Roger Has been successfully growing a gorgeous Coprosma Shrub in a pot in his south Wales Garden for several years now, and as you can see in this video it is looking great!
This evergreen shrub has shiny leaves that change colours through the seasons - from bright yellow new growth in spring slowly changing through orange to bronze as the growth matures through summer and autumn.
It is native to new Zealand, and not fully hardy in the UK.
Estimates and experiences with frost tolerance vary between varieties and locations where they are grown. Rogers Coprosma 'Pina Colada' has been outside in South Wales UK without protection for around 5 years ...
- It has been exposed to a few degrees of frost (Maybe -4C or -5 C) but only overnight on rare occasions
- As with many tender plants if the frost disappears during the day and the plant / roots can thaw out before night temperatures drop again - the plant can survive, especially if the frosty night nights don't last too long.
- Good drainage can help tender plants cope with cold weather, so Roger explains that he will soon remove the pot from its saucer and raise it up off the floor on 'pot feet' overwinter.
- Feeding with a high Potash fertilizer may help tender leaves resist some degree of frost damage (whereas high Nitrogen fertilizers can encourage lots of soft new growth which is more vulnerable to frosts.)