Ok to remove 2 Aucubas?

4 years ago

I am in PNW zone 8, SW WA, Vancouver (across the Columbia River from Portland OR). I have 3 Aucubas planted @ 8 years ago on north side of my house which are too large & requiring too much pruning to keep to size. Several times this summer I’ve thinned to reduce height, each time cutting lower into the plants. of course they get thicker since each cut at a joint produces three new stems. I also prune away from house so I can easily stand behind them. I just decided that I want to take the one at each end out & leave the middle plant. The middle of this stretch is just siding, and that middle plant has the best color with many yellow leaves bordered in green instead of just yellow spots. This will give me a place for a more interesting shade bed to fill with more neat ferns etc. & make a walk along the path there more interesting. I also want to reduce my pruning chores.

My question is about the lone Aucuba left in the middle - any issues I should think about? I wouldn’t do any cutting to shape it until next spring so I know it will look bare on its sides & be in a pretty awful shape until then. But, it should survive the winter since its so well established, do you agree?

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Comments (3)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
4 years ago
i dont think you have any concern.. other than it will take a year or two to grow out to hide where the other plants were ...

winter should not be an issue ...

i would cut them flush to the ground.. and use a stump killer on the cut trunk ... i might be concerned.. if you go dig out the two removed plants.. in that you might be significantly impacting the roots of the one left ...

besides.. do you really need to plant something in the exact same spots???

if you insist on digging.. maybe dig one side out this year.. let those roots recover.. and then dig the other side out next year ...i dont know ... or its much to do about nothing ....

ken
KW PNW Z8 thanked ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
KW PNW Z8
Original Author
4 years ago
@ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5 Ken, thanks very much for your input. It’s just what I need to proceed with my project! I have the patience for the surviving Aucuba to fill out its shape. My husband likes your plan for disposing of the stumps! I can manage the cutting down just fine but those trunk bases look pretty sturdy. I was thinking they do need to come out or the plant will grow back. There is a main drip line hose feeding the individual drip hoses in that stretch & I don’t think it’s gotten buried over the years but I hadn't thought about the roots of the one I want to keep so thanks for that point . I will dig carefully & maybe dig only on the extreme outsides to asses root situation. Plants are @4” apart. I won’t plant exactly in same space. The bed is 5+” wide most of its length. The top end up by fence in second pic is planted with a hardy fuchsia, tassel ferns, maidenhair ferns, Hosta, hellebore, etc. My plan is to add more of the same shade lovers to replace both Aucubas with the middle one remaining providing some height & yeloow color for contrast. Fun project! The other side of this path receives a lot of south & west sun since my one story house doesn’t shade that side. Perfect time of year here to be outside digging things up.
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KW PNW Z8
Original Author
4 years ago
@ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5 Here’s the results of today’s work - less than 2 hours o cut into small pieces for our yard waste bin. Now the fun begins with those trunk stubs! My husband said he’ll do very careful cutting & digging straight down on the remaining plant sides of stubs. He plans to dig on an open side first to see how serious of a root situation exists. The 3rd pic is of the remaining plant - it doesn’t look too bad all by its lonely, does it?