Coprosma Pacific Night

Coprosma 'Pacific Night' is a small, upright, and highly decorative bush with evergreen foliage in dark shades. Originally from New Zealand, it is not very hardy but drought-resistant and highly tolerant to sea spray. Its lovely small shiny leaves change colours with the seasons: from dark purple in winter to chocolate brown in spring, welcoming touches of bright green in summer, and then donning their beautiful purple coat at the first signs of cold weather. In the ground, it is a perfect bush for coastal gardens. Elsewhere, this little bush with dense foliage will adorn the terrace or balcony throughout the summer and spend the winter protected from frost.

The genus Coprosma consists of 90 species of evergreen bushes and small trees, most of which are native to New Zealand. These plants belong to the Rubiaceae family, which includes, for example, Sweet Woodruff, Coffee, and Gardenia. Recently introduced to the European horticultural market, these bushes, nicknamed mirror plants, develop extremely shiny foliage where light and colours play wonderfully. From their origins, these tender bushes have retained a preference for dry and hot climates and poor, well-drained soils. Hybrids and cultivars like 'Pacific Night' are not very hardy and suffer from temperatures below -3°C (26.6 °F). Therefore, their cultivation in the ground will be reserved for coastal areas spared from severe frosts.

Coprosma 'Pacific Night' is a hybrid bush resulting, among others, from the species Coprosma repens. It has an upright and dense habit, reaching a height of about 1.50m (4 ft 11 in) with a spread of 1m at maturity. Its growth is fast. It develops evergreen foliage composed of small, lanceolate, leathery, and glossy leaves. Their colour evolves throughout the months, showing more or less intense shades of purple, chocolate brown, and green. Together, they form a kind of dark and sparkling bush with a beautiful effect. The discreet flowering occurs at the end of summer in clusters of greenish stamens or stigmas, carried by male or female flowers on separate plants. When male plants are planted near female plants, small, highly decorative fruits of orange-vermilion colour are formed on the latter.

Coprosma 'Pacific Night' is a precious-looking bush, very ornamental when displayed in a pot on the terrace or balcony. It can be associated, in a low hedge, with other plants with green foliage (Lonicera nitida), golden foliage (golden oregano), purple foliage like those of Berberis, or grey, like artemisias. This cultivation method is suitable for most regions where significant frost occurs in winter. This bush requires some precautions to acclimatize in the ground in gardens: it prefers light, poor, and non-chalky soils.