- Common name: Yew
- Genus: Cupressales
- Family: Taxaceae
- Species: T. baccata, T. cuspidata
- Foliage: lanceolate, flat, dark-green leaves 10–40 mm long and 2–3 mm broad, arranged spirally on the stem.
- Bark: They have reddish bark.
- Flower and fruit:
The male cones are globose, 3–6 mm across, and shed their pollen in early spring. Yews are mostly dioecious, but occasional individuals can be variably monoecious, or change sex with time. The seed cones are highly modified, each cone containing a single seed 4–7 mm long partly surrounded by a modified scale which develops into a soft, bright red berry-like structure called an aril, 8–15 mm long and wide and open at the end. The arils are mature 6–9 months after pollination. - Skill level: Beginner to advanced.
- Soil type: Medium rich, but well draining, with 50% fine gravel added to the mix.
Propagate
From cuttings or layerings
Placement
Ideally, the tree should be placed in full sun, except in July and August (especially for the cuspidata) where a mid-shade exposure will keep the foliage green. For the cuspidata, it is better to protect it from severe frost.
Watering
Yew trees like humidity, but are rather susceptible to root rot: well-drained soil and generous watering will do the trick.
Fertilizing
Yew is a fertiliser-hungry plant. Chemical fertilisers are not recommended. Organic fertilisers are preferable, from spring to autumn: permanent pellets, liquid on the root ball every fortnight and apply foliar fertilisers every two weeks.
Repotting
It is not necessary to repot often, as long as the root ball is well aerated, everything is fine. Repot gently, as the yew does not like severe root pruning. If it suffers after repotting (needles turning grey or worse, brown, anaemic growth), put it in a warm, damp greenhouse or outside in the shade in a transparent, airtight plastic bag after spraying the foliage — not the root ball. Even better, put a heating mat under the pot. After 10 days, the tree will have recovered. It must be free draining: 50-60% gravel, the rest akadama.
Diseases and insects
It is advisable to treat the foliage with different fungicides regularly, especially if you live in the country. And treat in autumn, before wintering the trees. It is also a good idea to use a systemic insecticide as a preventive treatment against mealy bugs. If you wait until the mealybugs appear on the tree before treating, the tree is already weakened by the mealybugs and can invade it very quickly. In addition, contact insecticides will not have an immediate effect.
