Skimmias are valuable evergreens with two seasons of interest: spring flowers and winter berries. But, mostly, they come in male and female varieties so that you need two different plants, one of each, to ensure that those bright scarlet berries are produced on just one of them...
Skimmia Japonica Pabella is a new addition to the Skimmia family. It has the usual evergreen rich foliage but is graced with berries that turn from green to red that last for a whole year...
Found in Japan and central China, this species is a dense, bushy, deciduous shrub with corky wings on its branches, hence the common name, winged spindle. The leaves are dark green, oval, toothed, up to 7cm (3in) long and turn a spectacular dark red in autumn...
Persicaria affinis is an evergreen perennial with a mat-forming habit. Its foliage is narrowly elliptic and dark green in colour, turning bronze in winter. In late summer to autumn it bears dense spikes of small, funnel shaped, rose red flowers which are up to 10cm above the foliage...
Mitraria Coccinea is a gorgeous, rare species from Chile with brilliant red flowers about 1½ inch with the texture of velvet. The velvety, flowers appear singly, in pairs, or in threes all over the plant...
This Eucryphia is a slow growing evergreen large shrub with toothed long dark leaves. Flowering time is from July to September with prolific scented white flowers with a pink tinge. It has a columnar shaped habit, which grows to a height of about 12ft (4m). Protect from strong winds, not suitable for exposed site...
