My neighbour, in Kitsilano, has a Skimmia japonica rubella. I had planned to plant the same plants. Now I am wondering if maybe I should plant female Skimmia Japonicas instead. Will they be pollinated by my neighbours plant, 10' to 25' away? Which is the best Skimmia Japonica for berries and health here in Vancouver?
You won't get fruits from males. You will get flowers, whether females are present or not. If you want fruits, you will have to plant females.
Yes, I understand I won't get fruits from males, that is why I am asking about recommended females. And how close the females need to be to the male to be pollinated so they produce fruit.
Hi Renew--I have never seen skimmia separated into varieties, other than the select male varieties like reevesiana and rubella. Female skimmias should be labelled as such, and I would suspect that you would get pretty good pollination at the distances you describe unless there is a substantial barrier like a fence or hedge. If they didn't produce a good berry crop, I would then sneak a male into your own planting...but I think you're onto a good idea, "using" your neighbour's planting for pollination. That said, I really prefer those male varieties myself...!
It appears garden centers here usually display stock designated merely as "dwarf male" (or simply "male") and "dwarf female" ( or just "female") only on a regular basis. These may have had more satisfactory cultivar names at one time but apparently these were lost track of (see listing, below). Likely also more than one selection is being sold under these same names. Reevesiana is a botanical designation (believe I have seen it listed at various times as a sp., ssp. or var.) rather than a cultivar. Hill/Narizny, The Plant Locator - Western Region (2004, Black-Eyed Susans/Timber, Portland) listed sources for S. x confusa 'Kew Green' S. japonica S. japonica 'Bowles' Dwarf 'Female' S. japonica 'Bowles' Dwarf 'Male' S. japonica 'Chameleon' S. japonica female S. japonica 'Kew White' S. japonica male S. japonica ssp. reevesiana S. japonica 'Rubella' S. japonica 'Rubinetta' S. japonica 'Scarlet Queen' S. japonica self fertile S. japonica 'Wakehurst White' S. japonica 'Chameleon', 'Kew White', 'Rubinetta' and 'Scarlet Queen' (the last three all designated as females) were listed based on offerings indicated by Fragrant Flora 3741 Sunshine Coast Highway, RR 22 Roberts Creek, BC V0N 2W2
I had no idea there were so many. I have the plain S. japonica male and felmale close together .... make sure they are in shade and well drained or they will croke.
