Escallonia is a genus of 40-50 species of flowering plants in the family Escalloniaceae, native to South America. It is an evergreen shrub with attractive flowers. Escallonia can be used for hedging, grown in a mixed border, trained as wall shrubs or planted as a windbreak in coastal gardens.
Most of the plants grown today are cultivars, selected for their attractive and colorful flowers. They have small, glossy and dark green leaves and flowers from June to October.
Escallonia 'Apple Blossom' has pale pink flowers in early to midsummer. E.'Iveyi' has fragrant white flowers from mid- to late summer.
Escallonia is hardy and grows well in sun, in fertile and well-drained soil. Propagation is by softwood cuttings in early summer; semi-ripe cuttings in late summer; or hardwood cuttings in autumn.
Escallonia macrantha http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Escallonia_macrantha.jpg A. Barra
Escallonia 'Iveyi' http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Escallonia_%27Iveyi%27.jpg A. Barra
Escallonia myrtoides http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Escallonia_myrtoides_2.jpg Stan Shebs
Escallonia cultivar in bloom http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SidneyEscallonia.JPG Angilbas
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Escallonia_macrantha.jpg
A. Barra
