This stunning foliage plant has spiky, variegated leaves with bold cream stripes and margins. Its needs a sheltered position and is ideal in containers or for use on a patio.

Supplied in a 19cm pot. Your Skimmia plant will arrive pre-planted in a 19cm pot and packed in specially designed protective packaging to ensure it's in top condition when you receive it. All you need to do is remove it from the box, give it a good dose of water and leave to 'rest' for 1-2 days in a sheltered spot. Carefully remove from pot before planting and make sure the hole is deep and wide enough to fit the entire root ball without bending or breaking the roots. Water-in after planting. A lovely non-fussy shrub from the Himalayas that thrives in virtually any garden in the UK and forms a structural, medium sized evergreen plant with small purple flowers. Most have male and female flowers on different plants, and both sexes must be planted to ensure a crop of fruits. 'Rubella' is a compact male variety with attractive red-margined, dark green leaves. The flower buds, which appear in autumn and winter, are a prominent feature of the plant, as are the scented flowers which open in spring. It is perfect for growing in containers and provides good all year round colour. They can be grown in the shade in moist well drained soils, however cope very well with drought. Plants grow to about 75cms tall with a similar spread.