Gardening secrets: How to grow escallonia in your pot and garden

Escallonia is a hedge plant that provides beautiful color to your garden with white, pink or red flowers emerging from June to October and evergreen foliage throughout the year. A native to Chile, Escallonia hedge plants can handle full sun and various planting conditions meaning they’re perfect for some difficult planting areas and their ability to tolerate a wide range of planting sites mean they can even adorn your patio if grown in pots.

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These eye-catching plants display fantastic, bright flowers and the evergreen foliage provides year-round interest, keeping your garden colorful even once the flowers have faded. Although classified as evergreen some Escallonia hedges may lose some foliage in the very harshest of winter but otherwise the aesthetic dark foliage provides the perfect background for the bright flowers in the Summer, as well as offering a great wind break. A wonderful multi-purpose hedge plant Escallonia can also be grown as a specimen plant or a a climber; whether they are pot grown or left to grow as a bush and adapt well to rockery planting.

Where to plant Escallonia

The point to note when growing Escallonia is that it is slightly tender, which means it is not suitable for cold or exposed gardens. Escallonia is often described as H4 hardy,(what does frost hardy mean?) which is hardy in most of the UK as -5-10 degrees. In reality, most Escallonia are not fully hardy, which means it is best to check the variety carefully and all are best grown in a sheltered spot. In a bad winter Escallonia can suffer with die back on the leaves and scorching.

Escallonia are best planted in full sun into good, well-drained soil away from cold winds. Escallonia is trouble free, requiring no maintenance.

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How to grow escallonia

Escallonias need sun and a fertile, well-drained soil to grow well. Prepare ground by digging in well-rotted compost or soil conditioner, and plant in spring if possible so plants can become well established before winter. Plant with the top of the rootball at soil level, backfill around the roots and firm well, and water in. During dry spells through the first growing season, water thoroughly twice a week.

How to plant escallonia

To grow escallonias as a hedge, space plants 45cm apart in a single line. Prepare ground by digging in well-rotted compost or soil conditioner, and plant in spring if possible so plants can become well established before winter. Plant with the top of the rootball at soil level, backfill around the roots and firm well, and water in. Ensure the site gives sufficient width for the plants to develop to flowering size as escallonias bloom best if trimmed just once a year.