Digging deeperPlant Library

Other Names:  Looking Glass Plant

Description:

This variegated shrub features a rainbow of foliage colors; green and butter progress to hues of orange and red; perfect for shaping into topiaries or low hedges; great for shrub or mixed borders, containers, or framing garden features

Ornamental Features

Rainbow Surprise Mirror Bush is primarily valued in the landscape or garden for its distinctively pyramidal habit of growth. It has attractive dark green foliage edged in buttery yellow with hints of orange. The glossy oval leaves are highly ornamental and turn an outstanding antique red in the fall, which persists throughout the winter.

Landscape Attributes

Rainbow Surprise Mirror Bush is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a distinctive and refined pyramidal form. It lends an extremely fine and delicate texture to the landscape composition which can make it a great accent feature on this basis alone.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and can be pruned at anytime. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Rainbow Surprise Mirror Bush is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Rainbow Surprise Mirror Bush will grow to be about 5 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 4 feet. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live to a ripe old age of 499 years or more; think of this as a heritage shrub for future generations!

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.

Rainbow Surprise Mirror Bush makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden. Be aware that in our climate, this plant may be too tender to survive the winter if left outdoors in a container. Contact our experts for more information on how to protect it over the winter months.

This plant is not reliably hardy in our region, and certain restrictions may apply; contact the store for more information.