Yew

Dark green color and fine-textured needles make yews a softer, often hardier, replacement for other evergreens in the landscape. The tall, stately English yews are must-haves for garden history buffs in temperate climates. Otherwise, the intermediate hybrids and Japanese yews offer plush texture for hedges, screens, groundcovers, and topiaries. Yews grow in fertile well-drained soil, either alkaline or acidic, from sunny to heavily shaded sites. Yews are tolerant of dry soils and air pollution. The clear red berries appear on female varieties.

Light:

Sun,Part Sun,Shade

Zones:

4-7

Plant Type:

Shrub

Plant Height:

To 45 feet tall

Plant Width:

To 40 feet wide, depending on the species

Landscape Uses:

Containers,Beds & Borders,Privacy,Slopes,Groundcover

Special Features:

Attractive Foliage,Fragrant,Winter Interest,Attracts Birds,Deer Resistant,Easy to Grow

Top Varieties

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Brown's yew

(Taxus media 'Brownii') forms a dense, rounded shrub to 10 feet tall and wide. Zones 5-7
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Capitata yew

(Taxus cuspidata 'Capitata') forms a broad dense pyramid, slow growing to 40 feet tall. Zones 4-7
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Densiformis yew

(Taxus media 'Densiformis') is a good choice for hedges, as it grows into a thick, spreading mound 4 feet tall and 6 feet wide. Zones 5-7
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Green Wave yew

(Taxus cuspidata 'Green Wave') forms a low, arching mound to 4 feet tall and 5 feet wide. Zones 4-7
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Golden English yew

(Taxus baccata 'Dovastonii Aurea') is a small, female yew variety with drooping branches and gold-edged needles. It grows 15 feet tall and 6 feet wide. Zones 7-8
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Hicks yew

(Taxus media 'Hicksii') is a fast-growing hybrid with an open habit that's great for hedges. It's also a hardier substitute for Irish yew. This variety grows 25 feet tall by 10 feet wide. Zones 5-7
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Irish yew

(Taxus baccata 'Fastigiata') is the the tall, rounded evergreen often seen in English gardens. It becomes a broad, upright column of greenish-black needles. Its upright branches adapt well to shearing. Grows 30 feet tall and 20 feet wide. Zones 7-8
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Taunton yew

(Taxus media 'Tauntonii') becomes a low-spreading mound to 3 feet across. It tolerates weather extremes of wind, heat and cold well, and is a great plant for dry, shaded spots. Zones 5-7
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Garden Plans

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Nook Garden
Summer-Blooming Front Yard Cottage Garden Plan
Easy-Care Formal Garden Plan

Propagation

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Stem Cuttings