Spacing & sowing

Plant spacing

6 ft 7 in

In-row spacing

6 ft 7 in

Between rows

8 ft 2 in

Square-foot density

Not suited to SFG

Growing

Type

Shrub · Perennial

Botanical family

Mixed / other

Sunlight

Deep shade to partial shade — few shrubs tolerate as little light.

Watering

Minimal once established — it handles dry shade well.

Feeding

A light balanced feed in spring; established plants rarely need it.

Frost tolerant

Yes

Flowering

April

Pruning

Prune to shape in spring; it will take a hard renovation if it has outgrown its place.

Overwintering

Fully hardy — green forms need no protection, though variegated ones are worth fleecing in severe frost.

Through the year

• Mar–Apr Bud Break
• Apr–Apr Spring Growth
• Apr–Oct Flowering
• Oct–Dec Growing
• Jan–Mar Growing

Pests & problems

• Scale insects Immobile brown or white bumps fixed to stems and leaf undersides, sucking sap and weakening growth. Wipe off with a damp cloth or dab with horticultural soap; watch for the sooty mold that follows.
• Leaf spot Leaf spot where conditions stay too wet
• Waterlogging Aucuba blackening, brought on by waterlogging or frost

Garden allies

Beneficial predators that hunt this plant's pests — grow their favourite flowers nearby to recruit them. ★ companion plant

• Hoverfly Syrphidae
  Hunts Scale insects

  Bee-mimicking flies whose legless larvae graze aphid colonies clean while the adults pollinate. A ribbon of shallow, nectar-rich flowers kept in bloom all season recruits wave after wave of them.

  Plant nearby CalendulaChamomileFennelFrench marigoldPhaceliaSweet alyssum
• Ladybird (lady beetle) Coccinellidae
  Hunts Scale insects

  The gardener’s favorite ally: adults and their alligator-shaped larvae each eat thousands of aphids, plus scale, mealybugs, and other soft-bodied sap-suckers. Grow flat, open flowers for the adults and never spray a colony that ladybird larvae are already working.

  Plant nearby CalendulaCilantroCosmosDillFennelYarrow