How to grow yew

What is yew?

Yew (Taxus baccata) is a

A native plant is one that originated or arrived naturally in a particular place without human involvement. In the British Isles, native plants are those that were here during the last ice age or have arrived unaided since.

Why grow yew?

Yew is an easy-to-grow plant that will thrive in almost any soil or situation, even deep shade. It will fit into any size of garden, as it can be pruned or regularly clipped to keep it within bounds or left to grow to its full extent.
 
It provides valuable year-round structure, and is well suited to all styles of garden, including:

• formal gardens, when neatly clipped as hedging or topiary

• containers, in a contemporary or traditional setting, when trimmed into formal shapes

• hedging, either informal or formal, providing dense year-round screening or a backdrop to borders

• wildlife gardens, as it offers year-round shelter, and female plants produce fruits

• as majestic specimen trees

Buying yew

Yew plants are widely available from garden centres and online suppliers, including the RHS Shop. They can be bought at various sizes, although younger plants tend to settle in more quickly. If you want to buy a large plant for instant impact, see our guide to buying specimen trees.

Yew plants can also be bought in quantity, often as

These have been lifted from the ground while dormant, with little or no soil around their roots. Various plants may be available bare root, including fruit trees, hedging plants and some perennials. They are generally cheaper than plants in containers, but are only available in winter/early spring, while dormant

Yew is easy to plant and should settle in well. It can be planted in almost any soil, individually or as a hedge, or in large containers.
 
To give it the best start, prepare the ground before planting by digging in lots of well-rotted garden compost or manure.
 

Where to plant

 
Yew can be planted in a wide range of garden settings, including:

• Borders and containers, especially as formal clipped topiary shapes, to add year-round structure
• Informal and wildlife-friendly gardens, left unclipped to fruit freely
• As hedging along boundaries or within a garden to divide or screen different areas

 
When grown in containers, yew is usually clipped into compact topiary cones, pyramids or spirals, ideal for formal gardens, contemporary settings, small spaces, and more. Containerised yews work well as focal points or to add a formal feature to patios and doorways.

Yew can be planted in most soils, including chalky soil. Once established, it can cope with drought, but dislikes waterlogged conditions, which can cause the roots to rot.

As yew is highly poisonous, never plant it within reach of grazing animals. For more advice, see our guide to potentially harmful garden plants.
 

When to plant

 
Yew is best planted in autumn (late Oct-mid Dec) or spring (March), whether you’re planting an individual specimen or a hedge. 
 

How to plant

 
When planting yews individually, simply follow our guide to planting trees and shrubs. For hedges, see below.

If your soil is compacted, dig the area thoroughly before planting to loosen the soil, so the roots can spread out freely. If the area is waterlogged, plant on a mound (see Planting hedges, below).
 

Planting hedges

Yew is a popular hedging plant, suitable for most soils and situations, forming a dense evergreen screen. It is easy to plant – simply follow our guide to planting hedges.

For hedges, it is best to choose

These have been lifted from the ground while dormant, with little or no soil around their roots. Various plants may be available bare root, including fruit trees, hedging plants and some perennials. They are generally cheaper than plants in containers, but are only available in winter/early spring, while dormant

Planting in containers

Yew is an ideal shrub for containers, as it can be trimmed to keep it compact and its evergreen foliage provides year-round appeal.

See our guide to planting in containers.

Once it has settled in, yew needs little attention. It is a robust and generally healthy plant. Just clip formal hedges and topiary to keep them in good shape, and give plants in containers regular water over the summer.
 

Watering

• Newly planted yews should be watered regularly for at least the first year, until their roots have spread out into the soil.

• Larger plants generally take more time to settle in after planting, so will need watering for longer.

• Once established, yews shouldn’t need additional watering.

• Plants in containers need regular watering on an ongoing basis, as they have limited access to water. Make sure the

  Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: • Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own.

  compost doesn’t dry out in summer or become waterlogged in winter.

