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| Aucuba | Common name; Spotted Laurel |
A hardy evergreen shrub that will tolerate dense shade outdoors, they may also be grown indoors as house plants.
They are uni-sexual, therefore plants of both sexes are needed to ensure berry production.
They can grow to a height of 1.5 - 3.0 metres (5-12ft) with a spread of 2-4 metres (7-12ft)
Olive-green star-shaped flowers appear in erect panicles, 50-100mm (2”-4”) long, in March / April.
Small clusters of bright scarlet ovoid berries on female plants may last from autumn into the following spring.
Week 13; Repot or pot on annually.
Week 16; Normally very little pruning is required, old stems can be cut back to 600-900mm (2-3ft) long around now.
Week 17; Transplant the rooted cuttings (taken last autumn) out in nursery rows and grow on for two years before setting in permanent positions.
Week 22; Commence feeding with a weak liquid feed every two to three weeks.
Week 35; Take 100-150mm (4”-6”) heel cuttings and insert in equal parts (by volume) peat and sand in a cold frame.
Week 38; Plant out in ordinary garden soil and in a sunny or partially shaded position.
Ensure that the ground is not subject to water-logging as this can stress the root system.
If wet conditions are suspected, planting on low mounds, about 200mm (8”) high can help.
On heavy clay soils improve drainage around the plant by adding gravel and bulky organic matter to the soil.
Tell tale signs of stress are dull moist patches and blackening of the leaves.
The only cure is to remove all affected foliage, apply a balanced general fertiliser around the base of the plant and add a mulch of bulky organic matter.
To obtain berries, plant one male form to three female forms to ensure cross-pollination.
Container grown plants should be planted in 150-200mm (6”-8”) pots containing the equivalent of John Innes potting compost No. 2.
Keep them in a cool room, shaded from direct sunlight and keep moist at all times.
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