Lophomyrtus ralphii Magic dragon

Lophomyrtus ralphii 'Magic Dragon' is one of these delightful New Zealand shrubs that are not very hardy but absolutely charming all year round. When placed on a well-protected patio, it creates, along with other plants from the antipodes, a subtly exotic atmosphere. Its summer flowers, delicate yet abundant, produce numerous small powdery flowers in a cream-white colour, which seem to twinkle against the backdrop of wonderfully coloured purple, cream, and pink foliage . In winter, it is covered with fruits resembling small red pearls. This relative of the myrtles, dense and evergreen and of a modest size, is a vibrant yet distinguished plant that thrives in the ground in very mild climates and in humus-rich sandy soil, which can be slightly calcareous and cool in summer. Elsewhere, it can be cultivated like a citrus plant, in a large pot, to be stored frost-free in winter.

Lophomyrtus 'Magic Dragon' is a small shrub from the Myrtaceae family. It belongs to a series of hybrids and are a result of cross-breeding between the only two species in the genus, Lophomyrtus bullata and Lophomyrtus obcordata, both native to New Zealand. 'Magic Dragon' is a recent cultivar, very colourful, and derived from the variety 'Red Dragon', with very dark foliage. The shrub will reach an average height of 1.5 meters (4 feet 11 inches) and a width of 1.2 meters (3 feet 11 inches). Its growth is moderately fast and its habit is naturally dense, branching, slightly upright, and very bushy. The small, evergreen, shiny, ovate, leathery leaves have a blistered appearance and emit a slight aroma when crushed. They emerge in a purple colour, then darken and variegate with cream and pink, with all these colours blending together. The very nectar-rich shrub blooms generously in June-July. The small globular flowers, white to ivory, slightly fragrant, have 4 petals surrounding a prominent cluster of stamens and are 1 cm (0.4 in) wide. They appear in the axils of the leaves, on the shoots of the same year's growth, and are followed in autumn by the formation of small round, fleshy fruits that turn a beautiful red-pink colour at ripeness.

Hardy up to about -6°C (21.2 °F), Lophomyrtus 'Magic Dragon' is a charming terrace and orangery plant in cold climates. In a greenhouse or conservatory, it will create an extremely decorative group with an orange tree, a Leucadendron, and a Mimosa, evoking landscapes with exotic charm and fragrance. In mild climates, it can be used as a standalone plant, a low hedge - it tolerates pruning well - or in a flower bed, alongside Leptospermum, boronia, or even Eriostemon. It can also be planted in an evergreen hedge, accompanied by a sarcococca, a spring-flowering broom, dwarf rhododendrons in non-calcareous soil, or red-flowering callistemons (Callistemon citrinus 'Splendens').