Digging deeperPlant Library

Other Names:  Mirror Plant, Looking Glass Plant

Description:

This stunning variety features attractive green and gold foliage on an upright, airy shrub; leaves more gold in winter; perfect for shaping into topiarys or hedges; excellent contrast for darker colored garden plantings or features

Ornamental Features

Coprosma spp. has attractive gold-variegated dark green foliage with hints of creamy white on a plant with an upright spreading habit of growth. The small glossy round leaves are highly ornamental and remain dark green throughout the winter. The smooth khaki (brownish-green) bark is extremely showy and adds significant winter interest.

Landscape Attributes

Coprosma spp. is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. 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.

Coprosma spp. is recommended for the following landscape applications;

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

Planting & Growing

Coprosma spp. will grow to be about 4 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. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years.

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.

Coprosma spp. 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.