Under the right conditions, the Skimmie can be relocated to a new location. How easy it is to do this mainly depends on the age of the plant.
The Skimmia or Skimmia Japonica is an evergreen shrub with leathery, dark green leaves and beautiful flowers. It is actually the perfect plant for the wintertime to breathe a little color into the gray everyday life. The bright red berries are a real eye-catcher, but the pink inflorescences, which adorn the plant as early as late summer, also look magical.
Once you have found the right location for the plant, the Skimmie takes little effort. If the plant is to be moved anyway, you can do this at the age of four to five years. After that it's harder. With careful preparation and at the right time, older Skimmias are still suitable for the move. We'll tell you what's important.
Location and Ground
The shrub likes to be free and airy, a moderately sunny to partially shaded spot is ideal. With its beautiful appearance and evergreen leaves, the Skimmia fits well in the front yard. A loose, humus-rich soil is important, soil conditions such as in the bog bed are also favourable.
The right time
If you want to transplant your Skimmia, the size is less important than the previous lifespan. Younger shrubs cope very well with moving if the new location is suitable and the soil is suitable. During the hibernation, you can easily dig up the shrub and plant it again. Choose a dry, frost-free day in late autumn or early spring. Dig up the plant, paying special attention to the roots. In the new place, use the Skimmia again.
So that the soil at the new location is optimal, you should ensure loose, permeable and humus-rich soil. You can improve the quality with bog bed or rhododendron soil. Peat, granite flour and compost are also beneficial. The planting hole must be at least root-deep. Even if you dug up the Skimmia very carefully, most of the time they sufferRoot. Prune the shrub vigorously before or after transplanting to give the plant enough energy to develop new roots.
Prepare older plants for relocation
Skimmias that have been in the same location for more than five years need special preparation. First cut back the shrub by about a third, preferably at the beginning of autumn. This is important anyway because older shrubs tend to bare. Older Skimmiae have only a few fine hairy roots close to the trunk. But it is precisely these roots that are important for growth in the new place. A gardener's trick helps the shrub form new roots - before transplanting.
Dig a ditch around the plant in winter or early spring. The ditch should be slightly smaller than the root ball. Then fill in the trench with loose soil. The reason: You cut off the old roots, the plant is stimulated to form many new roots. The deeper roots of the Skimmia are sufficient to support the plant. In the next hibernation period you can transplant the Skimmia.