Scientific name: Aucuba japonica ‘gold dust’
Family: GARRYACEAE
Common names: “aucuba” “Japanese laurel”
Plant Type: Evergreen shrub
Conditions:
Zone: 6-10
Light: Partial shade – deep shade, may sunburn in hotter climates but tolerates full sun in Victoria
Exposure: Exposed or sheltered
Soil: organic soils
Moisture: Well drained, moist, will not grow in waterlogged soil, handles summer drought once established
Aesthetic:
Plant Size: H 6′-8′ W 6′-8′
Leaf and Stem shape: Gold spotted simply leathery glossy leaves up to 8″ long
Flower: 4 purple petals with 4 yellow stamens in males, females produce red or yellow 1/2″ berries
Pruning: Can be pruned down to 4″ from ground, often requires hard pruning twice a year in April and again in July
Maintenance: Mulch in colder winters, remove all old growth every spring as it grows fast
Landscape use: Background plant, good container plant, indoor plant
Propagate: From cuttings, can be grown from seed with less predictable outcomes.
Pests & Disease: suety mold, scale insects, deer candy
Comments: Recommended to buy smaller plants,
Cultivars: 3 different varieties are ~AGM winners:
A. j. ‘golden king’ (m/v) , A. j. ‘Rozannie’ (f/m) & A. j. ‘crotonifloia’ (f/v)
A. j. ‘variegata’ – Red Seal plant
A. j. ‘picturata’ – has a bigger single gold splotch in the centre of the leaves
Vancouver Island Grows 