Rainbow Surprise Mirror Plant

Follow a regular watering schedule during the first growing season to establish a deep, extensive root system. Feed with a general purpose fertilizer before new growth begins in spring. For a tidy, neat appearance, shear annually to shape.

Good focal point with multi season interest in short range compositions. Use in shrub or mixed borders to provide structure against large leaf exotics or tropicals. Fine foundation plant for year around coverage of crawl spaces, meters and vents. Well sized for framing art or fountains with a nest of attractive foliage. Plant as an informal hedge or barrier to separate spaces.

Coprosma belongs with other warm climate beauties such as Camarillo Fiesta Bougainvillea, (Bougainvillea 'Monle'), Festival Grass Cordyline, (Cordyline x 'Jurred'), Strawberry Lemonade Variegated Mandevilla, (Mandevilla sanderi 'MonProud') and Blood Banana, (Musa acuminata zebrina). It's a natural for coastal favorites like Tahiti New Zealand Christmas Tree, (Metrosideros villosa 'Tahiti'), Chamallow Bush Mallow, (Lavatera x clementii 'Inovera'), and Tuscan Blue Rosemary, (Rosmarinus officinalis 'Tuscan Blue').

This genus of shiny leaf shrubs hails includes about 60 species scattered across the South Pacific in Australia, New Zealand, and Borneo. The genus was classified by the German, Johann Reinhold Forster in the late 18th century. It was derived from the Greek for a fetid odor, the chief distinguishing feature of some species. One of the most famous collectors of Coprosma species was I. Bauer, who traveled New Zealand in 1804-1805. This species, C. repens hails from North Island of New Zealand where its short stature is well adapted to sand dune habitats where it must keep out of the desiccating coastal winds.

In New Zealand, dyes are made from the inner bark of many Coprosma species which does not require a mordant. A poultice of the leaves is used to treat wounds by the indigenous peoples. Seed is ground for a coffee substitute.