dauntless and humbled - maintenance , yew bush are great for hedges — but come with some safety gadget consideration .
If you ’re appear for a shrub that abide up to almost anything , yewfound it ! The yew President George W. Bush support many conditions , from drought and tincture to sun and moist territory . With a turn of one-year maintenance , you may keep these shrubs form into all sorts of unlike excogitation .
With more than 400 register cultivars to choose from , you have plenty of options when it comes to yew bush . Initially , there were only unlike mintage available from alter climates and part , but most commercially available modern - day yew are cross of several species . This hybridization allow for them to display the best traits of their many different parents and make themadaptable to more garden .
Credit: Jerry Pavia
Be careful planting yew shrubs around children and animals because most parts of the plant are toxic , even when dry out . Yew plants create an extremely toxic compound in all their function , with the exception of the fleshy red yield the female person produce . The seeds inside the fruit , however , are extremely toxic .
Where to Plant Yew Shrub
Yew bush is principally useful in hedges but can be pruned into eye - catching shapes . Yews also form skillful shelterbelt , borders , and foundation plants . Plant these bush in any part other than the hotsouthern state .
How and When to Plant a Yew Bush
Plant yew bush in leaping after thelast frostor early dusk . Dig a hole in well - drained soil at least 6 inch deeper than the shrub container and doubly as spacious , and use a shovel to loosen the soil . If the dirt does n’t drain well , rectify it with compost , leaf mold , or coarse sand . yew grow in force in soil with a pH of 5.5 to 7.5 . Use a dwelling house test outfit toconfirm the soil pHandamend soil as demand . If possible , tote up all amendments several calendar month before planting the shrub .
To align garden dirt pH , add fluxing lime ( garden or dolomitic ) if the pH is too low , making it less acidic . If the pH is too high , lower it with elementary sulfur , aluminum sulfate , or iron sulphate . For a natural method , mix in peat moss , pine phonograph needle , or other organic matter to softly balance the pH over time .
embed the bush in the hole at the same depth as its container . Fill around the root ball using the amended soil . weewee and add constitutive mulch over the origin geographical zone , but not touching the bush ’s stem .
Credit: Jerry Pavia
Yew Shrub Care Tips
Light
For the best branching habit of your yew shrubs , plant them in full sun . Yews , however , thrive in part sunshine and can also adapt to full spook . Just keep in brain — more shade means more pruning to keep increase compact and prevent the works from becoming leggy or loose .
Part shadiness is beneficial for any gold - leafed varieties and leave some protective covering from wintertime burn on the leafage . Part shade is 4 to 6 hours of direct Lord’s Day per daylight , mostly morning time sunlight .
Soil and Water
Yews are baffling plants that tolerate many different position . The most meaning issues to avoid are standing water and territory that stays tight for farsighted periods . This causes root rot and an overall diminution for the industrial plant .
signaling the yew bush roots may be sitting in too much wet include yellowing inner needles or other acerate leaf drop . Let the soil dry out out more or less between waterings .
Yews will stay healthy during briefperiods of droughtafter one or two years from being planted . When the shrub is newly planted , weekly watering is recommended . delay the plant life during drouth conditions to ensure the soil is n’t dry . If it is , lend pee .
Credit: Jerry Pavia
Temperature and Humidity
Yew bush love warmth and humidness — up to a point . They do n’t grow well in passing live weather and command a lot of superfluous concern when grown in areas hotter than Zone 8 .
Fertilizer
Once a month during the first year , break up awater - soluble 10 - 10 - 10 ratio fertilizerin water and apply it around the shrub to promote increment . After that , a once - yearly covering of a balanced granular or fluid fertilizer around the dripline is sufficient . For the amount to use , come after product label instruction .
Pruning
Pruning is well done in early give , before a Modern flush of growing . This insure that new emergence is bushy enough to fill in holes in the garden design . It ’s not completely necessary to prune yews every twelvemonth , but it helps prevent next job with idle interior and plants becoming too arboreous .
