Skimmia japonica 'KEW WHITE'

Skimmia is a small, evergreen shrub from Japan. After the year 2000 there have been a number of new varieties which are still being tested for stability of their featured characteristics. The aim is to select plants distinctly different from the species. At Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew they grow them in a separate location at Wakehurst. Already 30 out of 53 cultivated varieties have been named and identified. Some of them even bear the garden name e.g. Kew White and Kew Green.

Kew White is a compact, slow growing, female skimmia variety from England. It is a very pretty small shrub with evergreen, leathery, narrowly elongated, deep green, and glossy leaves. In early spring open tiny fragrant flowers which are followed by small, spherical, white and glossy fruit if pollinated by a male variety (e.g. Rubella).

If you plant it well you needn’t look after it any longer except for occasional watering in dry spells. There are a few rules you have to follow if you want your skimmia look perfect: the soil has to be always moist but extremely well-drained, acidic (add peat), light (add leaf mould), and most of all humus-rich. The best location is dappled shade or even deep shade (shady back of your house or under thick canopies of tall trees). When leaves turn pale or even yellow the plant suffers from too much sun or water, or too little nutrients in the soil. Skimmia is tolerant of atmospheric pollution. The plant is poisonous. It is hardy to about -27°C (USDA zone 5b) and on protected sites without sunlight it withstands cultivation in outdoor containers.

Last update 21-02-2017