Aucuba japonica Shilpot Paeonia which truly resembles the beak

which truly resembles the beak of a bird

A 5-year-old patch will spread to 3' wide

The flowers are attractive to pollinators like many of the native wasps

The edge color is also quite unusual

because at the onset of hot weather the entire clump goes dormant for the summer

Aucuba japonica Shilpot Paeonia which truly resembles the beakAucuba japonica 'Shilpot', sold under the illegally used tradename, Pepper Pot, has been one of our favorites since we first grew it in 2005. Aucuba 'Shilpot' is a slow growing male clone with glossy green foliage, heavily spotted with tiny yellow spots. For us, our dwarf 8 year old specimens are only 3' tall, so we're guessing it will eventually make 3. 5' tall. Aucuba japonica 'Shilpot' makes a really unique, lovely specimen in the woodland garden.