Escallonia - leaf spot. Best treatment?

A couple of months ago I bought some Escallonia plants (pink, white and red). The pink have for some reason developed leaf spot (resulting it lots of yellowing and falling leaves) but the red and white seem largely unaffected.

I've not yet planted them due to recently suffering with my back so they've all been in an area which was a bit sheltered, perhaps too sheltered?

I intend to plant them in an area that is more exposed.

In the meantime, what's the best fungicidal treatment, preferably something that's wildlife friendly?

Thanks

 

The leaf spot may have happened as they're stressed where they are now.
It may be resolved by just trimming back the affected parts and planting them in their final position when they will recover.

Have a look at this RHS article - it does suggest fungicides under the section Chemical Control,
Escallonia leaf spot / RHS Gardening

 

Thanks. The problem is that the affected parts are the whole plants so if I trimmed them back I'd be left with a single stem.

What would stress them though?

 

Try one of the suggested fungicides then if the whole plant is affected.
I don't use fungicides, but I'd choose one that is copper-based if I really needed to.

As to why they've got stressed it could be many things, or maybe it was infected before you got it.

 

Are there any 'organic' sprays that will eliminate the leaf spot? I really don't like using fungicides, chemicals, etc because they are inevitably harmful to wildlife in some way.

 

If you have found that the red and white varieties are unaffected, I would replace the pink ones with either of the other two, making sure to remove the plants completely and any leaf litter. Dig the soil over and add some organic matter before replanting.

 

Fungi are wildlife.

You can make your own Bordeaux Mixture which will contain copper sulphate and slaked lime - plenty of recipes on the web.
I don't know what commercial fungicides contain

 

But worth reminding that Bordeaux mixture is banned for domestic gardening across the UK. But of course you can still get hold of it...which makes much sense
Withdrawn chemicals / RHS Gardening

 

The red and white are also affected but to a far lesser degree than the pink. I've just spent about an hour removing any affected leaves as well as those that have dropped, also moved the three pink ones to a completely separate area on my property. Also relocated the red and white so that they get a lot more sun and airflow.

I still can't decide how to treat them though, not a fan of chemicals or the 'organic' remedies at the moment - the former seems 'unsafe' when it comes to wildlife and even potentially hazardous to use (I know, be careful, don't get it in your eyes, on your skin or breathe it in .....), the latter not particularly effective (from what I've been reading).

Kind of annoyed about it all really, wasn't expecting that to happen on new plants.

 

I think you've done the best that you can @TheMadHedger, without resorting to chemicals. I grew the white and red varieties in a previous garden and found the red one a better performing plant. It's very popular here for hedging and I've not seen any of the leaf spot on a hedge I walk past regularly in a cliffside garden where it takes quite a battering.

Your plants may already have been affected before purchase but not visibly at the time. It might be worth checking with your supplier.

 

Escallonia prefer soil to be on the dry side, if it's too wet the leaves will yellow and drop. I had an 80ft hedge in my last garden that was on coastal sandy, well draining soil and had just a few leaves that yellowed.

 

They often look poor here because of the climate - too wet for them. If you can keep them well spaced out, that helps with the airflow, and that's the most important thing for improving the conditions, but you'll possibly still get the problem and there's not much you can do other than removing affected leaves. They should produce new ones.
The white ones are lovley but they don't survive winter here where I am, due to the conditions. I've tried them a couple of times. They're less tough than the darker varieties, as is often the case with many plants. Hopefully yours will be ok @TheMadHedger