October Plant of the Month - Skimmia: Plant Now for Winter Interest

Now is the ideal time to plant Skimmia and bring lasting colour to your garden through autumn and winter. Many plants in our range are already carrying colourful flower buds or bright berries, giving you an attractive display to enjoy straight away.

Our October Plant of the Month is a dependable evergreen shrub with plenty to offer. Glossy foliage provides structure throughout the year, while long-lasting buds and berries brighten the colder months. In spring, clusters of often fragrant flowers add another season of interest.

Whether you are refreshing a patio pot, planting beside your front door or filling a shady border, Skimmia is an easy way to keep your garden looking inviting as summer flowers fade.

Colourful buds and beautiful berries

Different Skimmia varieties offer different displays. Skimmia japonica ‘Rubella’ is a popular male variety with rich red flower buds that remain attractive throughout autumn and winter before opening into creamy-white flowers in spring.

For extra foliage colour, Skimmia japonica ‘Perosa’ combines attractive cream-and-green variegated leaves with deep red winter buds. This male variety brings brightness to shady borders and containers.

If you love winter berries, Skimmia japonica ‘Pabella’ produces a striking display of bright red fruit against glossy green foliage. As a female variety, it needs a compatible male Skimmia nearby to pollinate its spring flowers and produce future berries. One male can pollinate several female plants.

Alternatively, Skimmia japonica ‘Temptation’ is self-fertile, so it can produce its red berries without a separate male plant.

With many plants already in bud or berry now, it is a great time to choose your favourites. Our team can help you select the right variety or combination for your garden.

Plant now and enjoy through winter

Skimmias grow well in partial shade and can also tolerate deeper shade, making them particularly useful for corners of the garden that need a little colour.

Choose moist but well-drained soil and add well-rotted garden compost before planting. For pots, use a container with drainage holes and a good-quality peat-free compost with added John Innes. Ericaceous compost is not essential.

Autumn planting gives roots time to establish before next summer. Avoid planting when the ground is frozen or waterlogged, and water thoroughly after planting.

Easy care for lasting interest

Skimmias need very little attention once established:

• Water during dry spells, especially while plants are establishing.
• Check containers regularly, keeping the compost moist without leaving it saturated.
• Mulch plants in borders to help retain moisture, keeping mulch clear of the stems.
• Feed container-grown plants in spring and summer, following the fertiliser instructions.
• Prune only when necessary, with light shaping in spring.

Create a welcoming seasonal display

Use Skimmia as the centrepiece of an autumn and winter container, surrounded by colourful Heucheras, pink Cyclamen and winter-flowering heathers. Their contrasting flowers and foliage make a lovely display beside a doorway or on the patio.

In borders, combine Skimmia with ferns and other shade-loving plants for a woodland feel and evergreen structure.

Visit Cowell’s Garden Centre in Woolsington, Newcastle, to choose your Skimmia, or shop our Plant of the Month range online. Plant now and enjoy the buds, berries and foliage through the months ahead.