Japanese Skimmia

Japanese skimmia is the compact, shade-loving evergreen shrub that provides year-round interest through a combination of glossy foliage, fragrant spring flowers, and persistent red berries through winter. The flowers appear in dense clusters at the branch tips in March and April, creamy-white and sweetly fragrant. On female plants, bright red berries follow and persist from fall through winter, glowing against the dark foliage. Skimmia is dioecious: you need a male plant nearby for berry production on the females. Native to Japan, it grows three to four feet with a dense, mounding habit.

In Western Washington, skimmia thrives in the shade, acidic soil, and consistent moisture that characterize the understory of the regional landscape. It is one of the best evergreen shrubs for deep shade, where few other plants provide both flowers and fruit. 'Rubella' is the standard male cultivar, valued for its red flower buds that persist through winter before opening in spring. No significant disease or pest concerns are tracked. Full sun causes foliage yellowing and burn. For a refined, compact, year-round evergreen in shade that provides fragrance, berries, and winter interest, skimmia is one of the finest small shrubs for the Pacific Northwest shade garden.