Great plant pick: Variegated Japanese aucuba

Published 3:08 pm Wednesday, February 3, 2010

WHAT: If you have a dry and shady spot open in your garden, variegated Japanese aucuba is the shrub to fill the vacancy.

Its lustrous dark evergreen foliage is splashed with golden yellow, and will brighten any dark garden.

WHY PLANT IT: Its full dense foliage branches freely to the ground in a rounded form, making it one of the few plants that doesn’t become leggy in deep shade.

WHERE: It prefers fertile, well-drained soil with occasional summer watering, but performs admirably under less than ideal conditions.

Goldstrike requires at least a half day out of the hot afternoon sun. Too much sun will cause the leaves to yellow and the variegation to burn.

It is quite drought tolerant once established.

HOW: The Goldstrike variety pictured here works well as an understory plant when combined with sword ferns or soft shield ferns.

ACTUAL SIZE: It will reach about 7 feet high and wide within 10 years.

LEARN MORE: See www.greatplantpicks.org.

Source: Great Plant Picks