Yew plants tolerate pruning well, so they are often used to create borders and "hedges"
Among yews, there are both dioecious species (seed and anther cones are on different plants) and monoecious (on one). The bark of plants is reddish-brown, the branches are arranged alternately on the trunk.
The needles are flat, soft, 2-3 cm long, dark green, spirally arranged on vertical shoots, two-row on horizontal ones.
Mature seeds are surrounded by a fleshy seedling (aryllus), painted in red tones and having a goblet shape. There are varieties with bright yellow aryllus. Seeds are medium-sized, 5-8 mm long, 4-5 mm wide. Fall in autumn, often dispersed by birds.
Yews are decorative at any time of the year. They look especially elegant in autumn, when bright red beads of juicy seedlings flash on the branches, in which seeds are visible with a dark pupil. They look not only beautiful, but also appetizing, however, all parts of the plant, except for the aryllus itself, are poisonous.
Yew species
Yew berry(Taxus baccata) previously occupied a very large area (Europe, the Caucasus, Asia Minor), but now it is found only in the form of small relict foci.
The reasons for the reduction in the range are the high qualities of wood and extremely slow growth.
Yew wood is durable and has bactericidal properties - not only resists decay for an unusually long time, but also kills microorganisms in the surrounding air.
Yew pointed(Taxus cuspidata) occurs naturally on Far East.
This is a 20-meter tree, although in adverse conditions it can take the form of a creeping shrub, not exceeding 1.5 m in height.
This species is more winter-hardy than yew berry (adult specimens tolerate frosts down to -40 ° C), undemanding to soils.
It tolerates air pollution better than other species of the genus. It has a large number of decorative forms, for example, "Minima" ('Minima'), reaching a height of 30 cm, and "Nana" ('Nana') - up to 1 m.
Tees medium(Taxus media) is a natural hybrid of yew berry and spiky, it is frost-resistant, easily propagated by cuttings. The view has a large number of decorative forms.
Canadian yew(Taxus canadensis) occurs naturally in the east North America. This is a low shrub-like tree 1-2 m tall. Adult specimens tolerate frosts down to -35 ° C.
In ornamental gardening, two are most often used decorative forms: "Aurea" ('Aurea') and "Pyramidalis" ('Pyramidalis'). The first is distinguished by yellowish needles and small size (does not exceed 1 m in height), cultivated in rock gardens. The second has a regular pyramidal crown, the diameter of which can reach 1.5 m with a plant height of about 1 m.
Short-leaved yew(Taxus brevifolia) is less common in gardens and parks. In nature, it grows on the Pacific coast of North America. It is a tree or shrub 5-20 m tall.
We select the soil
Yews prefer soil that is nutritious, light, and well-drained. Optimal composition: turf land (3 parts), peat (2 parts), sand (2 parts). Yew berry grows well on both alkaline and slightly acidic soils.
The spiky yew does not tolerate acidic soils well, while the Canadian yew, on the contrary, loves slightly acidic soils, although it can grow on neutral ones. The average yew is the most unpretentious among all species, therefore its forms are most in demand by gardeners. However, it should be borne in mind that this species prefers neutral and slightly alkaline soils.
Yews do not grow well in waterlogged areas; salts of heavy metals and environmental pollution can harm them. This makes it impossible to use them for greening cities. The root system of yews lies very deep, reaching aquifers so they are drought tolerant.
How to plant a yew
The recommended distance between plants when planting is 0.5-2.5 m and depends on the size of an adult yew. The root neck should be at ground level. The depth of the pit for planting is 60-70 cm. To create a "living" hedge, trenches are dug 50 cm deep (for single-row planting) or 70 cm (for double-row planting).
When planting a yew, as well as a year later, in the spring, a complex mineral fertilizer is applied to the soil. In the first 2 years, young plants require watering (once a month, 10 liters per plant), sprinkling has a positive effect (every 2 weeks).
The soil in the trunk circles is loosened in the first 2-3 years, removing weeds. It is recommended to mulch the root system with wood chips or large sawdust with a layer of up to 10 cm.
Comfortable conditions for yew
Young yews can suffer from low temperatures in winter, so late autumn they can be covered with dry peat with a layer of 5-7 cm.
In early spring, yews, like all evergreen shrubs, are in danger of being burned. To protect against them, a shelter made of spruce branches or kraft paper is used.
Another feature of young yew plantings is the fragility of the branches in winter. Large amounts of snow can severely break plants, so it is recommended to tie them in one bundle. Adult yews are quite winter-hardy.
Yews are extremely shade-tolerant, however, good illumination has a positive effect on their growth and seed formation.
On the other hand, specimens planted under the canopy of other species or under the cover of walls tolerate the winter cold better.
When looking for a place in the garden for a yew, you need to consider both of these points.
