Reviving old aucuba japonica shrubs

last year

I moved last fall and my property has a couple of Japanese laurels that are extremely bare around the base of the plants. I'm hoping to figure out if they can be revived. From what I've read, it seems like my best bet might be to trim around 30-50% of the stems back to about a foot above the ground in late march, and then trim the remaining stems back the following spring. However, as can be seen from the photos, the shrubs have very thick (~3-4 inches in diameter) woody stems (or trunks?), and I'm not sure about what to do with these. Any advices on how to revive these plants?

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Comments (8)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
last year
Yowza!! Someone has really done a hack job on those poor things! The good news is that aucubas typically respond well to a hard prune. You can cut all branches back to 6-10 inches in early spring (March) and it should respond quickly with strong new growth. Alternatively, you can take a less dramatic tack and stagger the heights for a more natural appearance, leaving stems taller in the center and scaling/tapering down on the sides. I'd do a bit of thinning as well. Same timing.

I suspect the hack job is due in part to the shrubs being planted much too close to the structure for their mature size. Relocation might be advised.
Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
last year
last modified: last year
Looks to me like you have hungry deer in your neighborhood, in which case, there's not much you can do but except maybe put bird netting over them in winter.
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I was going to recommend Kerria Japonica 'Picta' as well. I just got one this year for a nearly full shade area (2-3 hours morning sun) and I love it. I think it would be just as pretty in full shade. And it suckers so it should fill out a good size fairly quickly. I couldn't believe I had so many suckers first year. Could be due to soil amendments I added. Another hydrangea possibility is H. Paniculata 'Limelight'. The leaves are bright lime green. whiteish flowers, June to now. For an evergreen, try Chamaecyperis 'Gold Mop'. I moved my gold mop from sun to shade and I much prefer the more subdued chartreuse color in shade than the gold in sun. A perennial that thinks it is a shrub, is Caryopteris 'Snow Fairy'. I had mine in sun and it was so bright white, it was distracting (well, I might be exaggerating a tad...). I moved it to shade and it is just perfect! I also have a small Jap Maple in my shade border to add some color. I plan to add some puple coral bells later to complement the JM.
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Thanks to all of you, once I looked up images of the Aucuba I realized it has to be right. Funny that it wasn't in my gardening books! Mine must be unusual because it is so leggy and tall that it's very tree-like. all the photos i saw were of well rounded shorter shrubs. My Aucuba looks like the healthiest thing in my garden though and I want to try and make cuttings. Again thanks to you experts for solving this for me, i spent many hours pouring over photos to no avail!
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Wow - I wish I had that much space to play with, trees or no trees. I would look on it as a chance to grow a whole different set of plants from the 'normal' stuff. Without doing any amending you could grow a mass of shade tolerant plants. http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2007/apr/07/shopping.gardens Vinca is there already (I see no reason to smother it. It's showing you the way to go plant-wise.) Look out for other forms. I have Jenny Pym which is a pretty lilac with white edges. There are white forms too. There is a stack of shrubs you could grow: Ruscus, Skimmia, Aucuba, some Daphnes. Try to find as many white flowered things as you can. And how about, after you've stained the fence darker, putting in a white seat or arbour to bring the eye forward and give you a focal point? Work with nature, not against it and avoid years of resentment that your roses won't grow when you could be watching a wealth of shade lovers just growing all by themselves. Here you go - how could you resist some of these under your trees? (Cyclamen neapolitanum under Polystychum setiferum, under Anemone japonica, under Betula pendula 'Youngii' and Mespilus germanica - now that's dry shade! (And there are snowdrops in there for the Spring too) Good luck! Wish I had that much scope. Hang on, I forgot hellebores.... Here is a link that might be useful: Plants for shade.
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If you do any research on Superthirive at all, you will find just as many negative opinions as you will find positive, perhaps a good deal more!!. There is no documented scientific evidence - it is all anecdotal - that Superthrive provides ANY benefits to plants at all. Plants do not need vitamin supplements - they get all they need from the soil or in most cases, manufacture their own via photosynthesis. If for no other reason, supplements/fertilizers are never given to ailing plants as stressed plants are not able to metabolize these products. The "miraculous revival" of half dead plants attributed to Superthrive is more likely a case of them receiving a proper watering from the application, as the dilution rate is so low as to be providing virtually pure water anyway. Aucuba is an extremely problem-free and easy to grow shrub....if given the right conditions. It is not particularly fussy about pH, so doubt any liming is necessary. It does best in part to full shade and in organically enriched, somewhat moist soils but is tolerant of much drier conditions once established. The frequent, unseasonal dropping of foliage is most likely water-related. Too dry conditions in too much sun/heat are just as likely as too much water or poorly draining soils. This can lead to root rots - about the only serious problem these plants experience. And the description is very appropriate for a root rot......and all th applications of Superthrive on the planet will not help with that!!
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
last year
take a moment to look at your plants.. and understand.. why they were planted 5 to 8 feet TOO CLOSE TO THE HOUSE ... and once you learn that lesson.. you will be well on your way to relandscaping any house you buy ..

if they were that far out.. they would NEVER have need be pruned.. massacred.. like they were.. dont you think ,..

when you are looking for new plants.. take the latin name to a search engine.. and look to the images.. to see the future potential of the babe plants you see at the store or nursery ..

if you plant the right plant. for the right space.. you will never have this problem...

if it were me.. i would call miss dig.. get allt eh utilities marked.. and dig these chuckers out.. and either plant them out by the back fence.. or store them at the curb.. nest to the garbage cans with a sign that says free ..

with no insult to the mature root mass.. no matter what you do.. they will be huge again.. in a year or 2 .. or ignore me.. prune them.. and then do what i said in 2 years.. lol .. thats how i did it at my first house.. ignore all advice.. make my own mistakes.. and later.. recall said advise.. and do it.. lol

ken

ps: since you are a newb here.. welcome.. i did it for you this time.. keep scrolling until you see how big these things can get ....

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=aucuba+japonica+outside&t=ffab&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
last year
at this link... ive been meaning to get the pix and do the post for weeks ... your post inspired me to finally get er done ...

30 or 50 years down the line.. without pruning.. you too could have a house like this..landscaping wise ..

ken

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6342301/can-i-prune-these-shrubs#n=3
41 North (Zone 7a/b, NE, coastal)
last year
last modified: last year
What Dave said, above. It look like deer damage, they LOVE Aucuba in the Winter. Mine were fine this winter (usually eaten)..., so warm this year, they found other stuff to eat more appealing. Still, mine have always recuperated very robustly.
SeniorBalloon
last year
I did not know deer would eat Aucuba. We have one inside the deer fence and one out. So far they've never tried a taste of the outer one. They are one of my favorite shrubs. I bought one from the first nursery I ever worked at and since I had no where to plant it, used it as a house plant. Did surprisingly well.

The pic above could have been taken at my brothers house. Bricks, hacked Aucuba and all. Add in they're planted in a sunny location and these are not happy plants. What should be rich greens and bright yellows are washed out. I recommended digging them out, moving them or giving them away.
41 North (Zone 7a/b, NE, coastal)
last year
last modified: last year
Deer love my Aucuba even in a warm/green winter year, but they always recover.
Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
last year
Aucuba is not usually happy in a full sun location -- even less further south where the sun is more intense. It makes a great shade plant though.

Reviving old aucuba japonica shrubs

Comments (8)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A

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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

41 North (Zone 7a/b, NE, coastal)

SeniorBalloon

41 North (Zone 7a/b, NE, coastal)

Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A

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