Hello everyone

I bought a two-tier ligustrum texanum, which I think is the same thing as a Waxleaf Privet, from the Target garden center on clearance.

I've uploaded some images here:

http://www.catalystdesigngroup.com/ligustrum_texanum/

It was originally $125, to give you an idea of its size, which is probably about 6 to 7 feet tall. It's still in its original wooden crate, because I am not sure exactly where to put it. I'm in Phoenix, AZ, and the winter has not been super cold, but there were a couple of nights where the temp got down to the mid-30's.

In the months I've had the plant, I haven't seen any new growth, unless I'm missing it. But, more important, there are areas that seem to be dead. The little branches are dry and snap right off with a bit of flying dust. I water it regularly -- the Target garden center man told me he had been watering it daily (it sat unmoved there for months before I bought it), so I started off doing that. Now, during the winter, I've been watering it more like every 2 to 3 days. The water drains out very quickly and the soil seems to have some sand in it. It sits near a small hibiscus tree, which incidentally is also not growing.

Maybe it's just because it's winter, but I want to be sure I'm not killing my ligustrum. Should I prune it a bit? Will that cause new growth? Should I water more or less? Do I have to move it to a larger pot? Thanks a lot for your input!

Steve in AZ