Gold-Dust Plant or Japanese Laurel
Aucuba japonica (CORNACEAE)
Planting and Growing Gold-Dust Plant
You’ll find everything you need to know to plant and grow gold-dust plant or Japanese laurel in the accompanying table’s tabs:
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- Flowers, foliage, and fruit of gold-dust plant or Japanese laurel
- Growing conditions for gold-dust plant or Japanese laurel
- When and where to plant gold-dust plant or Japanese laurel
- How to plant gold-dust plant or Japanese laurel
- How to shape, prune and control growth of gold-dust plant or Japanese laurel
- Watering, fertilizing, and care of gold-dust plant or Japanese laurel
- Landscape uses of gold-dust plant or Japanese laurel
- Pest and disease control for gold-dust plant or Japanese laurel
Growing Gold-Dust Plant
Bushy, dense, evergreen shrub, to 15 ft. (4.5 m) tall, with glossy, dark green and variegated, oval, toothed leaves, 4–7 in. (10–18 cm) long.
Common cultivars include Aucuba japonica ‘Crotonifolia’, ‘Fructu Albo’, ‘Longifolia’, ‘Nana’, ‘Picturata’, and ‘Serratifolia’.
Gold-Dust Plant Planting and Care Guide
Flowers and Fruit
Tiny, purple flowers in spring, with scarlet, berrylike fruit, to 1/2-in. (12-mm) wide, in clusters, in autumn.
Best Climates
U.S.D.A. Plant Hardiness Zones 7–11. Tender.
Soil Type and Fertility
Moist to dry, well-drained soil. Fertility: Rich–average. 6.0–8.0 pH.
Where and How to Plant
Full sun to partial shade. Space 3 ft. (90 cm) apart.
Proper Care
Easy. Keep moist; allow soil surface to dry between waterings until established. Fertilize every 3–4 months year-round. Prune winter–early spring. Protect from sun in hot climates. Propagate by cuttings, seed.
About This Species
Good choice for accents, containers, edgings, fencelines in formal, shade, small-space gardens. Good as houseplant. Drought, salt, smog tolerant. Mealybug, spider mite susceptible.