A ray of Sunshine to your gardens

This is truly a plant of the 21st Century. Described in the Plant Patent Application from 2007 (https://patents.google.com/patent/USPP20379P2/en), a newly “invented” (their word, not mine) ligustrum named ‘Sunshine’ was discovered in a “controlled selection program” from 2002 at McCracken Nursery in Zebulon, North Carolina.

They began propagating it asexually by stem cuttings and found it to be stable and different from anything on the market at that time.

All you have to do to see the magnitude of its success is look around town, across Texas and all over the South and you’ll see it punctuating landscapes everywhere you go. People have fallen in love with its bright yellow-green foliage.

Its particulars…
Botanical name: Ligustrum sinense ‘Sunshine’
Common name: ‘Sunshine’ ligustrum
Mature size: 3-5 ft. tall and wide
Lighting: Sun or mostly sun (intensity of color will fade in shade)
Soil: Highly organic, consistently moist
Flowers and fruit: None, hence it will not be invasive.
Best time to plant: Anytime, but spring and fall are better than mid-summer or mid-winter.

Problem: Was damaged badly by extreme cold in February 2021 and December 2022 in northern parts of Texas. Regrowth came back mixed with strong green shoots. Those plantings need to be replaced.

Note: Although it is easily propagated from stem cuttings the plant is still covered by an active plant patent until 2028.