you wanted to take more photos next time you're near the plants, we'd be happy to look at them, but for many species an identification is much easier to make with blooms since plant ID relies heavily on flower characteristics. (Sometimes, autumn seeds/berries are also diagnostic enough in their appearance to suggest an ID, if the landscape maintenance crew doesn't trim them off before they form.)
Miri
