Dark coppery-bronze foliage which looks good all year makes this a stunner as a hedge or shelter tree. Theres the added bonus too of lots of white flowers in mid summer. Its tough and drought toleant and grows fast. If you want to keep it as a hedge it will pay to start trimming while still young. If using for shelter or as a mixed boundary planting, try mixing it with bold foliage shrubs - puka, Meryta sinclairii in mild winter areas, Pittosporums where winters are frosty.

A dramatic two toned hedge can be created by planting a row of Copper Sheen alternating with a strong growing, green pittosporum variety such as Mountain Green. Attention to clipping is important if such a hedge is to look its best. Copper Sheen makes a dramatic backdrop to orange and red flowered shrubs. In coastal areas its stunning behind groups of Leucadendrons, Leucospermums and Metrosideros Tahiti. The latter is a bushy shrub, outstanding for its light green foliage and crimson flowers which are produced for most of the year. Native shrubs with dramatic form look good in front of a hedge or shelterbelt of Leptospermum Copper Shine too. Corokias with twisted stems, bronze foliage grasses such as Carex testacea, the little kowhai Sophora Dragons Gold, Chionochloa flavicans, which is a miniature toetoe and has creamy-green plumes in summer, and kaka beak, Clianthus Kaka King which is literally smothered with big red flowers for up to six weeks in spring are just some of the possibilities.