Escallonia Compacta Coccinea - Redclaws

Escallonia Compacta Coccinea is a vigorous evergreen bush, with a particularly compact and upright habit and intense bright red flowering. Essential in mild climates and coastal areas, whether planted in the ground or containers, this variety will not exceed 1.20m high with an average spread of 80cm. Adorned with beautiful glossy green foliage, this excellent flowering hedge plant is beautiful all year round. It offers a long summer flowering period with small bright red flowers clustered at the tips of the branches. Like many escallonias, it loves the sun and tolerates shade in hot climates, sea spray, limestone soils, and summer drought once established. This beautiful variety only dislikes severe frost. Plant Escallonia if your climate suits it, these rewarding shrubs grow quickly, are floriferous, often fragrant, and very undemanding!

Escallonia Compacta Coccinea belongs to the Escalloniaceae family, shrubs native to temperate areas of South America and Chile. In the wild they grow among the scrub covering hillsides or on exposed coastal areas.

The 'Coccinea' variety forms a branching, upright shrub with fairly rapid growth, reaching an average height of 1.20m at maturity with a spread of only 80cm. Its persistent, leathery, alternate, ovate leaves with toothed edges are light green when they emerge and become darker over time. They are densely arranged towards the ends of the branches. Flowering takes place for about two months between June and August, earlier or later depending on the climate, sometimes as early as May in hot climates. At the end of each branch, a 3 to 10cm cluster is formed of small five-petaled tubular bell-shaped flowers in intense red, enclosed at the base in a red and green calyx.

Escallonias are a great alternative to Weigela in mild climates, coastal areas, and in dry gardens. 'Coccinea' is an excellent contrasting and enhancing shrub for white or red roses and only dislikes icy winds and harsh winters. It is well-known to gardeners in Brittany, Ireland, and England and also thrives in Mediterranean climates, after careful planting and regular watering for the first two or three years. It tolerates heat, dry summers once established, and limestone soils, and still flowers even in scorching or shaded situations. It is essential in coastal gardens where its flowers, just like that of Olearia, brighten up the grey foliage of Atriplex, Bupleurum fruticosum, or Correa alba rosea for example. In a large bed, it can be combined with cistus, Polygala, Grevillea (in neutral to acidic soil), or spring-flowering shrubs such as lilacs, brooms, Kolkwitzia amabilis, or buddleias.