Aucuba 'Rozannie' - Compact Spotted Laurel
Award-Winning Dwarf Evergreen with Brilliant Red Berries
Overview
Aucuba 'Rozannie' is a revolutionary compact spotted laurel that has transformed how gardeners use this classic evergreen. Winner of the RHS Award of Garden Merit, this remarkable cultivar is hermaphrodite (self-fertile), meaning it produces abundant bright red berries without needing a separate male plant. At roughly half the size of traditional aucubas, 'Rozannie' brings all the benefits of spotted laurel to smaller gardens, containers, and tight spaces whilst delivering exceptional berry displays that last through winter.
Key Features
Foliage: Glossy, deep green leaves with distinctive golden-yellow spots and speckles. The variegation is less pronounced than traditional varieties, creating a more subtle, sophisticated appearance that complements rather than dominates garden schemes.
Size: Compact habit reaching just 1-1.2 metres in height and spread, making it ideal for smaller gardens and container cultivation.
Growth Rate: Slow to moderate growth, typically adding 10-20cm per year once established.
Flowers: Small purple flowers appear in spring, followed by the plant's crowning glory - masses of bright red berries.
Berries: Exceptional berry production from autumn through winter, with brilliant scarlet fruits that provide stunning colour when little else is flowering. The berries are self-set, requiring no pollination partner.
Growing Conditions
Light Requirements: Thrives in partial shade to full shade. Tolerates some morning sun but performs best with protection from hot afternoon sun. The subtle variegation is preserved beautifully in shadier locations.
Soil: Adaptable to most soil types including heavy clay, provided drainage is reasonable. Prefers fertile, moisture-retentive soil with a pH between 6.0-7.5.
Hardiness: Fully hardy throughout the UK (RHS hardiness rating H5), withstanding temperatures down to -15°C without protection.
Moisture: Prefers consistently moist soil but shows good drought tolerance once established. Avoid waterlogged conditions.
Planting and Care
Planting Time: Plant in spring or early autumn for best establishment. Container-grown plants can be planted year-round when weather conditions are suitable.
Spacing: Allow 1m between plants if mass planting, or use as a specimen plant with room to reach its full compact size.
Watering: Water regularly during the first year to establish a strong root system. Mature plants are remarkably drought-tolerant but benefit from watering during extended dry periods.
Feeding: Apply a balanced slow-release fertiliser in early spring. An annual mulch of well-rotted compost or bark chips will provide nutrients and help retain soil moisture.
Pruning: Minimal pruning required due to naturally compact habit. If necessary, prune lightly in late spring after flowering to maintain shape. Avoid heavy pruning as this may reduce berry production.
Garden Uses
Small Gardens: Perfect scale for modern smaller gardens where traditional aucubas would be too large.
Container Planting: Excellent for large pots and planters on patios, terraces, and balconies. The compact size and spectacular berries make it ideal for winter container displays.
Foundation Planting: Ideal for planting beneath windows or in narrow borders where space is limited but year-round structure is needed.
Woodland Edge: Natural choice for woodland gardens or beneath established trees where its shade tolerance and wildlife value shine.
Low Hedging: Creates an attractive low informal hedge, though slower growing than traditional hedging plants.
Wildlife Gardens: The abundant berries provide valuable winter food for birds, particularly thrushes and blackbirds.
Seasonal Interest
Spring: Fresh new growth with bright spotting and small purple flowers.
Summer: Attractive glossy foliage provides structure and backdrop for seasonal plantings.
Autumn: Berries begin to colour, creating anticipation for the winter display.
Winter: Spectacular show of bright red berries against evergreen foliage - the plant's finest hour.
Companion Plants
The subtle variegation and compact size make 'Rozannie' an excellent companion for shade-loving perennials. Pairs beautifully with hellebores, pulmonaria, brunnera, and winter-flowering heathers. The red berries complement the autumn colours of Japanese maples and the silver foliage of artemisia.
Advantages Over Traditional Aucubas
Self-Fertile: Produces berries without requiring a separate male plant, guaranteeing a display.
Compact Size: Fits into spaces where traditional varieties would be too large.
Superior Berrying: Often produces more berries than larger varieties due to its self-fertile nature.
Award Winner: RHS Award of Garden Merit recognises its exceptional garden value.
Why Choose Aucuba 'Rozannie'?