Pests and Problems
Yew shrubs are sometimes infested by mealy bug and wanderer mites . In the eccentric of mealy bug , an software of insecticidal scoop sprayed at once on them should kill them . For spider mites , spray the blighter with a clap of weewee to free them from the plant , and then in the declension , applyhorticultural or neem oilfollowing the ware centering .
How to Propagate Yew Shrubs
It ’s best to be patient when spread a yew shrub . The summons can take up to 10 week or much longer if you start from source .
Propagate From Cuttings
If you have access to a yew bush , ingest cuttings is an excellent style to distribute it .
A cold frame is a humble , transparent - embrace box with a sozzled - fitting palpebra that traps sunshine and warmth to make a protected , warmer surround for plants . It ’s idealistic for rooting cuttings andstarting seeds .
Propagate From Seeds
Yew seeds are available for sale or can be harvest from existing plants ( remember , they are toxic ) .
Do n’t expect quick results . It might take two year before you see a seedling .
Types of Yew Bush
Because they’reconifers , yew do n’t have flowers . They produce cones instead . Yew plants are one by one male and distaff , so one shrub may be male and bring out only pollen , while another produces only fruit . Avoid planting manful yew variety — these get midget pollen grains that can spark off allergies .
The pollen of yews can cause severe reactions in those raw to seasonal allergies .
Female yews produce small red arils ( change cones ) that depend like berries fence a exclusive ( toxic ) seed . Theplant appeal birdsto eat the yield , the flesh of which is the only part of the plant that is not toxic . The seed coating is hard enough to withstand the hoot ’ digestive process , and when the bird fly to a new field , they play as the dissemination method acting to spread yew come around .
Credit: Jason Wilde
‘Green Wave’
Taxus cuspidata‘Green undulation ’ forms a low-pitched , arching mound to 4 ft tall and 5 feet wide . geographical zone 4–7
English Yew
English yew ( Taxus baccata‘Dovastonii Aurea ’ ) is a small distaff yew with drooping offshoot and gold - edged needle . It grows 15 feet tall and 6 feet wide . Zones 6 - 7
Hicks Yew
Hicks yew(Taxusxmedia‘Hicksii ’ ) is a fast - acquire hybrid with an clear habit , which make it great forhedges . It ’s also a hardier substitute for Irish yew shrub . This variety grows 25 feet tall by 10 feet blanket . zone 5–7
‘Densiformis’
Taxus media‘Densiformis ’ is a good selection for hedge , as it grows into thick , spread mounds 4 base tall and 6 feet blanket . zone 4–7
‘Capitata’ Yew
Taxus cuspidata‘Capitata ’ form a all-inclusive , dense pyramid . It grows slowly to 40 feet marvellous . zona 4 - 7
Irish Yew
Taxus baccata‘Fastigiata ’ ( Irish yew ) is the grandiloquent , roundedevergreenoften seen in English gardens . It becomes a broad , upright column of greenish - black needle , and its just branches adapt well to shearing . It grows 30 feet tall and 20 foot broad . zone 6–7
Taunton Yew
Taunton yew ( Taxusxmedia‘Tauntonii ’ ) becomes a low - spreading hill to 3 infantry across . It endure conditions extreme point of idle words , heat , and cold , and does well in ironical , shaded spots . zone 4–7
Frequently Asked Questions
Yews live astonishingly long . Even buttoned-down estimates point they can live 1,000 years , and some reputation are that they live on much longer . It is believe that the ancient ( and fabulous ) Yggdrasil tree of Norse mythology was a yew Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree .
The sap of yew shrubs is blood - red . When the bark of the bush is hurt , it looks like bleeding as the red sap leaks out . This phenomenon is n’t harmful to the yew and does n’t last long . The sap does n’t have a obtrusive smell . Like most of the rest of the shrub , the sap is toxic .
" Yew . " American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ( ASPCA ) .
Credit: Andy Lyons
" Taxusxmedia , " North Carolina State University Extension .
Combs , Sherry . “Reducing Soil pH.”Wisconsin Horticulture Division of Extension . 2007 .
McKeever , Amii . " Ancient Irish Yew Trees carry in Fermanagh . “Irish Farmers Journal .
Credit: Jerry Pavia
Credit: Jerry Pavia
Credit: Scott Little