Yew perfectly tolerates shearing and pruning when forming a crown, so it is often used to create "living" hedges, garden labyrinths and topiary sculpture. If the task of crown formation is not pursued, only dry shoots are removed.
Features of yew breeding
Yews are propagated by seeds and cuttings. Seeds ripen in autumn, they are either sown immediately or harvested and stored in a cool room with a temperature of +5 ° C and low humidity. Autumn sowing gives top scores, during spring, a 7-month stratification is required at a temperature of + 3-5 ° С. Even after it, the seeds germinate only after 2 months.
Ornamental yews are propagated vegetatively. Cuttings are cut in September-October, by which time the shoots have time to ripen. The length of the cuttings is 15-20 cm, the presence of lateral shoots is allowed.
It is recommended to use 3-5-year-old branches for propagation, annual branches take root worse, they should be taken “with a heel” (a piece of old wood below the node). Needles are removed from the bottom of the cuttings and placed in a mixture of peat and sand (2: 1).
Autumn cuttings are planted in boxes, which are transferred to a greenhouse or room for the winter. You can also cut yews in spring, in April-May. The older the plant from which the cuttings were taken, the worse they take root.
In this case, the success of reproduction will be ensured by treatment with a growth stimulator (heteroauxin, etc.). Rooting takes about 3 months. With autumn cuttings, young plants are planted in the ground in May, with spring - in September.
The decorative qualities of yew make it very attractive for use in the country. The beauty of this tree was noticed back in the Baroque era, when yew was often used in hedges, to create borders and simply planted in gardens. The dense hard crown of the yew, however, is well sheared. the site will tell you which varieties of yew are most suitable for breeding in the country.
The evergreen yew belongs to the genus Taxus. These coniferous plants are distinguished by longevity and can be found in the most different places our planet. Yew is a dioecious species, that is, there can be male and female plants, this feature quite rare for representatives of conifers. On male plants, at one time, balls with golden pollen are formed, on female plants, seeds with a red perisperm develop. It is interesting that the yew, although a coniferous species, does not have cones, instead it has berries and fruits, but for a person they, like its seeds, are completely inedible and even poisonous.
He tolerates better than most. bad conditions, will grow on chalky soils, it doesn't need much sunlight, so he feels good even in a shaded place, while the polluted atmosphere does not pose a big threat to him. With all this, the yew will wither on poorly drained or overly moist soils.
The color of the leaves is dark green, the size is small - from 1.5 to 3.5 cm, they grow in two rows.
Yew lives up to 3000 years, but its growth is extremely slow.
Types and varieties of yew: berry and coniferous
On suburban area some varieties of yew can be used to create magnificent hedges and living fences. Below we describe some of the most popular varieties used for this purpose.
The yew berry is very popular among summer residents, the varieties of which are upright growing, while there are also varieties growing in the form of a bush with a beautiful dense crown.
The properties of the Fastigiata variety, which also belongs to the berry yew species, make it very convenient for the formation of living fences. It has a straight trunk, short branches are often located, grows up to 1-2 m.
Fastigiata Aurea is a variety with yellow needles, while Fastigiata Aureomarginta has a tench with a yellow border on the leaves. Of the undersized yews, the Semperaurea variety with a yellow color can be distinguished.
Among the yews, there are varieties that creep along the ground, such as Repandens, which is characterized by very slow growth. In a decade, it will grow by only 50 centimeters, but despite the thick trunk, it always retains correct form umbrella. It spreads, horizontally growing branches depart from the trunk, which cling to the ground. Needles up to 3 cm, dark green with a bluish tint, poisonous to animals and humans. This variety is propagated by grafting and layering.
It is often used for landscaping a terrace, grows well in a container, is good for group plantings and as an element of a rock garden.
A beautiful rounded bush forms the Hicksti variety, a medium yew species. The trunk is straight, it can be up to 2 m in height, while the branches are quite sparse, the color of its needles is dark green.
Variety Nana yew spiky - also from creeping slow-growing varieties. The crown of this low tree is wide-spreading, the ends of the needles are painted yellow.
Yew tree in the country (photo)
Yew is widely used for garden decoration due to its properties such as good shade tolerance and pruning tolerance. A variety of forms of yew allows you to use it for different purposes. Tall tree and columnar varieties can be planted separately, their spectacular appearance is always impressive. And for group plantings, almost all varieties, without exception, are suitable, it is recommended to plant others next to them. flowering shrubs.
Yew is especially often chosen for creating hedges, the crown of the yew can be quite easily given the desired shape and arrange a magnificent green wall. Next to the yew, many types of ornamental shrubs look very advantageous. Roses, magnolias and other perennials look wonderful against the background of its green needles. flowering plants.
