"Privet Patch"

The “Privet Patch” is a small, community-led invasive plant removal and native planting project in South Central Durham, North Carolina. The Privet Patch is nestled between a preschool and a river, measuring close to an acre of vacant land owned by the Woodcroft neighborhood. At this site, volunteers have been working to remove non-native plants, mainly the common household shrub known as privet, but others such as mimosa trees and honeysuckle, and replacing them with a variety of native plants (poke berry, coral berry, buckeye, elderberry, etc). This project started in the late summer of 2023, and will continue on through this year. This project falls under the Woodcroft neighborhood’s goals of cultivating environmentally-friendly landscaping throughout their neighborhood.

00:00 Introduction

2:55 What is the Privet Patch?

5:44 What native plants have you been planting here?

7:28 What motivates you to do this work?

9:41 Could you elaborate on the direct nature of this type of action?

12:13 How is this project impacting or building community?

15:36 Are there any cultural norms that this work is challenging?

17:24 Has there ever been any resistance from other people about removing the invasive plants?

20:30 What are some challenges you encounter?

24:09 What would you say to someone interested in starting a similar rewilding project?

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