The lack of light killed the leaves, unless it also got dried out. Maybe it will sprout new leaves now that the growing season is more advanced.

Even in dull climates like mine these are happiest with some shade. Variegated forms need more light than green ones, otherwise full shade is suitable even where I live - where specimens in full sun may bleach and burn.

My variegated aucuba grows fine in heavy shade. I've been growing them for thirty years and it's the only plant I've found that will do well under Norway Maples.

Try moving your plant to a shadier location and it might come back to life.

Carly

The variegation tends to become less in a darker area.

thank you all for your input. but it has been like 2 months and no leaves have developed. would cutting it back help? the branches are healthy or they seem to be.
thank you. nancy

Cutting a shrub back reduces its ability to grow, there is no way this would assist your plant.

Nancy, If you're still not getting any new growth then I would go ahead and cut it back. That should stimulate new growth. If the branches are truly healthy then they will sprout. No problem.

Incidentally, I have some Aucuba's in full shade and some in full sun. You're absolutely right. They do develop more yellow variegation in a brighter location.

What a tough as nails shrub, huh?

Best of luck!

You may already know this, but I thought it worth mentioning:
Be sure to make your cuts just above a stem node. Those are the tan rings around the stem.

Go Nancy!

Cutting back does not make a shrub grow more. If it is so bad off it is sitting there without any leaves, amputation of what above ground growth it has managed to hang onto is not is not going to solve this lack of growth.

If you take two sets of matching shrubs, cut one set back and not the other, dig them and weigh them after there has been enough time for the pruned ones to grow back the ones that were not pruned weigh more - because there is more of them to weigh. Pruning the others decreased the amount of volume they managed to add during the same period.

"Pruning is always stunting"

--Carl E. Whitcomb