Green and Gold Coprosma

Green and Gold Coprosma (Coprosma repens 'Green and Gold') brings colour to a hedge without a single flower worth looking at. The leaves are thick, high gloss and splashed with gold over deep green, and they hold that colour every month of the year on a shrub about 1.5m tall and 1.5m wide. On an exposed coastal block, very few variegated plants stay this clean.

Why you'll love it

• Foliage colour that never takes a season off. Gold and green variegation carries the plant all year, so a hedge has something to look at in midwinter.
• Built for the coast. Salt and wind tolerant, and the thick waxy leaves shed spray and dust, so the foliage keeps its shine where most variegated shrubs scorch.
• Fast growing. It fills its 1.5m by 1.5m space in two to three seasons, one of the quicker ways to start a coloured hedge.
• Very little work. Low maintenance and drought tolerant once established, needing a trim or two a year.

Where it works best

Hedging and screening. Plant 1m apart in a single row for a dense hedge that closes at about 1.5m. Two trims a year keep the face flat, and because it shoots freely the hedge stays furnished from the ground up.

Coastal gardens. Put it on the exposed side of a garden as a windbreak, with more sensitive plants behind. Salt, wind and sandy soil are all within its range.

Pots and borders. A 400mm or larger pot holds it closer to 1m, and trimmed at 600mm to 800mm it makes a bright low border.

Growing Green and Gold Coprosma in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the strongest gold variegation, and the more shade it gets the greener the markings become. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens. It handles light frost only, so hard frosting inland districts and the tablelands should use a pot that can be moved under cover.

Soil. Free draining soil is the requirement, and sandy coastal soils suit it perfectly. On heavy clay, plant on a raised mound and work coarse sand through the bed.

Water and feed. Water deeply twice a week through the first summer, then reduce as it becomes drought tolerant. A complete slow release fertiliser in early spring keeps the variegation bright, and it does not want heavy feeding.

Pruning. Trim two or three times through the growing season, because it reshoots readily. Remove any all green shoots promptly: reverted growth is more vigorous and will take the plant over.

What to expect when it arrives

This one is grown in tube stock, a young single stemmed plant rather than the rounded shrub in the photographs, which is the sensible way to buy a fast grower for a hedge. Ten tubes at 1m spacing gives roughly a 10m run for a fraction of the cost of advanced plants, and closes within two to three seasons.

Tip prune from planting rather than waiting for height, since early pruning builds the density at the base that a hedge depends on. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• How variegated foliage works and how to keep it
• Browse the full variegated foliage range
• Salt tolerant plants for coastal blocks
• Compare the best hedging plants

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a hedge?

One metre apart in a single row. The plants meet and form a solid face at about 1.5m tall within two to three seasons, with enough room to stay evenly watered.

Why are some of my shoots plain green?

That is reversion, and it happens to most variegated plants at some point. Cut those shoots out at their base as soon as you notice them, because plain green growth is more vigorous and will gradually dominate.

Will it handle frost?

Light frost only. It is comfortable in subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens, but a hard or repeated frost will burn the foliage badly. In cold districts grow it in a pot over winter.