Planting and caring for yew in the country
As already mentioned, yew is very unpretentious, prefers calcareous soils, well permeable to water. For planting, it is better to use seedlings in containers. When purchasing seedlings, pay attention to make the needles look healthy. For planting, you will need to dig a hole with a depth equal to the size of an earthen coma around the roots and 2 times as wide. After removing the plant from the container, you need to slightly loosen the clod of earth around the roots with your fingers and straighten the crumpled roots. Then the seedling should be lowered into the hole and covered with fertilized soil. Having tamped the soil, you need to water it. In the northern latitudes for yew, it is recommended to choose places that are calm and not in the sun; you can also make a fence using burlap for this.
The pruning of the yew must be done so that the cuts of the lower branches are covered by the branches growing above. Every spring, old brown shoots must be removed. In summer, the crown of yews forming a hedge can be shaped into a ball or cone.
Yew (lat. Taxus), or yew- a genus of the Yew family, which includes 8 species of slow-growing coniferous shrubs and trees. One of the species grows in Europe and northern Africa, three in Asia, including the Far East, and four in North America. Today, plants of this genus, due to their unpretentiousness and high decorativeness, are widely used in landscape design and landscaping, but in nature yew is less and less common.
Planting and caring for yew (in brief)
- Landing: during the time period from late August to October.
- Lighting: bright sunlight.
- The soil: well-drained, fertile, but can grow on poor soils. Too acidic or too wet soils are not suitable for the plant.
- Watering: regular - once a month with a water consumption of 1-1.5 buckets - only for plants up to three years old. Adult yews need regular watering only during a prolonged drought. In the evenings in the heat, it is desirable to carry out sprinkling of the crown.
- Top dressing: once a year with a solution of complex mineral fertilizer.
- Pruning: since the yew grows slowly, it will be necessary to form its crown already in adulthood, but it is undesirable to cut the shoots by more than a third of the length. Pruning is carried out in early April, before the buds open on the trees.
- Reproduction: seeds and cuttings.
- Pests: yew false scales, gall midges, pine scoops and spruce needle beetles.
- Diseases: brown shutte, phomosis, necrosis and fusarium.
- Properties: all organs of the plant contain poison.
Read more about growing yew below.
Yew tree - description
The genus Yew is represented by dioecious plants. The bark of the yew is scaly, red-brown, the crown is ovoid-cylindrical, often multi-topped. Yew branches are whorled on the trunk. Dark green, soft and flat needles are located on the shoots in a spiral, and on the side branches - in two rows. The length of the needles is from 2 to 3.5 cm. Red berries are formed on female trees that do not fall until winter. Shrub yew rarely grows above 10 meters, while the height of the tree yew can reach 20-30 meters or more, and its trunk diameter is 4 m. Yew wood has bactericidal properties due to the a large number phytoncides: if the ceilings in the house or furniture are made of yew, then the dwelling is reliably protected from infections. It was the hunt for high-quality, hard wood of the yew, which is popularly called the “non-pus-tree”, that was the reason that today the yew is listed in the Red Book.
Yews live up to 3000 years, and their amazing ability to quickly recover after pruning allows you to create from the crowns of plants various forms, which explains the high popularity of yew in horticultural culture. In terms of shade tolerance, yew has no equal among trees, although it grows well in lighted places. However, you should know that all organs of the yew are poisonous.
Yew planting
When to plant yew
Yew is planted in the garden from late August to October. If you live in a warm climate, plant your yew in October where it suits you, but if your area has short summers, it's best to grow your yew in a sunny location and plant in late summer or early fall. Seedlings with a closed root system can be planted throughout the growing season, but no later than October in warm regions and early to mid-September in areas with early and cold winters.
Pictured: Tees
The yew plant should be protected from drafts at least in the first years of life. Yew prefers fertile, light and well-drained soil, such as a mixture of two parts peat, two parts sand, and three parts sod or leafy soil. However, it can also grow in poor soils. The plant does not tolerate only too acidic and too wet soil.
How to plant a yew
The pit for a yew seedling should be at least 70 cm deep and 20 cm wide more than the root ball. hedge it is more convenient to plant from a yew in a trench 50-70 cm deep. The distance between two yews should be from 1.5 to 2 m, and seedlings in hedges are placed at intervals of at least half a meter.
Before planting a yew, a layer of drainage material about 20 cm thick should be laid at the bottom of the pit. River sand is used as drainage, broken brick, pebbles or rubble. Then, the pre-watered seedling is carefully removed from the container, lowered into the pit and the free space is covered with soil of the composition described by us, mixed with complex mineral fertilizer. This can be Kemira-universal, 100 g of which is applied to each m² of soil, or Nitroammophoska, which needs 1 g per liter of substrate, or blue vitriol at the rate of 15 g for the same amount of earth mixture. As a result of planting, the root neck of the seedling should be at surface level. After planting, the soil around the seedling is compacted and watered abundantly, and when the water is completely absorbed, trunk circle mulch with compost or peat.
