Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

Shrubs

Skimmia japonica

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. White flowers in spring, sometimes flushed pink or red on the outside, appear in panicles at the ends of branches; male flowerheads are large and conspicuous, up to 8cm long, and very sweetly-scented, while the smaller fragrant female flowerheads are followed, if pollinated, by brilliantly bright red fruits, 8mm across, which usually last until the next flowers appear the following spring

Save to My plants

Buy this plant

Plant nurseries
9 suppliers

Ultimate height

1.5–2.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

5–10 years

Ultimate spread

1–1.5 metres

Chalk

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full shade
Partial shade

Aspect

South–facing or North–facing or West–facing or East–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
Plant range: China, Japan

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in humus-rich, light, rich, moist but well-drained soil in partial or full shade; will grow best in neutral or acidic soils, but will also thrive in humus-rich alkaline soils; plant both male and female plants to get fruits

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

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

Pruning

Pruning group 1 (little or no pruning of trees and shrubs) or pruning group 8 (early-flowering evergreen shrubs)

Pests

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

Diseases

May be susceptible to Phytophthora and honey fungus

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.