Laurel and hardy

Figuratively speaking, winter has its own way of separating the men from the boys. When the temperature drops and the chill factor goes up, the majority of plants in the garden either shed their leaves or turn 
to mush.
AucubaAucuba
Aucuba

The compost bin is soon filled to capacity, and the evergreens are left to stand out among the leafless and bare-stemmed to show how capable they are of surviving all that an English winter can throw at them.

Which is what Aucuba japonica variegata is doing right now. It’s not the most impressive of shrubs, but it’s not the dullest, and its handsome, variegated spotted laurel can brighten up a dull, cold corner in the garden. It’s brighter than a lot of hollies and ivies and it has a lot more to offer than the common, bog-standard green laurel.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Aucuba japonica, commonly called spotted laurel, Japanese laurel, Japanese aucuba or gold dust plant, is a shrub that is native to rich forest soils of moist valleys, thickets, by streams and near shaded moist rocks in China and Japan, 
so you would think it would demand similar growing conditions in this country.

In fact, it seems able to tolerate most soils and sites; that’s why landscapers use them in such vast numbers. Basically, they are foolproof and relatively restrained in their growing habits – most will spend a decade becoming a rounded bush of just seven or eight feet. And unlike common laurels, they rarely go bare at the base.

Another plus is their ability to cope with pollution and salt-laden coastal winds – so they are ideal for coastal gardens. They are also long-lived, so unless there’s a disaster of some sort, a spotted laurel planted now should be around for many, many years. If it threatens to grow too large, prune it back in early spring, also removing any leaves which are reverting to pure green.

To get the best out of a specimen plant, give it a reasonably fertile soil which is well-drained and definitely not prone to waterlogging – that’s the one thing an aucuba can’t tolerate. If the leaf tips start to turn black, then the plant is in danger of drowning.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Japanese laurels are often grown as an informal hedge, but they are also quite at home in a container or in the home itself, where they have proved themselves capable of withstanding anything – other than waterlogging, of course.

Related topics: