Escallonia 'Iveyi'

Sun

Full sun gives the best flowering; tolerates light partial shade. Provide shelter from cold, drying winds.

Water

Water regularly during establishment; once established, water deeply during prolonged dry spells. Avoid persistently wet soil.

Soil

Well-drained soil, including sandy or loamy ground; tolerates a range of soil pH. Improve heavy soil drainage before planting.

Height

8-13 ft (2.5-4 m)

Spread

8-13 ft (2.5-4 m)

Flowers

Clusters of white, lightly scented flowers from midsummer into early autumn, depending on climate.

Foliage

Evergreen. Glossy, dark green, oval leaves with finely toothed edges; usually retained year-round, though frost or disease can cause leaf loss.

Growth

Moderate to fast in mild conditions.

Care needed

Medium

• Pollinators
• Drought tolerant
• Heat tolerant
• Wildlife
• Low allergen
• Fragrant

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Hard

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1.6 ft (0.5 m)

2. After 1 year

   4 ft (1.2 m)

3. After 2 years

   6 ft (1.9 m)

4. After 3 years

   8 ft (2.6 m)

5. After 5 years

   11 ft (3.3 m)

   full size

About 4 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Growth rate

Fast

• Water deeply through the first growing season, allowing the soil surface to begin drying between waterings.
• Apply an organic mulch in spring, keeping it clear of the stems.
• Feed lightly with a balanced shrub fertiliser in spring only if growth is weak or the soil is poor.
• Allow enough space for air to move through and around the shrub; avoid crowding it against other evergreens.
• Protect young plants from severe frost and cold winds, particularly near the colder limit of its range.

Pruning. Trim lightly after the main flowering flush to shape the shrub or maintain a hedge; repeated clipping through summer reduces flowers. Remove frost-damaged shoots in spring once new growth shows, and renovate an overgrown shrub gradually by removing some of the oldest stems at the base.

Spring

Plant when severe frost has passed, water thoroughly and mulch around the root area.

Mid-spring

Check for winter damage and cut dead shoots back to healthy growth.

Summer

Water young plants during dry weather and check leaves for spotting or premature fall.

Late summer

Trim after the main flowering flush if shaping is needed; leave untrimmed if it is still flowering well.

Late summer

Take semi-ripe cuttings from healthy, non-flowering shoots.

Autumn

Collect fallen diseased leaves and check that winter rain can drain freely from the root area.

Winter

Protect recently planted shrubs during unusually severe cold and avoid pruning before frost.

• Use as an informal flowering hedge or boundary screen in a mild coastal garden.
• Place at the back of a sunny mixed border, where its evergreen foliage provides a background for perennials.
• Combine with lavender, rock roses and rosemary in well-drained, maritime planting.
• Use the white flowers and dark foliage as a substantial backdrop in a white garden.

Garden styles it suits: Coastal, Mediterranean, English country, Traditional, White garden and Wildlife garden.

Plant it with: Lavender, Rosemary, Rock rose, Agapanthus, Hebes and Mexican orange blossom.

Wildlife: The flowers provide nectar for bees and other pollinating insects. Dense, lightly pruned shrubs can provide shelter and nesting cover for small birds.

• Escallonia leaf spot causes purple-brown spots and premature leaf fall: collect fallen leaves, remove badly affected shoots, improve airflow and avoid wetting the foliage when watering.
• Frost and cold winds can scorch leaves or kill shoot tips: choose a sheltered site and wait until spring growth begins before cutting back damaged wood.
• Waterlogging can cause root decline and dieback: improve drainage or move the plant to a better-drained position rather than continuing to water.
• Drought during establishment causes wilting, leaf drop and poor growth: soak the root area deeply and maintain a mulch without covering the stem bases.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses. No part is regarded as food; eating leaves or other plant material may still cause stomach upset.

• Mexican orange blossom (Choisya ternata)

  Its leaves are divided into three leaflets and smell aromatic when crushed; its white flowers are open and star-shaped rather than narrowly tubular.

• Escallonia 'Apple Blossom' (Escallonia 'Apple Blossom')

  Its flowers are pink and white, rather than the white flowers of 'Iveyi', and it generally makes a smaller shrub.

Escallonia honours Antonio Escallón, an eighteenth-century Spanish botanist.

Propagation. Take semi-ripe cuttings in late summer and root them in a free-draining propagation mix under cover. Cuttings preserve the cultivar; seedlings will not reliably match the parent.

Accepted botanical name

Escallonia

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.