Yew care in the garden
How to grow a yew
Planting and caring for a yew is not difficult. The yew needs to be watered, keep its near-stem circle clean and loosen regularly. Young plants need to be covered for the winter, and protected from sunburn in the spring. It is also desirable to carry out preventive measures to protect the yew from pests and diseases. As the yew matures, it may require pruning.
Only yews younger than three years old need regular watering: the soil in their near-stem circle is moistened once a month, spending a bucket and a half of water on each plant. Adult yews practically do not need watering, usually natural precipitation is enough for them. In addition, they can extract moisture with their powerful roots from deep in the soil. But it will be easier for yews to survive a prolonged drought with regular watering and sprinkling of the crown. The moist soil of the near-stem circle must be loosened to a depth of 10-15 cm, especially the first three years after planting, otherwise a crust will form on the soil, preventing oxygen from reaching the roots. Simultaneously with loosening, weeds should be removed, on which harmful insects often settle. To make your work easier, mulch the trunk circle with a layer of peat, needles or sawdust 8-10 cm thick.
In the photo: Yew berries on a branch
If you applied fertilizer to the soil when planting a yew, they will be enough for him for the whole year. In the future, fertilizers are applied annually. You can use all the same Nitroammophoska in the amount of 50-70 g per m² or Kemira-universal - 100 g / m².
Yew grows very slowly, so the plant does not need pruning in the first years. Mature trees and bushes easily lend themselves to crown formation, they tolerate even heavy pruning well, but still try to shorten the shoots by no more than a third of the length. Dry, diseased, frostbitten branches must be removed completely. Pruning is best done in early April, before the buds swell.
Pests and diseases of yew
As for pests, sucking insects pose a danger to yews: yew false scales and gall midges, and pine cutworms and spruce needle beetles can annoy yew from needle-eating pests. As a result of the activity of pests, the yew turns yellow, its needles and branches dry and fall off. Make it a rule every year in the spring, before the start of sap flow, treat the yew and its near-stem circle with a solution of Karbofos or Nitrafen. If you find pests on a yew during the growing season, spray the plant and the soil surface below it two or three times with Rogor or a similar preparation. However, it is unlikely that you will be able to get rid of insects in one session, so get ready to spend another spraying of yew insecticide in 10-12 days.
Of the yew diseases, brown shyutte, phomosis, necrosis and fusarium are affected. They manifest themselves in different ways, but any change should alert you. appearance needles. main reason development of diseases mechanical damage yew bark, opening the way to fungal infections. Diseases occur when growing yew in low areas, in heavy clay soils. To improve drainage and remove from the root area excess moisture, drive several segments into the soil along the perimeter of the trunk circle of a diseased plant plastic pipe up to 30 cm long, and treat the yew itself with a biofungicide. As a preventive measure, every spring and every autumn, treat the yew with copper-containing fungicides.
Yew transplant
It is best to transplant yews in the spring, when the soil warms up. Select appropriate place, prepare landing pit right size, as described in our article, dig a yew, move it to a new location, place it in the pit so that the root neck is at surface level, and complete the planting. Remember to then water the soil around the trunk circle and mulch the area around the plant with organic material.
Yew breeding
How to propagate yew
Yew is propagated by seeds and cuttings. Seed propagation is more laborious and takes much longer than vegetative methods, and its results are unpredictable, since the generative method does not always preserve the varietal characteristics of the parents. Therefore, seed propagation is used to obtain species yews and to breed new plant varieties. It is faster and more reliable to propagate yew by cuttings, and most importantly, young plants completely inherit the varietal characteristics of the mother tree.
In the photo: A branch of yew berry
Yew is also propagated by grafting butt, but this is best done by specialists.
Propagation of yew cuttings
For cuttings, you will need segments of three to five-year-old shoots 15-20 cm long. They are harvested in September-October or April-May. The lower part of the cuttings is cleaned of needles, and the cut is treated with a growth stimulator, after which the cuttings are planted in tubs filled with a substrate of one part of sand and two parts of peat. If the procedure is carried out in the fall, then the cuttings are kept warm all winter, and planted in the garden in the spring. If the cuttings are carried out in the spring, then you can first plant the cuttings in a greenhouse under the film, and when they grow roots, they are transplanted into the garden. Rooting lasts 3-4 months, and all this time the substrate should be slightly moist. They remove the coating from the cuttings only at the end of summer, so that they have time to get used to the garden before the cold weather. The first three years, seedlings are covered for the winter so as not to expose their root system to the danger of frostbite.
