Taxus baccata ‘Fastigiata’
Common name: English yew
Useful cultivars and selections: ‘HM eddie’ – male cultivar
USDA hardiness zone: 6
Mature height and spread: 10 m tall by 4 m wide
Form: vase shaped, branches slope upwards, shrub, doesn’t spread laterally
Water use: water well until established
Soil requirements: deep, moist, well drained
Leaf arrangement: mostly spirally arranged
Fall colour: evergreen
Flower/cone/fruit descriptions: ‘berries’ red fleshy aril cup surrounding seed, seed poisonous, males don’t get fruit but its documented that plant can change sex over time
Limitations: slow growth, expensive, poisonous
Suitable uses: hedge, screen, long term investment
ID description: needles dark green, flattened, light green on underside of needles
Taxus baccata ‘Repandens’
Common name: Repandens English yew
Useful cultivars and selections: –
USDA hardiness zone: 6
Mature height and spread:
Form: ground cover, undulating branches, tips descend
Water use: water well until established
Soil requirements: deep, moist, well drained
Leaf arrangement:
Fall colour: evergreen
Flower/cone/fruit descriptions: ‘berries’ red fleshy aril cup surrounding seed, seed poisonous, males don’t get fruit but its documented that plant can change sex over time
Limitations: slow growth, expensive, poisonous
Suitable uses: ground cover
ID description: needles dark green, flattened, light green on underside of needles, mostly distichous
Taxus x media
Common name: hybrid yew
Useful cultivars and selections: –
USDA hardiness zone: 4
Mature height and spread:
Form: uniform, tight and narrow
Water use: water well until established
Soil requirements: deep, moist, well drained
Leaf arrangement: spirally arranged
Fall colour: evergreen
Flower/cone/fruit descriptions: ‘berries’ red fleshy aril cup surrounding seed, cone reduced to single scale, seed poisonous, males don’t get fruit but its documented that plant can change sex over time
Limitations: slow growth, expensive, poisonous, probably needs to be pruned every year
Suitable uses: gold standard of hedging
ID description: needles dark green, flattened, light green on underside of needles, mostly distichous
