Coprosma billardieri
Coprosma billardieri
Safety & Hazards
None known
Cultivation Details
Requires a moist, very well-drained neutral to slightly acid soil in full sun or light shade[1]. Succeeds in most soils[2]. Somewhat intolerant of frost, this species is only likely to succeed outdoors in the mildest areas of Britain[1]. Plants are hardy to at least -7°c in Australian gardens[3] though this does not translate directly to British gardens due to our cooler summers and longer, colder and wetter winters. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[1, 2]. Plants are tolerant of heavy clipping or pruning[2]. Plants are normally dioecious, though in some species the plants produce a few flowers of the opposite sex before the main flowering and a few hermaphrodite flowers are sometimes produced[2]. Male and female plants must usually be grown if seed is required.
Propagation
Seed - probably best sown as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse or cold frame[PFAF]. Sow stored seed in spring in a cold frame[1]. Germination can be slow, often taking more than 12 months even when fresh seed is used[PFAF]. When the seedlings are large enough to handle, prick them out into individual pots. Grow on the plants for at least their first winter in a greenhouse and plant out in late spring or early summer. Give the plants some protection from the cold for their first winter outdoors[PFAF]. Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth, autumn in a frame. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Coprosma+billardieri>
Pollinators
Wind
References
- [1]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
- [2]The New Plantsman. Volume 2, 1995. — Knees. S. · Royal Horticultural Society · 1995 · ISBN 1352-4186 ↩︎A quarterly magazine, it has articles on Coprosma species,
- [3]Australian Native Plants. — Wrigley. J. W. and Fagg. M. · Collins. (Australia) · 1988 · ISBN 0-7322-0021-0 ↩︎A lovely book, written in order to encourage Australian gardeners to grow their native plants. A little bit of information for the plant project.
- [4]Wild Food in Australia. — Cribb. A. B. and J. W. · Fontana · 1976 · ISBN 0-00-634436-4 ↩︎A very good pocket guide.
- [5]Native Edible Plants of New Zealand. — Crowe. A. · Hodder and Stoughton · 1990 · ISBN 0-340-508302 ↩︎A very well written and illustrated book based on the authors own experiments with living on a native diet.
- [6]Economic Native Plants of New Zealand. — Brooker. S. G., Cambie. R. C. and Cooper. R. C. · Oxford University Press · 1991 · ISBN 0-19-558229-2 ↩︎An interesting and readable book on the useful plants of New Zealand.
- [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