Sawtoothed Japanese Aucuba

Aucuba japonica 'Serratifolia'

Sawtoothed Japanese Aucuba is an upright pure green cultivar of a shade-loving evergreen  shrub with glossy mild olive green serrated leaves.  The branches will reach the ground if grown in full shade.  Aucuba are dioecious with the berries growing in abundance on the female plants. The tiny maroon flowers bloom in  early spring, while the bright red berries that ripen in fall and last until spring.  Prefers rich, moist and well-drained soils.  Deer resistant.

MAINTENANCE NEEDS: Low maintenance.   Water weekly.  Keep young plants out of the direct sun, or leaves will develop black spots.  Takes well to pruning. Root rot can be a problem in poorly-drained or overly moist soils. Southern blight, leaf spot, scale, mealybugs, and nematodes are occasional issues.

LANDSCAPE USES:  Accents or Group Plantings,  Borders,  Woodland Gardens,  Wildlife Gardens,  Naturalized Areas,  Coastal Exposure,  Urban Gardens, Foundational Plantings, and Hedges.

COMPANION PLANTS:  Hosta,  Solomon's Seal,  Champion’s Wood Fern

 IMAGES:  Lazaregagnidze,  Aucuba japonica Spotted Laurel იაპონური აუკუბა,  CC BY-SA 3.0, (2) Sten Porse,  Aucuba-japonica-leaves,  CC BY-SA 3.0, (3)  Digigalos,  Aucuba japonica,  CC BY-SA 3.0, (4) Photo by David J. Stang,  Aucuba japonica 0zz,  CC BY-SA 4.0

*As plants have ranges in appearance they may not appear as the images shown.