Escallonia rubra macrantha

Escallonia rubra macrantha

Escallonia macrantha is one of the more upright members of the Escallonia family.  It is a fast-growing evergreen shrub with shiny green leaves that have a spicy reminiscent of Friars Balsam or Allspice.  Escallonia macrantha produces sweetly scented bright rose-red bell-shaped flowers through the summer months so it is best trimmed in late summer after flowering. Escallonia is ideal for coastal locations as it tolerates salt winds and loves the mild climate. It grows well in sunny or partially shaded, well-drained positions, but like all Escallonia, macrantha loathes cold winds and damp or waterlogged sites. In cold inland situations, it is best planted near a wall. Once confined to the South-West, Escallonia grows over an increasing area of the UK as the climate warms.

An excellent specimen shrub, and good in a shrub border, Escallonia is also well suited to hedges 90-300cm(3-9’) in height, when it should be planted at 2 per metre in a single row.