Growing yew from seed
Germination of yew seeds at proper storage keep up to four years. It is best to sow in the fall, immediately after harvesting the seeds. If you are going to sow yew in the spring, then you will have to keep its seeds in the refrigerator at a temperature of 3-5 ºC for at least six months. This measure will provide a higher germination rate. In March, the seeds are sown in a sterile substrate to a depth of 5 mm, covered with foil and placed in a warm place. Seed germination lasts at least two months, and if you used unstratified seed for sowing, then you will have to wait one to three years for seedlings. Two years after the emergence of seedlings, they are dived into the garden in the greenhouse, and after another two years, the seedlings are planted in the school, where they will grow for another 3-4 years before transplanting to a permanent place.
Yew in winter on the site
Yew in autumn
After the completion of the leaf fall, carry out preventive treatment of the yew from diseases and pests with a fungicide solution, and cover the trunk circles of yew trees that have not reached the age of three with a layer of peat or dry leaves of decorative species 5-7 cm thick. So that the fragile branches of young yews do not break under the weight of snow, pull them carefully to the trunk and tie them into a bun.
In the photo: Yew branch
Wintering yew in the garden
If a snowless winter is predicted, the yew can freeze from severe frost, so it is wrapped with spunbond or lutrasil, but this must be done using a frame so that there is space between the plant and the covering material. It is better not to use burlap to create a shelter, since it can get wet during the thaw period, and then freeze in the cold. It is also undesirable to wrap yews with polyethylene and roofing felt, which do not allow air to pass to the branches. When the soil warms up in the spring, the shelter is removed, however, until fresh growths appear on the yew, it must be protected from the sun's rays, which at this time of the year pose a serious danger to conifers: in sunny and windy weather, when the roots of the yew not yet able to absorb moisture, and its needles evaporate intensively, yews can be easily damaged. Therefore, trees from the bright sun should be shaded.
Types and varieties of yew
We offer you a description of the most commonly cultivated yew species.
- a bushy lying tree no more than 2 m high, originally from the forests of eastern North America. Its branches are ascending, the shoots are densely leafy and short. Canadian yew needles are sickle-shaped and sharply pointed. Above the needles are yellowish-green, below - light green with even lighter stripes. The species is distinguished by high winter hardiness: it can withstand frosts down to -35 ºC, however, this quality appears in the plant only when they reach the age of three. The following forms are of interest:
- Aurea- densely branching dwarf shrub up to 1 m high with small yellow needles;
- Pyramidalis- undersized form, in which at a young age the crown has a pyramidal shape, and later becomes more loose.
In the photo: Canadian yew (Taxus canadensis)
- a protected reserved species growing in the Far East, Korea, Japan and Manchuria. The tree can reach a height of 20 m, but on average it grows up to 7 m. Sometimes the yew spiky has the shape of a shrub up to 1.5 m high. The crown of the plant is oval or irregular, the branches are horizontal, young shoots and petioles have a yellowish tint, especially strong from the bottom side. The leaves of plants of this species are wide, crescent-shaped, with a protruding median vein. Above, they are dark green to almost black, below the needles of a lighter shade. Oval, pointed, slightly flattened seeds are surrounded by a pink or reddish fleshy seed coat up to half the length. The species has a high winter hardiness, but in young years it requires protection from the cold for the winter. Such decorative forms of spiky yew are popular:
- rustique- a plant with a wide loose crown, long rising dark brown striped branches and slightly crescent-shaped, rare, dark green above and yellowish below needles;
- Nana- low yew up to 1 m high with spread strong branches And irregular shape crown. The needles are linear, very dense, dark green, up to 2.5 cm long;
- Minima- the shortest form of the species, reaching a height of no more than 30 cm. Its shoots are brown, the needles are dark green, oblong-lanceolate, shiny;
- Farmen – dwarf plant up to 2 m high with a crown diameter of up to 3.5 m. The bark is red-brown with light spots, the needles are pointed, dark green, located radially;
- Capital- has a female and male form. The crown of this yew, which may have one or more trunks, is strictly pin-shaped;
- Columnaris– wide-columnar form with dark needles;
- Dance- a female form with a very pressed wide crown: at the age of fifty, the plant reaches a height of 120 cm with a crown diameter of 6 m. The needles are dark green;
- Expansa- a plant in the form of a vase without a central trunk. By the age of twenty, it reaches a width and height of about 3 m. A very popular plant in the USA.
In the photo: Pointed yew (Taxus cuspidata)
comes from western North America. This tree is from 15 to 25 m high or a shrub up to 5 m high with a wide-pin-shaped crown and bark peeling off in pieces. Thin branches stand straight from the trunk, branches hang slightly; yellow-green, sharply pointed needles up to 2 cm long and up to 2 mm wide are arranged in two rows. Two-tetrahedral ovoid seeds up to 5 mm long are dressed in bright red seed coats.
