Escallonias

Escallonias are the sort of quiet, unassuming evergreen shrubs that I usually rescue from the bargain bin or on the sale table at the nursery. They are dependable and extremely useful shrubs - and when in flower, extremely beautiful.

Golden Leaves

One particular find has been a golden leafed Escallonia, which I grow in several garden areas. One looks particularly beautiful perched (?) on the edge of the Shrubbery's stone wall. Its flowers are a darkish cherry-pink, and the foliage a clean golden green. This shrub will lighten up a border without being garish.

Other Escallonias I grow have red flowers and apple-blossom pink flowers, with mid-green leaves. All bounce back well after pruning - and are often sold as hedging plants. I'm not sure that the one with the word 'dwarf' on its label has behaved so for me - it's already too big for the Rockery, and is definitely not suitable for this planting position. I blame the Head Gardener for not reading the label properly...

A Boring Shrub?

I suspect that Escallonias have a boring shrub-image - but hey! Boring usually means well-behaved, brilliant for a busy gardener with lots of space and little money. And the golden leafed variety is definitely one of my favourites.