In the Cool Shade of Fences and Trees, Ivy Quietly Spreads Its Glossy Leaves, Turning Bare Corners into Rich, Textured Backdrops.

Classic Evergreen Structure That Never Goes Out Of Style

Yew (Taxus baccata and its cultivars) is one of those plants that can completely alter the feel of a garden. A single clipped cone by the front door, a pair of pillars flanking a path, or a low hedge around a border instantly gives structure and a sense of intention. The dark, rich green foliage makes a beautiful foil for flowering shrubs and perennials, and it works equally well in traditional, formal layouts and looser, cottage‑style schemes. Even in a small Cambridgeshire garden, one or two well‑placed yews can make the whole space feel more “finished”.

  • Classic Evergreen Structure That Never Goes Out Of Style
  • Exceptionally Good For Hedges, Screens And Shapes
  • Tough, Long‑Lived And Surprisingly Adaptable

Taxus at a Glance:

Common name: Yew, English yew or Common Yew.

Latin name: Taxus baccata and selected cultivars.

Size in UK gardens: Very variable; hedges are often kept between 1–3m high, while free‑growing specimens can eventually reach 6–15m or more. Many compact forms are suitable for smaller gardens.

Best position: Sun or light shade, in a reasonably sheltered spot with space for the chosen form to develop without constantly being hacked back from paths or buildings.

Soil: Moist but well‑drained soil; tolerant of many types including chalky and clay loams, but dislikes very heavy, waterlogged ground.

Flowering time: Tiny flowers in spring are not especially noticeable; main interest is evergreen foliage and (on female plants) red, berry‑like arils in late summer and autumn.

Hardiness: Fully hardy across most of the UK once established.

Care level: Moderate – easy enough if given the right soil and position, with regular but straightforward pruning and an awareness that all parts (especially seeds) are highly poisonous if eaten.
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Taxus Care at a Glance:

Planting time: Container‑grown yews can be planted most months when the soil isn’t frozen or waterlogged, with autumn and early spring usually easiest. Root‑balled hedging plants are best put in during the dormant season, from late autumn to early spring.

Watering: Water regularly in the first two or three years, especially in dry East Anglian springs and summers, so the rootball and surrounding soil don’t dry out completely. Established yews cope well with normal dry spells but benefit from the occasional deep soak in prolonged drought.

Feeding: In decent garden soil, yew doesn’t need heavy feeding – a spring mulch of compost or well‑rotted manure and a light general fertiliser on very poor soils is usually plenty. Over‑feeding with high‑nitrogen fertilisers is unnecessary and can lead to very soft growth.

Pruning: Clip hedges and shapes once or twice a year, usually in late summer and, if needed, a light tidy in late spring. Yew can be cut back into older wood to renovate an overgrown hedge, but this should be done in stages and with a bit of patience.

Winter: Established yews generally need no special winter protection. In very exposed sites, a windbreak for young plants and a mulch over the root area help, but hardy roots and tough foliage do most of the work themselves.

Varieties We Usually Stock

Availability is always changing, so please check with us if you have a particular variety in mind.

Acer campestre

Acer campestre 'Elsrijk'

Acer campestre 'Queen Elizabeth'

Acer campestre 'Carnival'

Frequently Asked Questions

Yew is widely grown in UK gardens, churchyards and parks, but it is important to understand its toxicity. All parts of the plant, especially the seeds inside the red arils, are poisonous if eaten by people and many animals. The fleshy red aril itself is less of a concern, but the seed it contains must never be chewed or swallowed. In most family gardens, the risk is managed by simple common sense: discouraging children from eating unknown berries, not planting yew right beside play areas, and preventing grazing animals (like horses) from accessing clippings. If you are particularly worried, you can still use yew in front gardens or more controlled areas, or choose alternative evergreens.

Yes, yew is one of the few conifers that often thrives on chalk and can do perfectly well on heavier loams, which makes it very useful in Cambridgeshire and surrounding counties. The key is drainage: it will tolerate clay and chalky soils as long as water doesn’t sit around the roots for long periods. On heavy clay, improve structure with compost and grit; on chalk, add organic matter to help hold moisture and nutrients. Once established, yew often proves one of the most dependable evergreens on these soil types.

Yew is usually described as slow to moderate in growth, but young plants often put on a good 15–30cm of height a year once established, especially in decent soil. For a new hedge, you may clip lightly twice a year – in late spring to thicken it, and again in late summer to neaten and encourage density. Once your hedge has reached its desired height and width, a single clip in late summer is often enough to keep it tight for the year. Because yew responds well to pruning, you can gradually coax a hedge into a very neat, dense wall without rushing.

One of the big advantages of yew is that it will often regenerate from old wood, something many conifers won’t do. This means you can renovate a tired, leggy hedge or shrub by cutting it back quite hard, but it’s usually best to do this in stages. Many gardeners tackle one side or the top in a given year, allowing new shoots to develop, and then address the other side in a following year. Always work in late winter to early spring, keep the soil well mulched and watered as the plant recovers, and be patient – it may take a couple of seasons, but a surprisingly scruffy yew can often be brought back into very good order.