In the photo: Short-leaved yew (Taxus brevifolia = Tahus baccata var. brevifolia)
- a species common in Western Europe, Asia Minor and the Caucasus in mountain forests on sandy and even marshy soil. In height, the yew berry can reach from 17 to 27 m. It has a very dense spreading crown of an ovoid-cylindrical shape, sometimes multi-topped. The ribbed trunk is covered with a reddish-gray bark, which peels off in plates with age. The location of the needles is spiral, on the side branches - two-row. The needles are flat, above - dark green, shiny, below - matte, yellow-green. Seeds are enclosed in bright red seeds. This species has a large number of popular garden forms for which a classification has been compiled. Most commonly grown garden molds type:
- compacta- a dwarf form a little over 1 m tall with a rounded crown of the same diameter and branches evenly spaced from the trunk. The needles are crescent-shaped, dark green and shiny above, slightly lighter below;
- Erekta- male shrub up to 8 m high with a wide crown and gray-green, short and thin needles;
- Fastigiata- a female form up to 5 m high with a wide-columnar crown, a drooping top and numerous sharp ascending branches. The needles are black-green, bent inward, spirally located on the shoots;
- Nissens Crown- a shrub up to 2.5 m high and a crown diameter of 6-8 m, however, in middle lane this yew does not grow above the level of the snow cover. The bark is red-brown, thin, the needles are bright green, needle-shaped;
- Repandance- creeping shrub up to 50 cm high and up to 5 m wide with horizontally spaced branches pressed to the ground and crescent-shaped, shiny, dark green-bluish needles on the upper side. The underside of the needles is flat and lighter. The variety is winter hardy, therefore it is very popular;
- Summergold- a bush with a wide and flat crown, with branches rising obliquely, sickle-shaped needles up to 3 cm long and up to 3 mm wide with a wide yellow-golden edge.
In the photo: Berry yew (Taxus baccata)
occupies an intermediate position between the spiky yew and the berry yew. It is taller than the yew berry, its old branches are olive green, but in the sun they become reddish. The shoots are ascending, the needles are needle-like, arranged in two rows, with a pronounced central vein, up to 27 mm long and up to 3 mm wide. The species is drought-resistant and frost-resistant, easily propagated by seeds and has many decorative forms:
- Densiformis- a female plant up to one and a half meters high and with a diameter of a dense rounded crown up to 3 m. The needles are needle-shaped, thin, sharp, light green in color, up to 22 long and up to 3 mm wide;
- Grandifolia- a squat plant with large dark green needles up to 30 mm long and up to 3 mm wide;
- Straight Hedge- a female shrub up to 5 m high. The diameter of a dense, narrow-columnar crown reaches one and a half meters. The needles are curved, two-line, dense, dark green;
- Ward- a female plant with a flat-round crown, reaching 2 m in height and 6 m in width. The needles are dark green, standing very tightly;
- Sabian- a male slow-growing shrub with a wide crown and a flat top, reaching a height of 1.8 m in 20 years and a width of 4 m.
In the photo: Medium yew (Taxus media)
grows along the banks of streams and rivers, mountain slopes, gorges of western North America. It can be a bush up to 5 m high or a tree reaching 25 m in height. It grows very slowly. Its crown is wide-shaped, the bark descends from the trunk in plates, the branches are directly spaced from the trunk, the branches hang slightly. The needles are needle-shaped, two-row, yellow-green, up to 20 long, up to 2 mm wide.
In the photo: Short-leaved yew (Taxus brevifolia)
Other natural and hybrid forms of yew are also grown in culture.
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One of the most loved ornamental trees landscape designers is yew or yew berry. This coniferous plant has soft, flat needles, a multi-vertex crown and does not contain resin. Bright Feature of this tree - red berries, drupes, which are formed instead of cones. Yew wood has long been highly valued and used for the manufacture of reliable furniture. It is believed that it has bactericidal properties and protects against infections.
There are two ways to grow a yew: using seeds and cuttings. Reproduction by seeds is a very long process that requires special care and time. First, you will need to stratify the yew seeds, that is, keep them in a cold place for several months. After that, the plant will germinate in 3 months. Unstratified seeds can germinate for a long time - up to 3 years. The most reliable method of propagation is cuttings. Cuttings 20 cm long are cut from 3-6 summer shoots in early autumn or mid-spring. The needles are removed from the bottom and treated with a growth stimulator.
Evergreen yew needles will decorate any garden with their decorative look and bright berries. But it should be remembered that the bark, needles, seeds are poisonous. Therefore, you should be more careful if children are walking in the yard.
