Japanese skimmia
Skimmia japonica · Rutaceae
A dense, low dome of aromatic evergreen leaves with red flower buds all winter, scented white flowers in spring and, on female plants, bright red berries that last through winter.
- Size
- 3½ ft tall, 4 ft wide
- Zones
- 7 to 8
- Light
- Part shade to shade
- Flowers
- Mid April to early May
- Pets
- Toxic (moderate)
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around Japanese skimmia
The planner designed this bed around Japanese skimmia when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) English border in zone 7, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 535 that suit those conditions, and says below why Japanese skimmia stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Japanese skimmia × 1, white
- 2 Leadwort × 23, blue
- 3 Dwarf goat's beard × 8, cream
- 4 Dixie wood fern × 3, dark green leaves
- 5 Tall astilbe 'Superba' × 4, purple
- 6 Fringed bleeding heart × 8, pink
- 7 Leopard plant × 3, yellow
- 8 Double snowdrop × 12, white
- 9 Snowdrop × 5, white
Why this plant
- The bed's only structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down, and it is the only one here.
Why here
- At the back. At 3½ ft it is seen over leopard plant (24 in) in front of it, and has nothing behind it to hide.
- A step in the back row. Next to tall astilbe 'Superba' (4 ft) and Dixie wood fern (4½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for four weeks. From mid April to early May.
- Fills a gap. For four of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
- One of two evergreens. They are what the bed has to show from November to March.
Planned as an English border: 7 of the 8 groups (88%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The scheme leans cool (blue, purple and pink) and uses yellow for warmth, with white and cream to calm things between them. Leadwort and dwarf goat's beard finish the front edge.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 4 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where Japanese skimmia goes in a border
At 3½ ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is moderately tall (3 to 4 ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
Something to look at in every season, in full shade. Male and female plants are needed for berries. It needs acid, moist soil, and the leaves bleach in sun.
- Evergreen structure in shade
- Winter berries and buds
- Containers by a shady door
What to plant with Japanese skimmia
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Lenten rose: in flower together for four weeks, from mid April; bold leaves against its medium ones; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- Autumn fern: its dark green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; low enough (22 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Hosta: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; bold leaves against its medium ones; spires rising out of its mound.
Questions about Japanese skimmia
Does Japanese skimmia need sun or shade?
Japanese skimmia grows in part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light). It is one of the few that also put up with deep shade.
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does Japanese skimmia grow in?
USDA zones 7 to 8. It is hardy to zone 7, which means it survives winter nights down to about 10 °F (−12 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does Japanese skimmia flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid April to early May. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 7 | Late March to mid April |
|---|---|
| Zone 8 | Late March to mid April |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should Japanese skimmia be planted?
3½ ft (100 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 4 ft (120 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 3½ ft (100 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many Japanese skimmia plants do I need?
At 3½ ft apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 1 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 4 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 3 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as one, planted singly: it is the bed's structure, and everything else is arranged around it.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is Japanese skimmia poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: moderate toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. All parts, especially the berries, are poisonous if eaten in quantity.
Rated from NC State Extension. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like Japanese skimmia?
These come closest to doing what Japanese skimmia does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Christmas box: the same job in a bed and the same colour; 8 in taller, 4 in narrower.
- Camellia 'April Blush': the same job in a bed; 20 in taller, 8 in wider.
- Fringe flower 'Purple Diamond': the same job in a bed; 20 in taller, 8 in wider.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat Japanese skimmia?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What flowers after Japanese skimmia?
Japanese skimmia is over by early May. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Bleeding heart: from early May to early June, 2½ ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Columbine: from early May to mid June, 24 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Lady's mantle: from late May to early July, 18 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does Japanese skimmia look like in winter?
Japanese skimmia keeps its dark green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone. It is grown for winter berries and buds as well.
Is Japanese skimmia good for bees and butterflies?
Japanese skimmia is visited by songbirds.
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 3½ ft (100 cm) tall, 4 ft (120 cm) wide
- Plant
- 3½ ft (100 cm) apart
- Height class
- Moderately tall (3 to 4 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Mid April to early May; dense clusters; white
- Leaves
- Medium texture, evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 7 to 8
- Light
- Part shade, shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Rutaceae
- Comes from
- Southern Russia Far East, Japan to Taiwan
- Attracts
- Songbirds
- Stands up to
- Deer, deep shade
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.