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Escollonia shrub..

wydpu0wydpu0 Posts: 12
in Problem solving
Hi, I recently bought a house with what I think is a dead or nearly dead Escollonia shrub in the garden.Appreciate any advice on whether to cut it back or as I think, replace it with something like a Buddelia / Choisa.

Posts

  • BorderlineBorderline Posts: 4,700
    What is your soil like, and also where are you based? Is it a very sunny border or can there be a fair amount of shade in the summer months. I'm afraid your shrub looks like it has suffered drastically, and it does not look too happy there. You can prune it down and wait to see how it performs in the coming months, but I suspect it will be infested with leaf spot and look very sparse. 

    Choisya will do fine in a lot of situations, so I recommend it as a good all-round evergreen shrub. Buddleia will also do fine if there is a fair amount of sun in that border. 
  • wydpu0wydpu0 Posts: 12
    Hi, thanks for your reply. The soil is okay, could do with some organic matter I think, the shrub is probably 20+ years old I,m guessing , put in when the house was built. We live in Chester Le Street, near Durham. The shrub is located in the south east end of the garden, f@cing west, so it gets a lot of sun during the day. As I,m not an expert gardener, wasn’t,t sure what to do with it, or what to put in its place. Regards. David.
  • BorderlineBorderline Posts: 4,700
    Thanks for getting back with your area. I suspect your Escallonia will not like the cold too much. You will need fairly hardy shrubs. There are plenty of deciduous shrubs that will do well in your borders, but your two suggested ones should be fine if it's a sheltered spot. An alternative to your Escallonia which should be providing evergreen foliage and summer long blooms could be an Abelia 'Edward Goucher' could be a nice replacement.
  • wydpu0wydpu0 Posts: 12
    Many thanks for advice, I have started to cut it back this morning which I think is the right decision as many of the main branches are dead or dying. Your suggestion of the Abelia is a great idea, so I,ll get the Escollonia out, prepare the ground and put in the Abelia later this year. 
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