Aucuba 'Crotonifolia' – Spotted Laurel

One of the easiest of all evergreen shrubs to grow and maintain, so is favoured by landscapers and parkkeepers , yet Aucubas, or Japanese Laurels, are far from boring. This one has striking, shiny yellow, spotted deep green leaves with a fine showing of bright red berries in autumn.

Used mainly as a dense hedge for year-round evergreen interest (with its classic yellow spots), it tolerates drought and most soil types. It is robust in most situations, so very good in town and city gardens. Easy to manage, not too vigorous, and is pretty tough and resilient.

Plant 40cm (16in) apart for a dense hedge in 5 years or so.