How to Grow and Care for Redclaws

Redclaws (Escallonia rubra) is a plant species native to southern Chile that is also commonly referred to as red escallonia. This species is often cultivated for ornamental purposes in gardens and hedgerows. The cultivar crimson spire is the most celebrated cultivar in ornamental settings.

Chilean gum box shrubs are native to the Andes Mountains. They produce attractive, trumpet-like blossoms from mid-summer to early fall. This plant is cultivated in gardens as a hedge in parts of Europe, North America, and New Zealand and can become invasive.

White profusion is a hybrid of Escallonia rosea and Escallonia rubra. It grows vigorously and can reach a height of 5 m, taller than both its parents. Its dense growth means that it is commonly used as a hedging plant. It is frost-hardy and tolerates coastal plantings, although it needs to be grown in a sunny spot.

Redclaws 'Crimson Spire' is a hedging variety of Redclaws and is named for its racemes of crimson red flowers. The parent plant blooms in pinks, so this coloring defines the cultivar. This cultivar also has particularly large, glossy leaves. This is the only Redclaws cultivar to gain the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Redclaws 'Pride of Donard' is a robust, evergreen shrub that showcases dense, glossy foliage. Its attraction lies in the abundant clusters of rosy-pink blooms that delicately emerge around midsummer. These fragrant flowers attract pollinators while the shrub's resilience makes it a favored choice for coastal areas, where it deftly withstands sea spray and wind.