Escallonia Hedging

ESCALLONIA HEDGING

Escallonia Hedging – Rubra macrantha – In Hylands Nursery we sell the variety Escallonia magellanica Rubra Macrantha.  Rubra macrantha is a fast-growing, evergreen hedge. It has rose crimson flowers and can reach a height of 3 metres if left untrimmed.  We only sell this variety in our Nursery as we feel this is the best type of Escallonia for disease resistance.  Escallonia Hedging also works well as part of a mixed hedgerow.

Escallonia makes a good coastal hedge.

Hyland’s Nursery Escallonia Hedging video

Hyland’s Nursery Escallonia Price List

Type of Escallonia plants you can buy and when to plant them

Pots or containers:

Escallonia in pots can be planted all year round. Their root is settled into the pot and the plant has been actively growing in the pot thus it is well established.  A plant in a pot can be sown all year round.  As it is established in the pot, there is little disturbance to the plant when planted into the ground so it is more likely to grow.  It is seldom that a plant in a pot fails unless the watering conditions haven’t been correct. It will need to be watered in well when initially planted. If planted during a hot time or in the summer, it may need to be watered a few times a week until they get established in the ground.

We don’t sell Escallonia bare rooted or root balled at the moment as we feel they are better coming from a pot as they are more likely to grow into a stronger plant and less chance of the plant dying.

Planting tips

Distance apart:

Smaller plants should be planted at a distance of 50cm apart in a single row.  Larger plants won’t need to be planted as close, but how close will depend on how soon you want your Escallonia hedging to look full.

Preparation for planting:

The ground should be clean and free of weeds and grass.  This gives the new plants a good chance to get established.  If the area you are going to plant them in has grass or weeds, the ground should be sprayed off a week or so before planting to avoid any competition. To help prevent too many weeds appearing after you have planted your Escallonia hedging, I find it a good idea to put your grass clippings or mulch around the plants as this smothers out the weeds and helps prevent the plants drying out.

Depth:

The plants should be planted deep enough to cover the roots. They do not like to be planted too deep as this may kill them or stunt their growth.

Escallonia doesn’t like to be lying in water so if the area you want to plant them in is wet, you may need to consider draining the ground or making a mound/ditch of topsoil on top of the ground and plant them into this.

Escallonia can grow well in full sun and partial shade.

Aftercare:

Once the Escallonia hedging is established you can trim it once a year.  Spring or late summer is a good time to give it a trim as it flowers throughout the summer.  It shouldn’t be trimmed if the weather is really hot and dry.  You can give your hedge a feed of any high nitrogen feed (eg. in the nursery we use 18-6-12) or poultry manure pellets in late spring/early summer.

General problems with Escallonia hedging

Lack of water (drought):

If you have a newly planted hedge that is turning yellow and is losing its leaves, it is generally not getting enough water.  It should not be let get too dry in the first year.  If planted in a dry time you will need to water it in well and water it a few times a week- weather dependant.

Too much water (waterlogged):

If you have a more established hedge and it starts turning yellow, the ground may be water logged. Escallonia doesn’t like sitting in water for a long period of time.

Diseases:

In general Escallonia is prone to fungus diseases where the leaves will turn brown and fall off.  We have selected this type of Escallonia to sell in our Nursery as it is a lot more tolerant to fungus diseases.  Escallonia can be sprayed for fungus diseases.

Hunger:

Another reason for your leaves turning yellow is hunger and your hedge may need a granule or liquid feed with high nitrogen or some poultry manure pellets.

If you have any questions, please do reach out to us by phone +353 87 277 3492 or email for answers.