Yew berry is also called mahogany or greenery, which is worth knowing about when buying or looking for a seedling. Zelenica grows up to 27 m, with a trunk diameter of about 150 cm. Considering that redwood grows slowly, the average height will be in the range of 10-20 m.
Crown has cylindrical shape with smooth edges. Very dense, formation of several tiers is possible. The bark is smooth, reddish-gray in color.
It is worth paying attention to the fact that the trunk is covered with dormant buds. It is they who give rise to new shoots.
The needles are dense, dark green on the outside, light green on the inside.
Cones are solitary, covered with red skin, which grows into a fairly large roller, which has a sweet aftertaste. 
The seeds are quite hard, have an oval shape. Pollination takes place in late April - early May.
Important! The whole plant is poisonous, except for the skin that covers the seed cones.
Choose a plot
Having figured out what a yew berry is, after seeing the photo and description of the plant, it is worth moving on to choosing a site for our long-lived
Lighting and location
Mahogany is shade tolerant plant. Young trees are best planted under the crown big trees so that they receive diffused sunlight.
As for the choice of a place, it should be special in all plans. Yew does not like polluted, therefore, landing should be carried out precisely in a clean substrate, which is devoid of heavy metals, various construction or household waste. Also, lowlands are not suitable for a tree, since it does not tolerate waterlogging of the soil, so we choose a flat place or a small hill that will be closed from direct sunlight.
Did you know? Fortingall yew is considered the oldest, under the crown of which, according to legend, Pontius Pilate spent his childhood.
What kind of soil does yew like
The ideal option would be fertile, well-drained soil with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction. You may be misled by what various sources describe perfect option substrate in their own way. 
The fact is that different kinds and yew varieties require radically different soil, which is the reason for their habitat. For example, yew medium loves slightly alkaline soil and yew is pointed - neutral.
It is also worth considering that if your site is dominated by soils that retain moisture, then you have to worry about good
Planting seedlings
Let's start with the fact that if you plant several trees in a row or in the form of some kind of figure, then you need to leave about 2 meters of space between them, otherwise you will get "woven" thick crowns that will be very difficult to form correctly, especially since such a landing will greatly obscure the site.
We start by preparing a pit or ditch (landing for The depth should be about 70 cm, diameter - 1 m. 
At the end, we water so that the soil is moist, but not waterlogged. 
Do not forget that the root neck should be at ground level. In no case do not sprinkle it with earth or mulch.
Reproduction methods
Long and inefficient (by seeds)
We will immediately answer the question of why this method is inefficient. The fact is that seeds require stratification- effects of low temperatures, which mimic the natural conditions required for germination. In addition, the seed may not sprout in a year, but in 2-3 or 4 years, since germination persists for four years. 
It turns out that when sowing seeds, you will not know how long the seedlings will sprout, especially since they germinate unevenly.
Also, this method of reproduction is used very rarely, for the reason that the yew berry is not bisexual, therefore, two trees of different sexes are required for pollination, which must be 25 years old or more.
If you are determined to grow a yew from seeds, then let's start preparing seed. The collection of seed cones is carried out in September - October, when their skin turns red. It is worth being careful, as many people like to eat the sweetish pulp along with the seeds, so collect the material on time, otherwise you will have to wait for the next year. After harvesting, you need to soak the fruits to make it easier to remove the softened "package", but do not keep the cones in water for a long time, otherwise they will ferment. 
After cleaning, the seeds are dried and placed in the refrigerator for stratification, which is carried out until next autumn. You can wait and sow in the spring (1.5 years of stratification), and then shoots will appear in 2 months.
If you chose autumn sowing then prepare or for sowing. For 1 sq. m consumes about 500 seeds, who sow scattered. No need to dig holes or make deep furrows, just pour the seeds on the ground and cover them with mulch from a dry coniferous bedding (other mulch will not work).
It is worth remembering that it does not involve aging seeds exclusively in a cold place. Initially, the temperature should be from 1 to 5 ° C, then the seeds move to a warm place (about +20 ° C), then again to the cold and, when the seeds begin to hatch, to moderately warm. 
Important! After germination, seedlings are grown in a greenhouse for 2 years, after which they are moved to the garden.
Fast and productive (cutting)
To begin with, depending on the location of the shoot taken for the cutting, the structure of the seedling will also differ in the future, therefore, when buying a seedling, you cannot know what will happen in the end. For example, if a horizontal lower shoot was taken, then you will get a sprawling tree that will resemble a large one; if you take a shoot that was directed upwards, then a slender tall tree will grow from it.
Cutting cuttings are carried out in September-October, immediately after full ripening of the fruit. So you get a good matured material. The length of the cutting should be within 15-20 cm, and there should also be several shoots on the shoot. 
