Aucuba japonica ‘Variegata’ – Gold Dust Plant

Aucuba japonica ‘Variegata’, commonly known as Gold Dust Plant, Gold Dust Aucuba, Spotted Laurel or Japanese Laurel, is a hardy, slow-growing evergreen shrub valued for its glossy dark green foliage beautifully splashed and speckled with golden-yellow markings. Its distinctive variegated leaves bring brightness and year-round interest to shaded areas where many flowering plants struggle.

The leathery, elliptical leaves feature attractive coarse teeth along their upper margins, while small purple-maroon flowers with creamy-white anthers appear in spring. The plant develops a dense, upright to rounded habit and can eventually reach approximately 1.8–3m tall and 1.5–2.7m wide.

Gold Dust Plant is particularly useful for shady borders, woodland gardens, foundation plantings and containers. It prefers partial shade to full shade and adapts to acidic, neutral or alkaline well-drained soils.