|
Coprosma repens 'County Park Red' (Red Mirror Plant) - An attractive upright growing evergreen shrub to 3 to 4 feet tall by up to 3 feet wide with small glossy oval leaves that emerge a light green in spring and then are and flushed with orange and red colors as the season progresses to ultimately become a solid dark red color which it holds through winter when all foliage is red - this cultivar always has older leaves that remain red unlike Coprosma 'Roy's Red'.
Plant in full coastal sun to part shade in a well-drained soil with regular to occasional irrigation but is fairly drought tolerant once established. Cold tolerant down to about 18 to 20 degrees F. Can be trimmed anytime of the year but best cut with pruners and not sheared to presert the clean attractive foliage. A great variety that is always colorful but particularly fall through winter when it is the redest. It is useful a specimen plant, timmed as a short hedge or shape into a topiary.
The species was originally first encountered by Daniel Solander and Joseph Banks on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand in 1769 while on James Cooks first expedition on the HMS Endeavour. It was found growing on coastal rocks, cliffs, coastal forests throughout North Island and along the west coast of South Island as well as on the Kermadec and Three Kings Islands. The name for the genus comes from the Greek words 'kopros' meaning "dung" and 'osme' meaning "smell" in reference to the foul cabbage like smell produced by methanethiol that is given out when the leaves of some species are crushed. The specific epithet means creeping. Other common names included Taupata, Looking-glass Bush, Shiny Leaf and New Zealand Laurel, a name it shares this with Corynocarpus laevigatus.
We have not discovered who named and introduced this cultivar but we first encountered it in 2009 being grown by Suncrest Nurseries in Watsonville, California and we got our stock of it from them.
Information displayed on this page about Coprosma repens 'County Park Red' is based on our research conducted about this plant in our nursery library as well as from information provided by reliable online resources. We also include our own observations made about it as it has grown in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers in our nursery field. We will also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.
|
