Yew
Taxus baccata and T. × media
Yew is a slow-growing, long-lived evergreen conifer with dark needles that makes the finest formal hedges and topiary. It tolerates shade and hard pruning, but nearly every part is deadly poisonous.
Photo: Didier Descouens · CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Essential Care Requirements
Light
Full sun, Partial sun, Low light
Watering
Moderate
Water young plants regularly; avoid waterlogged soil.
Soil
Any well-drained soil; pH 5.0–8.0.
Temperature and humidity
-30–32 °C · Moderate humidity
Feeding
Feed in spring.
Pruning and propagation
Propagate by stem cuttings, seed
Clip in late summer; it regrows from old wood after hard pruning.
All parts except the red flesh around the seed are extremely toxic to people, pets and livestock. Never plant where animals graze.
Top Cultivation Tips
The most forgiving conifer for hard pruning.
Ideal for topiary.
Hates waterlogging.
Hardy in USDA zones 4–7.
Common problems
Bagworms
Caterpillars that live inside spindle-shaped silk bags covered with bits of leaf and strip evergreens and other shrubs of their foliage.
How to treat it →DiseaseRoot rot
Roots decay in waterlogged soil, so the plant wilts and yellows even though the soil is wet.
How to treat it →PestScale insects
Immobile, shell-covered insects that cling to stems and leaves, draining sap and weakening trees and houseplants.
How to treat it →PestVine weevil
Adult beetles notch leaf edges at night, while their soil-dwelling grubs eat roots, often killing container plants before you notice.
How to treat it →
