SPECIAL USES. Borders, rock gardens, hedges, foundations.
Taxus Taxaceae Yew
This evergreen shrub is very valuable to those who garden in smaller-scale plots and grounds. There are a number of extremely low and slow-growing varieties available at most nurseries and in several different forms. All have the typical yew masses of glassy, evergreen needle-leaves and satiny red, berry-like fruit. All accept shearing, even need it to preserve their symmetry and small size. It is often difficult to differentiate between the many varieties when they are young, so be sure to check them when buying.
baccata—English yew—A tall tree but available in these small forms: adpressa, a broad, dense bush with half-inch needles in thick masses; repandens, a flattish, low, and spreading form with drooping branches, two to four feet tall.
canadensis—American or Canadian yew—Three to four feet tall and for planting in the shade. Suffers from unusually warm winter sun. Its variety stricta is neat and upright and stays under two feet in height. The green needles are yellow-tinged when it is young.
cuspidata—Japanese yew—This variety is recommended for Northeastern planting. The slow-growing variety densa is plump and rounded and twice as wide as its four-foot mature height. Another variety, nana (brevifolia), is considerably larger, horizontal, and spreading in habit.
cuspidata nana—This species slightly different, has a deeply fissured trunk with red berry fruit and very dark evergreen leaves. It is highly regarded as a miniature and excellent for bonsai work.
stricta (fastigata, hibernica)—An upright column that tops dwarf proportions sooner than most others.
CARE. Slightly acid soil. Fertilize frequently in early spring and early summer. Good drainage. Don’t plant under rain gutters. Top-dress with old manure. Easily transplanted. Shear just before spring growth starts, to control size and shape. Winter sun may burn needles. Comparatively free of disease.
PROPAGATION. Seeds (stratified), cuttings.