Escallonia Pinky Carpet®

Escallonia Pinky Carpet is an evergreen bush that develops into a good groundcover and tolerates coastal climates well. Its irregular vegetation, which does not exceed 40 to 50 cm in height, covers a width at least twice as large. In late spring, it produces a light pink flowering which renews regularly until August and harmonises very well with the bright green foliage. Its limited hardiness restricts its planting to southern regions, in a warm situation sheltered from cold winter winds.

Formerly classified in the Saxifragaceae family, alongside Heucheras, Escallonia is now the main genus of the Escalloniaceae family, which includes only seven or eight other genera. There are about sixty wild species of Escallonia, all native to South America (notably Chile and the Andes mountain range). Growing in mild climates, most cannot tolerate frost, but a few hardier species can survive colder climates. They are more often shrubs, sometimes trees, generally with evergreen foliage, although a few deciduous ones exist. The plant was discovered in the Andes in the 18th century by a Spanish traveller named Escallon, and named in his honour by his compatriot, the botanist Don José Celestino Mutis.
Escallonia x ‘ILVOCAR’ Pinky Carpet is a hybrid of unknown parentage, distinguished by above-average hardiness; a well-rooted plant in good conditions can withstand frosts down to -10°C. It fairly rapidly forms a spreading cushion 40 to 50 cm in height and 1 m or more in spread. Its growth is somewhat untidy; it sends out branches left and right that arch towards the ground as they grow, giving it a slightly gangly appearance. It integrates easily into a natural garden, especially since its flowers are smaller than those of many horticultural varieties. Its evergreen foliage, sometimes semi-evergreen in cold climates at the limit of its hardiness, is a beautiful bright green. The small alternate leaves, measuring roughly 3 cm long, are elliptical to lanceolate, and their texture is leathery, which allows them to adapt well to heat as well as sea spray. They contrast pleasantly with the brown-red of the stems. Towards the end of May, depending on the region, tubular flowers open into small, 1 to 1.5 cm long trumpets. They are a pretty light pink, grouped at the ends of the twigs. They renew until early August generally, adorning the darker foliage with their presence.

Escallonia Pinky Carpet will find a place on slopes or in the foreground of borders in coastal gardens, where it will be useful to bees and other pollinators. Its limited size also allows it to be grown in containers in cold regions to overwinter under shelter, although other, more ornamental plants may be preferred, such as Cassia floribunda with its brilliant yellow flowering. In neutral (non-calcareous) soil, you can pair it with Helianthemum 'The Bride', whose silvery-green foliage and simple white flowers with a yellow centre will combine well. To add a touch of height, choose Liatris spicata, a perennial with long feathery purple spikes that also bloom in summer.