For cutting, it is better to use 3-5-year-old branches, as they take root faster and grow. Annuals can also be used, however they take root more slowly.
Important! Old mother plants produce material that takes root very poorly without a growth stimulant.
After cutting, the needles are removed from the lower part, and all cuttings are placed for several hours in a root growth stimulator, after which they are planted in a mixture of peat and sand (2: 1). Planting is carried out in small boxes, which are moved to a greenhouse or greenhouse during the cold season.
The cutting will take root for about a decade, after which, in February or March, the plants are seated in single pots. Further, the yew can be planted in open ground, waiting for warm weather.
It should be noted that when grown in open field a tree needs 6-7 years, but if the young trees spend the first two years in a greenhouse, then this period will be reduced to 5 years.
You can also yew. To get new plants, you need to bend the lower branches so that they touch the ground. After a few years, the rooting of the layers will occur, after which they can be separated from mother plant and grow as full-fledged seedlings.
How to care for a plant
It's time to discuss plant care, consider the main points that affect the life span of a tree and its condition. notice, that comfortable conditions required for wood not only on initial stage, but throughout life, as deterioration leads to illness. 
Watering and soil care
Young trees have a small rhizome, so they cannot independently provide themselves with moisture. Prolonged drought can lead to death, so the soil is moistened as it dries, preventing stagnant water.
Mature trees that are 20-30 or more years old can do without watering, as their roots go deep, reaching the level of groundwater, and a large area of \u200b\u200brhizome is able to absorb maximum moisture during rain.
However, it is worth remembering that if your area has a very hot dry summer, then watering still needs to be done. The same applies to areas where a layer of clay or minerals lies high, which does not allow the tree to go deep into the roots.
Did you know? Yew alkaloids are used in traditional medicine for the manufacture of anticancer drugs.
pruning
The dense crown of a yew allows you to form almost any shape, up to creating a shape in natural sizes.
Also yew is the best tree for formation, since its slow growth retains the intended picture for several years, after which minor adjustments are required.
If you do not want to create a certain form, then annually remove dry shoots so that the tree retains its spectacular appearance.
Any pruning is best done in the spring so that the tree spends less strength to increase green mass. 
Transfer
Tree transplantation is carried out in April - May, depending on weather conditions. It should be warm and dry outside.
We prepare a hole with a depth of 50-60 cm and a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of an earthen clod on the roots. Next, we prepare a soil mixture identical to that used when planting a seedling. We lay a 15 cm layer of fine gravel or expanded clay at the bottom of the hole to get good drainage.
Next, we pour our mixture over the drainage, place the rhizomes in the center so that the root neck is at ground level (you can add a few centimeters that will go away when laying the mulch). We fill the hole, lightly tamping the soil. In the process of filling the hole, you need to pour water several times so that the soil is evenly moistened. We mulch the trunk circle with large wood shavings. We draw attention to the fact that if the new place is in direct sunlight, then you need to put up some kind of canopy until the tree takes root. Lack of cover will lead to burns.
Wintering
Young trees are afraid of frost, so they need to be properly covered. The lower part of the trunk is covered with spruce branches, and the branches, which become brittle in the cold, are tied into a bundle and tied to a support so that the wind does not break them. It is worth considering that in the case of using a non-woven shelter for shoots, an air gap should be left between the wood and the material.
Important! In early spring, the yew can suffer from sunburn, so you need to cover it with kraft paper or put up a canopy.
Diseases and pests
- Gnawing pests
In May, the needles begin to thin out, the buds and shoots are eaten away or beaten. A weakened tree suffers greatly, especially in dry weather. It can also be affected by other pests. It is best to fight the pest with which the planting is processed before the buds open. Insecticides are applicable only if the yew is far from fruit trees or We turn to which are most often caused by improper planting or lack of tree care. 
- Brown Shutte
- Fusarium
Did you know? Yew was exterminated because of its "eternal" wood, which has bactericidal properties. Wood is able to purify the air from pathogens, so it was massively used to build houses.
Use in landscape design
Tees is valuable tree not only because it is listed in the Red Book, but also because of "capriciousness". This tree it is impossible to grow in urban areas or near factories, so the presence of large stands of yew indicates that the air and land in the area are not polluted.
Yew berry in landscape design is used as a backdrop for rock gardens, creating dense hedges or green sculptures. Trees are used to create labyrinths or compositions.
Also, yew can be used for single landings on personal plot or as a dividing planting in the garden.
It is worth remembering that all parts of the plant are poisonous, so children or animals should not be allowed near the tree. Poisoning can be fatal.
This is basic information about what a yew berry tree is, what it is used for, what are the rules for care and planting. In conclusion, it is worth saying that by planting this plant, you do not let another beautiful species of tree disappear, which has been exterminated for centuries.
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