'Fradesii' or Frades Escallonia;
aka, Pink Princess
"The world is an English garden on a grand scale."
-Arthur O. Lovejoy,
1936
1936
Hybrids of Escallonia rosea & E. rubra are called Escallonia x exoniensis. The cultivar is named 'Fradesii,' meaning "of the brothers," often shortneed to 'Frades,' "Brothers." I've not been able to discover what brothers it is named for, but since escallonias are native to South America, it's my guess this variety was first cultivated in a monastery so became known as the brothers' escallonia.
It has the additional marketing name 'Pink Princess.' It can have a few bright pink flowers at almost any time of the year, including the height of winter, but it really takes off heavy with bloom around July's end & in August.
This South American broadleaf evergreen is very adaptable in zones 9-11. Escallonia is extremely drought hardy, but can be harmed by poorly draining soil. 'Fradesii' is a bit more tolerant of damp soils than most cultivars but good drainage will always be preferred. It demands full sun on the coast but when grown inland or further south will tolerate a slight amount of shade. It is not terribly winter hardy & can die in zones where temperatures fall to fifteen degrees F.
Escallonias generally bloom best if occasionally watered, but in xeriscape gardens that are never watered at all it still does pretty well. 'Fradesii' grows to five or six feet tall & wide & can eventually get leggy, but if pruned each autumn when there is a slack in flowering it will remain compact.
At SinLur gardens there is an escallonia hedge, plus there are free-standing 'Fradesii' escallonias allowed their full reach. It's very amenable to hedging or for topiary use, though it does not have as many blossoms when too often trimmed. Trimmed it can have a very formal look, but let to have its full reach, it is much more natural & informal.