Many would say that example (of the aucuba) looks like it needs to be fertilized - the bulk of the contemporary plant market by far is not made up of enthusiasts and experts but rather people looking for specimens to dress up the surroundings of new builds. Whether these be bungalows or office buildings. With that finishing of the property with landscaping phase being by far the principal extent of their interest and involvement in planting. So that friends with landscaping and landscape architecture (including residential) occupations are reporting in later years a very consistently recurring mantra from clients that plants chosen for their sites must be "low maintenance" = "we really aren't interested in looking after plants at all". I see my previous link is no good anymore. Here is one that works at this time: Product Index - Bailey Portal (baileynurseries.com) Notice the emphasis in most of the individual Distylium variety descriptions at the current link on general landscape use: alternative to boxwood and other evergreen plants beleaguered by insects and diseases in the south replacement for cherry laurel for screening and hedges adaptable plant that can be used in multiple landscape applications suited for large scale landscapes as well as homeowner use

Do let us know what you end up with. I'm in zone 5, eastern Iowa. I don't know how you found my site, maybe I put it in my profile? I just might try to order one of those enkianthus myself although acid loving plants are iffy where I am. The lady across the street lost her beautiful holly tree, I have one azalea I just planted so don't know how it will do, my mail order bare root rhododendrons came sickly looking and got trampelled during concrete work. Years ago I had great success with three PJM rhododendrons but I finally lost them, think my kids weren't too careful around them and I neglected to give them regular doses of miracid after the first years. Oh well. Well, I cobbled that peacock site together from a photo somebody posted on a clipart group (I'm not supposed to mention other forums, not really germane to our discussion anyway) and some backgrounds somebody else posted. I lifted the peacock out of the background of the photo and put it on the new background and built the page from there. It's really kind of stale at this point, but I'm in no mood to revamp it. I wish I could find a white peacock to photograph myself now that I have a decent camera, but you have to go to Florida or nw coastal region for that unless there are some close I don't know about. If you like fairies and click around (I mainly use my domain to dump my photos I post) and find my free antique ebook online with 40 charming illustrations of fairies. I posted the link below, don't think that will cause any flak here because it's free and public domain. That was a lot of work and I burned out on doing websites. I also have a free Victorian postcard site at Fortune City, haven't checked lately if it is still up, haven't touched it for years. Yep, it's still there. To get to the postcards, google victorian postcards hurlbutt hamilton and it will come up on top. My they have surely messed that up with their in-your-face ads and Active X controls. For the fairy book (google doesn't pick it up even though I registered with them), Here is a link that might be useful: Fairy Book Link

Carol - you are absolutely right. I was just leaving the house and seem to have had a brain freeze when I wrote that. I've never been on any course but I have box outside the back door and look at it often enough. Looking at the picture more carefully, although it's hard to see, the leaf arrangement does look opposite, rather than alternate. I am still 100% sure it is box.

There are probably a number of things you could use, but I'd look seriously at Euonymus Gold Splash® Wintercreeper (Euonymus fortunei 'Roemertwo'), if you can find it. Photo from Proven Winners: You could also try Ilex crenata 'Drops of Gold' if it's hardy there. Although it may not get enough sun in your situation to bring out the golden color. I like Abelia 'Lemon Lime' more than Kaleidoscope.