Other Names:  Horopito

Description:

An unusual evergreen plant that has leaves which are yellow-green to white and edged in red; A lovely garden shrub that creates a stunning foliage display; should be sheltered from cold winds

Ornamental Features

New Zealand Pepper Bush has attractive chartreuse foliage edged in red on a plant with a round habit of growth. The oval leaves are highly ornamental and remain chartreuse throughout the winter. It features subtle creamy white star-shaped flowers with yellow eyes along the branches in early spring.

Landscape Attributes

New Zealand Pepper Bush is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a more or less rounded form. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It has no significant negative characteristics.

New Zealand Pepper Bush is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

New Zealand Pepper Bush will grow to be about 5 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 5 feet. It has a low canopy, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type, but has a definite preference for acidic soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. This species is not originally from North America.

New Zealand Pepper Bush makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.