Description
One of the prettiest South Florida shrubs is copper plant - or copperleaf - with its striking, brightly-colored leaves.
Basic varieties come in several different colors - red, pink and white.The red is a rusty mix of coppery red with bright pink accents.Pink has beautiful mottled pink, green and white leaves (bright pink in more sun, pastel pink in part shade).
White is creamy white mixed with green.Newer cultivars include smaller-leaved shrubs like Inferno as well as new colors such as showy Tricolor with red, green and yellow foliage.Plant Specifications
| Common Name | Copper plant. |
| Maximum Reachable Height | 3 to 5 feet. |
| Flower Colour | These shrubs do flower but with narrow, dangling, fuzzy blooms (called catkins ) similar in color to the foliage so the blossoms are all but invisible. |
| Difficulty Level | Easy. |
Planting and care
Trim occasionally for shape and height (do branch trimming rather than using hedge trimmers).Give the plant a hard pruning in spring (late March or early April) for bushier growth and to keep it the size you want.
Copper Leaf care
Add composted cow manure and top soil (or organic peat humus) to the hole when you plant. Plant 3 feet apart. Come out from the house 2-1/2 to 3 feet.If you re planting along a driveway or walk, come in about 3 or 4 feet.Copperleaf plants will work fine in a container.
| Sunlight | Copperleaf plants like full sun to part shade - and the more sun,the brighter the leaf color. It will enjoy part shade too, especially in hot and dry climates. |
| Watering | Keep a regular watering schedule for these shrubs. If they stay too dry for too long they won t look their best. |
| Soil | Plant your copper leaf in organically rich soil that has been amended with compost. |
| Temperature | Copper plant prefers temperatures above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. |
| Fertilizer | Fertilize 3 times a year - in spring, summer and fall - with a good granular fertilizer. |
Copper Leaf uses
Ornamental Use:
- Landscape uses for copper plantaccent by the entrysingle yard specimenanchor plant for a bed of smaller plantscorner-of-the-house accenthedgelining a walk or drivesurrounding tall palmsalong a blank walllining the edge of a porch, deck or patio