Following on from (Shrubs Revisited in the HPS Autumn Journal) I love the structure shrubs add to any garden, and with the right design concept, can make a great background addition to hardy perennials.
I'm catching up with my gardening tasks right now, later than normal due to moving house.
This week I've been collecting Skimmia berries at the Lakeside, extracting the flesh from the seed as seen. I've planted the seeds into seed modules in a very gritty hort grit mix/ seed compost for stratification in a cold frame. Plants should germinate in spring to prick out into 7/9cm pots of ericaceous compost.
The pulpy seed coat is best extracted from the seed to prevent mould occurring.
Female plants require a male pollinator to produce berries of which the shrubs will form after reaching maturity from 5 years. In the main the genus of Skimmia are Dioecious (male and female organs on separate plants/ shrubs, the Skimmia subspecies reevesiana is Hermaphrodite, comprising male and female organs on the same plant, producing berries on its own. Seed grown plants will differ from the parent plant.
* Female = berries.
* Male = Scent and pollen.
In order to produce a clone from propagating Skimmia species, semi ripe cuttings in the autumn produce a good success rate. I will delve into that in my next journal article for spring next year, as per my in-depth articles on Campanulaceae, Metrosideros, Sedum, in that 3-year succession from joining the HPS in 2013.
The added bonus of Skimmia species are that the berries provide a valuable food source in winter for bird species, and nectar / pollen for bee species/ hoverflies, and particularly at a time in late winter /early spring when food sources may be more scarce.
Kevin Line is Head Gardener / Horticulturist, Lakeside Hotel Garden, Cumbria. Member of: Professional Gardeners ‘Guild, Journalist for Hort Week.
