Japanese skimmia

Japanese skimmia: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Low, compact, rounded shrub of 0.5–1.5 m.

Leaf

Alternate, in rosettes at the shoot tips, 5–10 cm, untoothed; aromatic when crushed.

Bark

Greenish to grey.

Flower

Red or pink buds all winter; small, fragrant white flowers in March–April.

Fruit

Red berries on female plants (with a male plant nearby); poisonous.

Difference from cherry laurel

Cherry laurel is a much larger shrub with big, glossy leaves.

Flowering: March–May · Pruning: April–May

Identify by feature: Evergreen leaves · Red berries

Looks like it, but isn’t

• Cherry laurel Prunus laurocerasus: a much larger shrub with big, glossy leaves. Difference from cherry laurel

Why grow it?

• Red or pink buds all winter: colour while the rest of the garden rests.
• Fragrant white flowers in March–April for the first bees.
• Stays low and compact: ideal for a shady border or a pot by the front door.
• Hardly needs pruning.

Japanese skimmia: where does it grow best?

• Partial shade to shade; in full sun the leaves turn yellow and pale.
• Acid, humus-rich, moist but free-draining soil; no lime.
• Allow about 1 m width.
• In a pot: use peat-free ericaceous compost and keep the pot out of harsh sun.

Light

Partial shade or shade

Legal basis

Acid soil

Moisture

Normal

Size

1.5 m tall, 1 m wide

Hardiness

Throughout Belgium, no protection needed

Goes well with

• Rhododendron: Likes the same acid soil and partial shade; skimmia fills in at the foot of the larger shrub.
• Japanese pieris: Evergreen for the same spot, with white flower sprays in spring.
• Camellia: Flowers in early spring in the same acid, sheltered partial shade.

Good and bad companions

Goes well with

• Tolerates shade and suits planting under large trees such as: english oak, sessile oak, pin oak, turkey oak, red oak, holm oak
• Like acid soil, just like this plant: heather, rhododendron, raspberry, highbush blueberry, witch hazel, broom, gorse, camellia

Japanese skimmia: when and how to plant it?

1. Plant in spring (March–April) or autumn (September–October).
2. For berries, put one male plant with a few female ones, or choose a self-fertile form (Skimmia japonica subsp. reevesiana).
3. Mix some leaf mould or ericaceous compost into the planting soil and set the root ball at the same depth as in the pot.
4. Water after planting, preferably with rainwater.

Care

Watering

Keep the soil slightly moist, especially in pots; use rainwater.

Feeding

A little ericaceous fertiliser or compost in spring, after flowering.

Mulching

A thin layer of pine bark or leaf mould keeps the soil cool and acid.

Pots

Every few years in spring, repot into a slightly larger pot with fresh ericaceous compost.

Tip: Put a male ‘Rubella’ with a few female plants: you will then have red buds and red berries all winter.

Japanese skimmia: when to prune it?

Pruning months: April–May.

When: After flowering (April–May).

How:

• Hardly needs pruning; at most, cut back a stray shoot.
• Cut off faded flower clusters on male plants; on female plants, leave the flowers for the berries.

Caution: Don’t prune after summer: you would cut off the buds that give colour all winter.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Cuttings

In July–August, take 8–10 cm semi-ripe cuttings and insert them in moist, acid cutting compost under glass or plastic; they root slowly.

Japanese skimmia: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy throughout Belgium: no protection needed.

• Hardy in open ground; the buds give colour all winter.
• In a pot the root ball can freeze: stand the pot sheltered against a wall and wrap it in hard frost. Water now and then on frost-free days.

Diseases and pests

• Yellow leaves: Caused by too much sun, lime or waterlogged soil. Move it to partial shade, water with rainwater and use an ericaceous fertiliser.
• No berries: There is no male plant nearby, or your plant is itself male. Add a male plant, or choose a self-fertile form.
• Root rot: In heavy, wet soil or a pot without a drainage hole the plant wilts and dies. Make sure drainage is good.

Through the year

• January: Red buds: winter colour in borders and pots.
• March: Flowering starts: fragrant flowers for the first bees.
• April: Flowering; then prune lightly.
• May: Last month for pruning; feeding and repotting.
• July: Take cuttings; water in dry spells.
• September: Planting.
• October: Berries turn red; new buds appear.
• December: Protect pots from hard frost.

What can you use it for?

Garden and landscape

Low winter-flowering shrub for shady spots and pots.

Caution: The berries are poisonous.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• Like rhododendron, it likes partial shade and acid soil.
• It belongs to the rue family, like lemon and orange; you can smell it in a crushed leaf.
• Male and female flowers usually grow on separate plants: only female plants bear berries.
• The name Skimmia is derived from the plant’s Japanese name, miyama-shikimi: ‘mountain shikimi’. In Japan, shikimi is another aromatic shrub.
• Skimmia belongs to the citrus family, like lemon and orange: hence the oil glands and the aromatic smell of its leaves.