Feeding

Yews are robust plants and don’t generally need additional feeding. However, to boost growth you can apply a general fertiliser, such as Growmore, in late winter, following the instructions on the pack. 

Plants in containers will benefit from regular feeding, as the

To grow well, plants need a wide range of nutrients in various amounts, depending on the individual plant and its stage of growth. The three key plant nutrients usually derived from soil are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, while carbon, oxygen and hydrogen are absorbed from the air. Other vital soil nutrients include magnesium, calcium and sulphur. Most garden soils contain enough nutrients to promote healthy plant growth.

Mulching

A thick layer of mulch, such as well-rotted garden compost or manure, around the base will help to suppress weeds and hold moisture in the soil.
 
Apply it when the ground is damp, in spring or autumn. Leave a 10cm (4in) gap around the stem, to avoid any risk of rotting the bark. Top up annually.
 

Caring for older plants

Yews are long-lived plants that can grow quite large over time, but they can be pruned back down to a manageable size. Unlike most other conifers, yew will regenerate from old wood.
 
To renovate an overgrown or neglected hedge, see Pruning and Training below, and our guide to renovative pruning.

As yew is highly poisonous, it is best to wear gloves when handling clippings – see our guide to potentially harmful garden plants.


 
Fastigiate (or upright) yew cultivars, such as Taxus baccata ‘Fastigiata’, can lose their slender shape over time. However, you can tie the branches together, encircling them with strong twine, to prevent them falling open. The ties will soon be hidden by new growth. You can also prune them to reduce their outward spread – see Pruning and Training below.

Yew can be left to grow naturally or can be clipped or pruned to keep it neat and compact. Clipping also encourages dense growth, which is ideal for hedges and topiary.

Once established, yew can grow vigorously so is best trimmed at least once a year. It is also one of the few conifers that can regenerate from old wood if cut back hard.

Just bear in mind that yew is highly poisonous, so it is best to wear gloves when handling clippings – see our guide to potentially harmful garden plants.​

Hedges

Once established, a yew hedge can grow vigorously, up to 30cm (1ft) a year.

• Trimming once a year, in summer or early autumn, will keep a yew hedge tidy and at the required size
• Formal hedges can be clipped more often – twice or even three times over the summer – to keep them really neat
• Regular trimming encourages a dense, smooth surface

For full details of how and when to clip, see our guide to pruning hedges. This also includes details of how to prune newly planted yew hedges (formative pruning), so they grow to form a dense, upright screen.

Overgrown or neglected hedges

If your yew hedge has become too large, it is best to prune it gradually over three years in mid-spring:

• In the first year, cut the top back to at least 15cm (6in) lower than the final desired height. This will help to recreate a dense, even surface
• The following year, reduce the width of one of the sides
• In the third year, reduce the width of the second side

Also see our guide to renovating hedges.
 
If your hedge has developed bare stems at the base, you can coppice it, to encourage new growth lower down. This involves cutting the plants down to within 15–20cm (6–8in) of the ground in early spring. They will then produce multiple stems and fresh foliage. However, this is a slow process, and the hedge will take several years to recover.

Fastigiate (upright) yews

Fastigiate forms of yew (such as Taxus baccata ‘Fastigiata’, ‘Standishii’ and ‘Fastigiata Aurea’) have markedly upward growth that forms a columnar shape. However, over time the narrow shape can become more open as the branches start to fall outwards under their own weight. To remedy this:

• Tie the branches together with strong twine, to keep them upright
• Shorten outward growth in August. Trim shoots individually with secateurs (rather than with a trimmer), taking them back within the foliage to hide the pruning cuts

Once your fastigiate yew has reached the desired height, trim the top annually in summer or early autumn to prevent it getting any taller.

Topiary

Yew is perfect for creating topiary, as it forms dense growth and copes well with regular trimming. Plants can be bought ready-trained or you can use a metal framework to guide you when trimming. Or you can shape a plant from scratch yourself.
 
