Escallonia is a shrub that has very beautiful flowers and is thus very ornamental.
| Name | Escallonia |
|---|---|
| Family | Escalloniaceae |
| Type | Evergreen shrub |
| Height | 3 to 10 feet (1 to 3 m) |
| Exposure | Full sun, sheltered from cold wind |
| Soil | Draining |
| Flowering | End of spring to mid-summer |
| Planting | Autumn for preference, spring if watered well |
| Pruning | Once or twice a year; tolerates renovation from old wood |
The planting, care and pruning greatly impact the flowering and the proper growth of Escallonia shrubs.
Best is if you choose to plant your escallonia in fall to favor root development before winter hits, and ensure proper growth in spring.
You can also plant in spring but make sure that the young shrub has sufficient water at the beginning.
Favor locations that are well-endowed with sun to boost the escallonia’s beautiful blooming.
A fast grower, escallonia often deserves to be cut back once or twice a year if you hope for it to keep a nice bearing.
Regular pruning will also make foliage even denser, which will increase the blooming.
At the end of winter to re-balance the shape and at the end of summer, after the blooming to prune a bit more severely.
Escallonia is a shrub for which the adding of fertilizer and water helps favor growth. It doesn’t need any specific fertilizer, any all-purpose fertilizer will do –natural ones such as rich mulch are particularly relevant.
Escallonia takes more than most people dare give it. Because it breaks from old wood, a shrub
that has grown bare-legged and twice its intended size can be brought back rather than replaced.
| When | How far | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| End of winter | Light: rebalance the outline, remove damaged wood | Restores the shape before growth starts, without touching this year’s flower buds |
| After flowering, late summer | Harder: a third of the current year’s growth | The main prune. Cutting now leaves time for new wood to ripen and set next year’s buds |
| Renovation, mid-spring | Severe: down to 18 inches (45 cm), or one stem in three over three years | For a bare, overgrown shrub. Only in spring, so a full season of warmth follows the cut |
Escallonia blooms on new growth, usually at the tips of fresh sprigs. Trigger renewed blooming by snipping the ends off branches with spend flowers. This removes all seeds forming at the tips of each little flower stem in one go.
New branches will sprout out from leaf nodes lower down on the stem. This both makes your shrub bushier and new flowers appear on these, too.
Native to Chili and to the Andes mountain range, escallonia provides very beautiful blooming that varies from white to red through pink depending on the variety.
Its small bunches of flowers are a boon to the bees during the entire summer.
It is also much appreciated for its shiny foliage that is evergreen in winter.
Try to choose a spot that is sheltered from wind and rather warm, it will reach its entire potential during summer especially if you provide it with organic fertilizer in spring.
In a flower bed or a hedge, it fits perfectly well in both.
All of them are grown and pruned the same way. What changes is the eventual size, and
therefore what you can reasonably ask of them: a seaside hedge, a specimen in a border, or a pot
by the door.
| Cultivar | Flower | Height | Best used as | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E. rubra var. macrantha | Bright, luminous pink | 8 to 10 ft (2.5 to 3 m) | Hedging, especially by the sea | Larger leaves than the rest, and the toughest of all in salt wind |
| ‘Apple Blossom’ | Pale pink shading to white | 5 to 6 ft (1.5 to 1.8 m) | Specimen shrub in a border | Grows less densely than the others, which suits an open position |
| ‘Iveyi’ | White, and scented | 8 to 10 ft (2.5 to 3 m) | Against a warm wall | Flowers later than the others, into late summer. The least hardy of the group |
| ‘Ingramii’ | Pinkish red | 6 to 8 ft (2 to 2.5 m) | Informal screen | The foliage is aromatic when brushed against |
| E. laevis ‘Gold Brian’ | Pink | 4 ft (1.2 m) | Foliage contrast, low border | Yellow-gold leaves. Give it light shade at midday or the leaves scorch |
| E. cardinalis | Stark pink with a red centre | 5 to 6 ft (1.5 to 1.8 m) | Specimen shrub | Glossy green leaves that hold their shine through winter |
| ‘Pink Elle’ | Pink | 3 ft (1 m) | Containers | A true dwarf: it will never outgrow a large pot |
For a hedge, rubra var. macrantha is the default and the one that survives
exposure. For anything ornamental, height is the deciding factor: the difference between ‘Pink
Elle’ and ‘Iveyi’ is a factor of three, and no amount of pruning closes it.
