Shrubs - Aucuba
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  (July) A friend has an aucuba and a hydrangea growing side by side. The aucuba is overshadowing the hydrangea. She has asked if she can prune the aucuba now. Since the aucuba doesn't bloom, would it hurt to prune it gently now?

  Aucuba plants are cane producing ones, and thinning cuts can be done to alleviate the size. I would recommend taking out no more than one third at this time of the year, but it should help with the competition. Prune the larger branches back to the ground line. If you prune these plants from the top, they often get a little top heavy and start to cascade down on their neighbors. If the hydrangea also needs pruning, thinning cuts again are what is needed, and should be done as soon as summer flowering ends.

  The enclosed leaves come from shrubs planted at our lake house on Lake Conway. They are located on the east side where they get morning sun and shade, later in the day. They have grown well since planted last spring, but I am worried about these brown spots. What do they have and what should I use to combat the problem.

  Aucuba plants are wonderful shade plants for central Arkansas, south. If they are exposed to much sunlight, they can turn black. This winter weather has also not been particularly kind to them. Large splotches on the leaves have been burned by our first bout of ice. I think your bushes have some of that, but may have also had a leaf spotting fungus last season. For now, do nothing. Prior to new growth beginning in the spring, give them a light shearing to remove the outer damaged foliage. Allow the new growth a chance to begin. If you see additional spots on the new growth, then a fungicide would be called for. If the new growth is clean, you are in good shape. It may have been a combination of factors, from new plants, to horrid summer and then an unusual winter.

  I have some seeds I harvested off of my Aucuba plants last fall. I stored them indoors all winter, and would like to plant them now. What is the best means of plantings? 

  There is very little information about growing Aucuba’s from seed. There seems to be little success with seed germination. Try removing the seed coat and soaking the seeds in warm water for 24 hours. The only success anyone had, was soaking the seeds in gibberellic acid for 24 hours. Since the plants root so readily from cuttings, I wouldn’t waste a great deal of time on the seeds.

  Enclosed is a leaf from my bush. It is 26 years old and has shed a moderate amount of leaves every year. This spring, it shed so many leaves from the bottom that I am concerned I will lose it. What is the bush and what is wrong with it? It is the only plant I have on my patio.

  The plant in question is an Aucuba. Yours appears to be a solid green variety, they also come in variegated forms. These plants are great for shady locations, but will not tolerate sunlight. They may have suffered a little winter damage this year, but I would have suspected the tops to be hit, not the base of the plant. The leaf you sent was free of any insect or disease problems, but look at the base of the plant and the older stems. If the plant has put on a lot of new growth, thin out some of the older canes and see if it doesn’t fill back in. If the problem continues, take a sample to your county extension office to send to the disease diagnostic lab. Take a small stem with both leaves and stem tissue.

  I need to know something about the enclosed plant. It grows as a 24 inches to 36 inches tall shrub. The first question is why did the leaves get black edges? Perhaps it was our dry, hot weather. The plant is growing near a bird house on the south side, with full sun. Any help would be greatly appreciated. 

  The plant in question is an Aucuba, which is not normally a hardy plant in north Arkansas. Another problem is sunlight. Aucuba’s are shade loving plants. They experience black leaves from sunlight and heavy wind activity. I would imagine the reason your plant is so small, is that it is getting frozen back each winter. Give it a very protected spot in the shade, and be prepared to protect it during cold weather. I would look at other shrubs for your sunny location.

  I am enclosing leaves from my aucuba plants which are on the north side of my home. The area has two large oak trees, which provide shade for these plants. I aerated the soil in the summer, and added humus. The soil is loose, as I have put in potting soil to our clay ground over the years. Still the foliage keeps turning black. It moves from the leaves to the stems. Is this a condition that needs a chemical spray, or perhaps fertilizer? When and what should I do to save these beautiful shade loving plants? I have had to cut so many black and dead stalks, the remaining plants look bad. 

  How long have your aucuba plants been planted and how much amending of the soil have you done? It is possible that you have added too much humus, potting soil, etc. around these plants, which may be burying them too deep or retaining too much moisture. While sunlight and heavy winds can cause the leaves to turn black, I would not suspect that in their location. There is a stem disease caused by a fungus that can girdle branches causing large sections of the plant to die back. Make sure they aren’t planted too deep, and that the drainage is good, then monitor them closely this spring. If you see more black leaves occurring, take a branch sample to your county extension office and send it off to our disease clinic for a correct diagnosis. This is a free service.

  Some of my goldfleck or golddust shrub has suddenly developed black leaves. I trimmed off all the black ones. Some had just black at the tip, while others the whole leaf was black. I sprayed with Daconil. Have no clue as to why this is happening. My other goldflecks are doing fine. Do you have any suggestions?

  Gold dust Aucuba can have black leaves if they are exposed to too much sunlight or wind. This late summer has caused many a black leaf. There is no need to apply any fungicide at this time. Get them through the winter, and then see what happens next spring.

  Please tell me what is destroying these yellow and green bushes--I don’t know the name of them. One is dead and the other is badly eaten and also turning black. I put Sevin dust around the bushes, but it doesn’t help. The sweet bush leaves are covered with black specks. What is causing this. Please suggest something I can do to save these bushes. 

  The shrubs in question are aucuba shrubs, commonly called gold dust, for the speckling of yellow in the leaves. They like a shady, protected location and will turn black in the sunlight or in areas of heavy wind. Make sure they are in a well-drained location, free from sunlight and wind. There is also a disease that can cause stem die back. For now, clean up the damaged parts of the plant and spray with a dormant oil. Next spring, prior to new growth, prune them back heavily to try to get them to fill out. For the sweet shrub, or calycantha, simply practice good sanitation and rake up the fallen leaves and spray with the dormant oil once all the leaves are off the plant, which they should be. They are tough, resilient plants.

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