Yew hedging, Variable Sizes

Description Description Yew (Taxus baccata) otherwise know as English or common Yew is an elegant, sophisticated, bushy tree which is capable of forming a smart, full, low maintenance, versatile hedge suitable for many scenarios. It has narrow, leathery, dark green leaves. These are arranged on two spiralling, opposite rows which can create a dense, noise reducing hedge which can be used for privacy. The flowers whilst insignificant allows them to produce lovely red fruit on the female plants which supply a striking contrast with the foliage, During the spring, Yew (Taxus bacatta) produces lovely, light green foliage which fades, becoming darker towards and during the winter. The fresh new growth is a striking look, along with its incredibly versatile qualities makes it Julian’s favourite hedge. Allowing it to be planted anywhere from full sun to deep shade. Yew (Taxus bacatta) is resilient hedge, able to withstand extreme weather on exposed sites. It is native to Europe, parts of Asia and North Africa. Due to its ability to withstand extreme climates the RHS have given it a hardness rating of H7. This means it is hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20). Making for a perfect windbreak, supplying shelter for your garden and wildlife to thrive. Birds love the shelter they survive and love eating the berries. Another reason why Yew (Taxus bacatta) makes a great hedge is that it can withstand a very hard prune, this makes it incredibly easy to manage. If your Yew (Taxus bacatta) hedge is too large, prune it back gradually over 3 years , in the first year prune 15cm lower than desired height to help recreate a dense even surface. Trimming drastically reduces overall growth for the year, this should be done in mid spring, though can be doe at any time of year. Yew (Taxus bacatta) is very forgiving, making it excellent for topiary. Due to its ability to be maintained at a given height it can make for the perfect garden edge, allowing you to zone your garden or beds. Yew (Taxus bacatta) has an ultimate height of over 12m, spreading to in excess of 8m, growing 20-40cm a year. It is the longest living native tree in the UK, the living specimen in the UK is found near Swansea.  The “60-foot-wide yew tree sits in the grounds of St Cynog’s churchyard near Swansea in Wales. Recent DNA and ring-count testing shows the tree to be more than 5,000 years old, making it older than the Great Pyramid of Giza”. The most complete set of Yew (Taxus bacatta) trees is found in Kingly Vale on the South Downs, located on a steep hill. Yew’s love free draining soil and cannot stand being sitting in water for long periods of time. The steep hill in Kingly Vale in this case allows the water to drain freely, allowing them to thrive.  Yew (Taxus bacatta) is not friendly to livestock. Its foliage and seeds contains taxine, making them poisonous. Though the impacts of this varies depending on how dried out it is, the state of the stomach and so on. Though despite this, it has many wonders to it to, being used to treat both Breast and Ovarian cancer. These can be collected by companies such as Friendship Estates to be used in pharmaceutical drugs. Yew (Taxus bacatta) may suffer from non fatal bronzing in winter.   Maintenance/pruning   Prune as requires, can do annually in mid spring   Dimensions under favourable conditions   12m high 8m across   Growth rate   20-40cm a year   Conditions   Likes free draining soil   Uses   Hedging, screening, privacy, noise reducing, zoning/dividing, topiary, architectural   Purchasing a hedge Buying a hedge can be confusing with all the different formats and sizes. For more information on why to buy a plant grown in a container against bare root or root balls visit our page on Bare root, rootball, container plants. Classic Yew rootballs with hessian and bare root Yew often have difficulty taking. We use wire Yew root balls to reduce transplant shock and increase the take rate. Hedges are a living product and therefore care should be taken when planting. For more information regarding planting visit our Planting page There are many positives to having a hedge. For more information on why to buy a hedge visit our Why buy a hedge? page.