This outstanding cultivar solves many of the traditional challenges associated with aucubas whilst amplifying their best qualities. The guaranteed berry production, compact size, and exceptional winter interest make it invaluable for contemporary gardens. Whether you're working with a small urban garden, want reliable container plants, or need dependable structure in shaded areas, 'Rozannie' delivers year-round performance with minimal maintenance. Its wildlife value and winter colour make it particularly valuable during the garden's quieter months, providing a beacon of warmth and life when it's needed most.
Buying Shrubs from Jacksons Nurseries
At Jacksons Nurseries we sell a variety of shrubs both evergreen and deciduous with a variety of flowering times throughout the year. At certain times of the year our shrubs you buy from us may not look like the images shown on our website when deciduous leaves have fallen, the shrub has finished flowering or has been trimmed back.
Some leaves on evergreen shrubs can be damaged in winter by frost or harsh winds but in spring new leaves will readily replace those damaged. This is quite normal on many evergreen varieties and is preferable to plants grown with excessive protection that show cold shock once planted out and establish less satisfactory initially.
Availability: Stock availability figures are provided as a guide only. There is a delay between orders being placed and the plants being gathered by our pulling team. During this time it may be possible for a member of the public to purchase these plants from our Garden Centre, while this is rare it is a possibility and we will notify you of any problems as soon as possible. This figure may also include plants that have not yet be flagged as unsaleable.
Pre-order: Pre-order times are given as a guide only and may vary dependent on the growing season. Orders containing Pre-ordered products will be shipped as a single order when all items become available. Large orders may be part shipped, please contact us on 01782 502741 or email sales@jacksonsnurseries.co.uk.
* Please Note: Shrubs in 20 litre pots and above might require a pallet delivery starting at £79.99 per pallet. Depending on the exact pot size and height it may be possible to get approximately 5 plants per pallet at no extra cost. The maximum height we can dispatch on a pallet is 2.0m, this includes the height of the pallet and pot.
Shrubs are deciduous or evergreen woody plants, and often provide fragrant flowers, berries and foliage. They are good for structural framework, and they can provide a wonderful shelter and food source for wildlife.
Planting and Conditions
Container grown shrubs can be grown at any time of year. It is a little known fact that shrubs planted in the autumn and winter will be easier to look after than those planted in the spring and summer, because they will have time to establish and become hardy in the cooler months.
Plant the shrub at the same depth as it was in its original pot. Planting too deeply can result in root and stem rot.
One of the biggest causes of death in new shrubs is drought stress, so keep it well watered until it’s established.
Make sure you loosen the soil prior to planting. Most shrubs are tolerant of most soil types as long as it is fairly well draining.
Most shrubs will grow happily in containers, but they will be much more demanding on feeding and watering than shrubs in the ground would be. They will also need potting on every couple of years so that they don’t suffocate or become stunted in their pot.
Aftercare and Pruning
Once established, shrubs generally do not require much water. However, at first they need careful, frequent watering and should not be left to dry out.
Shrubs in the ground are generally not demanding and in most cases, annual feeding with general purpose fertilizer will suffice. Shrubs in containers may need more feeding; usually from early spring until late summer.
Shrubs also benefit from mulching in order to supress weeds, conserve moisture and provide vital nutrients. Mulch also greatly improves soil conditions. Shrubs can be mulched in late winter, after fertiliser has been applied, but it can be mulched through autumn to late spring as long as the ground is damp.
All shrubs benefit from dead-heading once spent flowers become apparent. Rhododendrons and Lilac especially benefit from the removal of dead flowers.
Some shrubs may show signs of reverted growth or ‘sporting’. This is where random shoots of different leaves associated with the plant’s parentage begin to appear. Most commonly this is where plants with variegated leaves sprout pure green growths instead of variegated ones.
To control reversion, remove reverted shoots promptly to discourage them. Reverted shoots are usually much more vigorous than the variegated ones, and thus should be completely pruned out and cut back into wood containing variegated foliage.
Potential Issues
Although shrubs are usually very robust garden plants, they can sometimes start to decline with no apparent or obvious reason.
This will start with browning leaves, which could indicate plant stress due to lack of water or waterlogging, an establishment failure or, in the worst case scenario, honey fungus. Another cause of leaf browning is a high salt content in the soil. This could be a natural occurrence, especially if you live near the ocean, or it could be from over fertilisation.
To remedy a high salt content, cut back on fertiliser and step up your watering regime for the next few weeks. If you live by the ocean, this will be harder to remedy—but stepping up your watering will help to wash some of the salt away all the same.
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