I LOVE feedback from readers — and a keen gardener has highlighted one of those largely unappreciated garden gems — Escallonia Bifida.

“Some years ago now, John Harrison of Northcourt at Shorwell, amazed me with his statement in your column that his shrub could attract ‘at least 87 red admirals,’ ” comments June Jamieson, from Wootton Bridge.

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She straightaway set about buying one for her garden, which gave much pleasure with its late blooming, until she moved house in 2017.

Isle of Wight County Press:

June’s Escallonia Bifida.

It was irresistibly attractive to bees although she didn’t notice so many butterflies.

June said: “We visited Northcourt on one of their open garden days to see their very mature specimen, took cuttings and brought an established one of these to our new garden.

“It struggled rather during its early years but this year is magnificent and again giving us the delight of seeing many visiting bees.

The red admirals, however, seem to prefer the buddleia with large white blooms, again from a cutting, which is in our front garden.

“It’s great that, with these two late-flowering shrubs in particular, we are able to provide some necessary food for our bees and butterflies.”

“It’s a pity that Escallonia Bifida seems not to be that well known and that only the type used for hedging is the popular one.”

Escallonia Bifida is an evergreen shrub or small tree native to Brazil and Uruguay, is potentially one of the largest of its species growing unchecked to up to 12ft tall and 8ft broad.

But, like all of its species, it can be vigorously pruned and propagated from cuttings.

Green-leaved escallonias, including the more common Escallonia Iveyi, have quite vigorous growth and are useful shrubs for screening and hedging as well as growing individually in borders.

Like all shrubs, ground should be prepared by digging-in well-rotted compost and planted in spring, if possible, so plants can become well-established before winter.

The most compact are suitable for growing in large containers. They all need to be grown in full sun, and in sites exposed to freezing winds they benefit from being planted in the lee of a south-facing wall or fence.

Escallonias cope with salt-laden winds so long as temperatures don’t drop too low — continuously below –5C — making them especially useful for hedging and screening in our mild coastal fringe.

To grow escallonias as a hedge, space plants 18in or so apart in a single line.

Escallonia Laevis Pink Elle is widely available with flowers of the same form as the traditional white, but as the name highlights, comes in an attractive pink.

Pink Elle is a beautiful evergreen shrub that makes a striking impact to garden borders, patio containers or enjoyed within the home when used as part of floral displays.

These have glossy and leathery-toothed leaves that sit below an abundance of pretty clusters of five-petalled white, pink and red flowers to create a real feature.

The flowers begin to appear in June and bloom throughout summer and on the Isle of Wight until early October, reaching an eventual height of only about 3ft.

Escallonia Donard Seedling is another that is pretty in pink, but boasts tubular shaped flowers that look striking against its small, dark green, glossy foliage.

This one will get bigger, if allowed, putting on up to 18in of growth each year, like June’s E.Bifida providing quick reward for a little effort.

RICHARD'S TOP TIPS:

  • This month is the ideal time to plant hedges and move trees and shrubs.
  • Prune rambling and climbing roses once they’ve finished flowering and tie-in the stems before autumn winds cause damage.
  • Clear-up fallen rose leaves to prevent diseases such as black spot from over-wintering. To avoid the spread of damaging fungi, don’t compost the leaves — bag or burn them.
  • Cut back perennial plants which have died down or leave the dead foliage in place to shelter any friendly wildlife.
  • After tidying borders, mulch with bark chips, well-rotted manure, leaf mould or spent mushroom compost to insulate plant roots for the winter and keep weeds in check.
  • When you harvest your cabbages, leave the root in the ground and make a cut across the stem to encourage a flush of tender, smaller leaves.
  • Divide congested rhubarb crowns by digging-up and splitting into several pieces with a spade. Re-plant the healthiest looking pieces.

ARE YOU AN ISLE OF WIGHT GARDENER WITH A QUESTION FOR RICHARD? You can email him on richryde@tiscali.co.uk