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Shrubs

Skimmia japonica (f)

Japanese skimmia

A variable, evergreen, densely-branched, dome-shaped shrub, low and creeping or erect, from 0.5m to 7m in height (but typically up to 1.5m in cultivation), with slightly aromatic, dark green, leathery, obovate to elliptic leaves. Fragrant white flowers in spring, sometimes flushed pink or red on the outside, appear in panicles at the ends of branches. Female plants, if pollinated, then produce brilliantly bright red fruits, 8mm across, which usually last until the next flowers appear the following spring

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Ultimate height

1.5–2.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

5–10 years

Ultimate spread

1–1.5 metres

Chalk

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full shade
Partial shade

Aspect

East–facing or North–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Rutaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Bushy
Potentially harmful: Fruit are ornamental, not to be eaten. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling. Pets: Fruit are ornamental, not to be eaten - see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants for further information and useful contact numbers
Genus: Skimmia are compact evergreen shrubs with simple, aromatic leaves and terminal panicles of small white or yellowish flowers followed, on fertilised female plants, by shiny red berries; most have male and female flowers on separate plants
Name status: Correct

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in moderately fertile, moist but well drained soil, in light to full shade; prefers acidic to neutral soils but will tolerate alkaline soils where there is plenty of humus. Plants may become chlorotic on poor, dry soil or in too much sun. These selected plants produce female flowers, plant a male cultivar nearby to ensure pollination and berries

Propagation

Propagate by seed, sown in a cold frame in autumn, or sown outside in spring; by softwood cuttings of new growth in early summer and given bottom heat; by semi-ripe cuttings in a cold frame in late summer; or by layering

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Wildlife gardens
Low Maintenance
Flower borders and beds
Hedging and screens

Pruning

Minimal pruning required, see pruning group 8 (evergreens) if necessary

Pests

May be susceptible to scale insects, and to vine weevil when grown in containers

Diseases

May be susceptible to Phytophthora and honey fungus

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