Skimmia japonica (f)

RHS Plant Profile
Japanese skimmia

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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

Position

Full shade, Partial shade

Soil Types

Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

1.5-2.5 metres

Max Spread

1-1.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
5–10 years
Max Spread
1-1.5 metres
Max Height
1.5-2.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Clay Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

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)
H5

Colour & Scent

Fragrance Flower Foliage
Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Rutaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Evergreen
Habit
Bushy
Potentially harmful
Fruit are ornamentalnot to be eaten. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling. Pets: Fruit are ornamentalnot 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