PlantFiles: Escallonia
Escallonia x exoniensis 'Pink Princess'

This is a tough shrub that is growing in a mulched area of my yard in full sun. A few of them are near pathways and since they were 1g size plants in their first year they got stepped on a fair amount but managed to pull through every time. Their most significant attribute that I appreciate is that deer do not eat them, whereas the deer have been eating almost everything else (except oleander) this summer due to drought conditions. They're pretty forgiving about xeric conditions and decline only very slowly when under fairly extreme water stress.

Very common, very tough plant. It commonly gets 10 - 12 feet tall here on the coast, and does well in coastal conditions. Can freeze, but nearly always grows back.

Evergreen hedging plant. Has small pink flowers in August, pink buds opening to white blushed pink flowers. Waxy, shiny, oval, green leaves with tints of red. Not fussy as to soil and will grow in shade of other trees. Tolerates limy soils, urban pollution, maritime conditions (though not full maritime exposure) and windswept locations. Plants do not normally need pruning though weak shoots can be cut back to ground level in the spring in order to encourage more vigorous growth. It can be cut to the ground in severe winters but usually resprouts from the base. Birds are very fond of the fruit. Plants frequently self-sow when growing in suitable conditions.
Propagation by seed: is best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe in late autumn, it germinates in the spring. Pick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant out in the summer or following spring. Stored seed requires stratification and can take more than a year to germinate.
Propagation by cuttings of greenwood in spring or division in autumn.