This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.
Escalonia - when to prune??
Hi All 
i know this has been posted about before but I just want some up to date answers.
I planted an escalonia hedge 2 years ago and was surprised at how quickly it grew, and how many flowers we got the very first spring.
However, i wanted it nice and tall and thick so i didnt prune it the first year. I was waiting until autumn this year to prune it as it was becoming a little unruly.
But the hedge has literally not stopped flowering since April..when am i supposed to prune it now? Surely its too late and cold now and it might damage it? But am i supposed to still be getting flowers at this time of year?
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks!
0
Posts
Escallonia are evergreen in mild winters and flower form summer into autumn or until it gets too cold so fall into the spring pruning category. Wait till the worst of the frosts are over in April and then take back the side shoots to encourage it to grow thicker and trim back upright shoots to 6 to 9" below the desired eventual height. This way there will be less risk of frost damage to new cuts and new growth will soon hide the ends. Give the base a generous scattering of pelleted chicken manure to encourage healthy new growth and flowers.
Given a regular spring prune and feed it will make a lovely flowering hedge.