Apple Blossom Escallonia Hedge Plants

Escallonia Apple Blossom Hedging

Escallonia Apple Blossom is a relatively slow growing evergreen shrub that makes a fine ornamental bush. It can certainly be used as hedging plant, although we do stock more vigorous varieties for that purpose.
Apple Blossom is good for hedges up to about 1.5 - 2 metres high and can get a bit bigger if it grows freely as a shrub.
Browse our selection of coastal hedging or our full range of hedging plants.

Escallonia Apple Blossom hedge plants are only delivered pot-grown, year round. We may delay delivery in winter if the weather is too cold.
All our hedge plants are measured by their height in centimetres above the ground (the roots & pots aren't measured).

Spacing an Escallonia Apple Blossom hedge:

Plant Escallonia Apple Blossom hedging at 2 plants per metre, 50cm apart.

General description of Escallonia Apple Blossom plants:

This evergreen shrub has small, shiny, scented green leaves that give off a lovely balsam scent after rain and when you clip them, so it is great to plant where its scent can be appreciated. The pretty, tube shaped flowers are pink & white, attract bees and they last through the summer, especially if you deadhead them.
Because it isn't as fast growing as most other Escallonia plants, it is usually grown as a specimen shrub.

History & uses:

This breed has won the RHS Award of Garden Merit for being pretty and easy to grow, as well as an Award of Merit for its cut flowers.

Growing Escallonia Apple Blossom plants:
Escallonia needs good soil drainage and a decent amount of sun: it is not suitable for shady sites or places that are prone to waterlogging. It will grow on any soil type and thrives on clay in dry, raised areas. It is an excellent plant for growing on the coast, but you should improve the soil if your site is very sandy.
Escallonia is quite hardy, but it is not suitable for inland frost pockets. If you live in the North or Scotland, it is best to plant it in a South facing, sheltered location.

Prepare your site before planting:
It is good to dig over the area where you plant a hedge several months in advance, especially if the soil is poor. Destroy the weeds first: nettles, brambles and ground elder are tough and weed-killer is the best way to remove them. Then dig the soil over; remove rocks, roots and other rubbish. Mix in well rotted compost or manure down to the depth of about 2 spades. If your soil is rich, you don't have to dig it over, but killing all the weeds is still necessary.

Watch our video on how to plant a garden hedge for full details.
Remember to water establishing plants during dry weather for at least a year after planting.

Hedge Planting Accessories:
Prepare your site for planting by killing the weeds and grass
You can buy a hedge planting pack with sheets of mulch fabric and pegs to hold it down.
If your soil quality is poor, we recommend using mycorrhizal "friendly fungi" on the roots of new trees and shrubs.
You can also improve your soil with bonemeal organic fertiliser.

After you have planted your Escallonia Apple Blossom hedge, the most important thing to do is water it in dry weather. You will also need to weed around the plants. Watering should be thorough, so the ground is soaked. Let the soil almost dry out before watering again. Watering & weeding will be necessary for at least a year after planting.
Like all evergreen plants, Escallonia Apple Blossom is active and needs moisture in the ground throughout the year. This means that your establishing plants need to be watered in the winter when they are planted, if the weather is dry.

Trimming Formal hedge plants:
Escallonia Apple Blossom is naturally bushy, so it doesn't need any clipping at all in its first year. In the winter of the year after planting, your young hedge should be trimmed lightly and every winter after that until it is mature.
When it is fully grown, you can clip it at anytime. A good time to clip Escallonia hedges is in midsummer, after the first main flush of flowering. If you want to keep your hedge really tidy, you can clip it again in early spring.

Special notes on caring for Escallonia Apple Blossom hedges:
Escallonia Apple Blossom used to be considered as a tender plant. It isn't recommended for inland frost pockets, but as long as your soil drainage is good, it can handle any British winter. Hard frosts or snow lying on the plants may cause some cosmetic leaf damage: this is not serious and will clear up in the spring. If you want to help prevent this leaf bronzing, you can cover your plants with horticultural fleece when there is a frost or snow warning.
If you didn't use a mulch fabric, it is beneficial to mulch around the base of the hedge each year with well rotted manure or compost.

Hygiene & Diseases:
Dead, damaged or diseased wood can be pruned off as soon as it appears.
Disinfect your pruning tools between every cut if there is any sign of disease.
Burn or dispose of any diseased material, do not compost it.