Japanese skimmia

Sun

Partial shade or light, open shade; protect from strong afternoon sun and drying winds.

Water

Keep evenly moist but not waterlogged, especially during establishment and in containers. Established plants tolerate brief dry spells but not prolonged drought.

Soil

Humus-rich, well-drained, acidic to neutral soil. Avoid chalky or strongly alkaline ground; use ericaceous compost in containers.

Height

3-5 ft (0.9-1.5 m)

Spread

3-5 ft (0.9-1.5 m)

Flowers

Spring; small, fragrant white or creamy-white flowers in dense clusters, often opening from pink or reddish buds.

Foliage

Evergreen, leathery, glossy dark-green leaves clustered towards the shoot tips; aromatic when crushed.

Growth

Slow

Care needed

Low

• Water deeply during dry spells, checking container plants more often.
• Mulch in spring with leaf mould or composted bark, keeping mulch clear of the stems.
• Feed lightly in spring with an ericaceous fertiliser if growth is weak; avoid heavy feeding.
• Use rainwater where possible if your tap water is hard, particularly for container plants.
• For berries, grow a female plant with a male skimmia that flowers at the same time; check labels because some selections are self-fertile.
• Shelter plants from cold, drying winds and protect container roots during prolonged freezes.

Pruning. Prune only if needed, immediately after flowering, removing dead shoots and lightly shortening awkward growth. Avoid routinely trimming female plants, as this removes developing berries.

Spring

Plant in moist, workable soil, water thoroughly and apply a loose organic mulch.

Spring

Feed lightly if needed and check that male and female plants flower together if berries are wanted.

Late spring

After flowering, remove dead wood and lightly reshape only where necessary.

Summer

Water during dry weather and check leaf undersides for mites or scale insects.

Late summer

Take semi-ripe cuttings from healthy, non-flowering shoots.

Autumn

Check drainage and move containers into shelter before cold, drying weather.

Winter

Check container moisture during frost-free spells and leave berry-bearing shoots uncut.

• Plant beneath deciduous trees with ferns and hellebores for evergreen structure, provided the soil does not become too dry.
• Use in shaded foundation borders where its rounded shape softens walls without frequent clipping.
• Grow in containers beside a shaded entrance to bring fragrant flowers and winter buds or berries close to view.
• Repeat small groups along a woodland path for a consistent evergreen edge.

Garden styles it suits: Woodland, Japanese, Traditional, Modern courtyard, Winter interest and Small-space.

Plant it with: Hellebores, Japanese painted fern, Hostas, Epimediums, Camellias and Japanese pieris.

Wildlife: The fragrant spring flowers provide nectar and pollen for bees and other insects. Birds sometimes eat the berries, although fruit may remain on the shrub for much of winter.

• Yellow leaves with greener veins often indicate alkaline soil or hard irrigation water. Check soil pH, use rainwater and move the plant into ericaceous compost if necessary; chelated iron offers temporary relief.
• Scorched or bleached leaves usually follow strong sun, drought or drying winds. Provide shade and shelter, and keep the root zone evenly moist.
• Wilting despite wet soil can indicate root rot. Improve drainage, reduce watering and replace badly affected plants rather than replanting into the same waterlogged conditions.
• Scale insects or spider mites can weaken foliage. Inspect leaf undersides, wipe off small scale infestations and use a labelled insecticidal soap or horticultural oil where appropriate, avoiding open flowers.

Leaves and berries are harmful if eaten by people and should also be treated as toxic to cats, dogs and horses. Ingestion can cause digestive upset; reliable information on the severity of poisoning in these animals is limited. Keep berries away from children and seek medical or veterinary advice after ingestion.

• Japanese aucuba (Aucuba japonica)

  Aucuba has opposite leaves with conspicuous teeth, often marked with yellow, and small purplish flowers. Skimmia has smooth-edged leaves and dense clusters of pale flowers.

• Japanese pieris (Pieris japonica)

  Pieris carries hanging strings of bell-shaped flowers and often has bright red young growth. Skimmia flowers form upright, rounded clusters and female plants bear fleshy red berries.

Skimmia derives from the Japanese word shikimi, while japonica means 'of Japan'.

Propagation. Take semi-ripe cuttings in late summer and root them in a sheltered, humid environment. Seed can be sown after cleaning ripe berries, but germination is slow and seedlings will not reliably match named cultivars or have a known sex until they flower.

Accepted botanical name

Skimmia japonica

Native range

Japan, Kuril Is., Nansei-shoto, Primorye, Sakhalin and Taiwan.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0) and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.