Popular shapes include cones, spirals and pyramids. Upright (fastigiate) cultivars can also be used without needing much additional shaping.
 
For full details on creating and looking after topiary, see our guide to topiary.

Germination is the process by which a seed develops into a new plant. It starts with the seed coat absorbing water, expanding and splitting, which allows oxygen and water into the seed so its food reserves can be broken down and used by the embryo for growth. The first root (called the radicle) pushes into the soil to anchor the new plant in place and start absorbing water and nutrients. The first shoot (called the plumule) then grows upwards, out of the soil, towards the light.

germination

Taking cuttings

• Take semi-ripe cuttings, 10–15cm (4–6in) long, in late summer or early autumn, and overwinter in a coldframe

• Take softwood cuttings in early summer

• Use

  Chemical substances that regulate plant growth and development. There are several types of plant hormones, including auxins, cytokinins, gibberellins, abscisic acid and ethylene. These hormones play important roles in processes such as cell division, elongation and differentiation, as well as in responses to environmental stimuli such as light and gravity.

  hormone rooting compound/liquid to encourage rooting

• Choose strongly upright shoots for

  A method of growing new plants from parts of an existing plant, such as sections of root, stem, leaf or bud. When prepared correctly and planted in the right conditions, they can produce roots and eventually become independent plants. There is a wide range of different methods for taking cuttings, depending on the plant and time of year.

  cuttings (except with prostrate cultivars), otherwise the resulting plants may not form a strong leading shoot

Growing from seed

Yew seeds can be remarkably slow to germinate, so patience is definitely required:

• To speed-up the process, mix fresh seeds with

  Sharp sand is washed, gritty sand used in potting compost mixes, This is sold for gardening and is not the same as builders sharp sand.

  sharp sand and keep in warm, moist conditions at around 21˚C (70˚F) for four to five months, then sow outdoors in spring. Germination may take one to two years

• Alternatively, sow fresh seeds either directly in a seed bed outdoors or into a

  A seed tray is a shallow, vertical-sided, rigid plastic or wooden tray with drainage holes in the base. It contains enough compost for seeds to germinate and grow into seedings, but then they'll need transfering into pots.

  seed tray kept in a coldframe. Germination may take two years or more

See our guide to growing shrubs and trees from seed, and collecting seeds. 

Once yew plants have settled in, they are general healthy and trouble free when grown in suitable conditions. The foliage, seeds and wood are also extremely toxic, so few pests feed on yew.

Poor growing conditions

• If yew leaves turn bronze or bronze-red, it is usually due to poor growing conditions, such as waterlogging or drought. Plants that are not fully established and those in containers are more susceptible. Improving the growing conditions should remedy this problem – see our guide to container maintenance
• Waterlogged soil can also cause yew roots to rot, so in damp soil plant yew on a mound and improve the drainage by digging in plenty of organic matter, such as well-rotted garden compost or manure before planting
   

Yew toxicity

All parts of yew (except the fruits) are highly poisonous, so take care when positioning plants. Keep them out of reach of grazing animals, and supervise young children carefully. While the fruits themselves aren't poisonous, the seed inside is highly toxic. For more advice, see our guide to potentially harmful garden plants.​
 

Colour variations

Differences in leaf and shoot colour is normal in yew:

• Leaf colour along a hedge can often differ naturally, unless the plants were all grown from
  A method of growing new plants from parts of an existing plant, such as sections of root, stem, leaf or bud. When prepared correctly and planted in the right conditions, they can produce roots and eventually become independent plants. There is a wide range of different methods for taking cuttings, depending on the plant and time of year.

  cuttings taken from the same parent
• If you've grown new plants from seed, leaf colour may not be exactly the same as the parent plant
• Golden-leaved cultivars are best positioned in partial shade – the foliage may get scorched (or bleached) by strong sun in summer, and will turn green in heavy shade
• Early-season growth tends to be paler, and will darken as it matures over summer