Yew

Taxus x media 'Hicksii'

tree

Anglojap yew (Taxus x media) is a classic dark-green evergreen conifer for hedges and foundations, prized for tolerating hard shearing and even deep shade where most needled evergreens fail. The upright, columnar cultivar Hicksii is a standard tall hedge yew, while spreading forms like Densiformis stay low and wide. Slow and very long-lived, yews carry soft flat needles and, on female plants, single seeds cupped in a fleshy red aril. Their great caution is toxicity: nearly the entire plant is highly poisonous to people and animals, so they are best kept away from grazing livestock and pets.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• Hosta — A shade perennial that fills the ground beneath a yew hedge
• Astilbe — Adds plumes of color in the moist shade where yews grow
• Rhododendron — A broadleaf evergreen that combines with yew for layered evergreen screening

🛡️ Pest & disease prevention

Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide

• Black vine weevil →

  Adults notch leaf edges and larvae eat roots; treat infested plants and keep soil well drained

• Root rot →

  Fatal in wet soil; plant only in well-drained ground and never overwater

• Scale →

  Bumps on stems and needles suck sap; treat with horticultural oil

• Deer browse →

  Deer eat yew readily despite its toxicity; fence or repel in high-pressure areas

🌾 Harvest & storage

Yew is grown as an evergreen hedge, not for harvest, and is poisonous, so nothing is gathered from it. The main task is shearing to shape in late spring; yew is unusual among conifers in resprouting from old wood, so even an overgrown hedge can be cut back hard and renewed. Bag prunings and keep them away from animals.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

Yew is an ornamental evergreen and is highly poisonous - no part is edible. Its value is dense, shade-tolerant, shearable evergreen structure for hedges and foundations.

⚠️ Toxicity & safety

Yew is highly poisonous. The bark, leaves (needles), and seeds contain taxine alkaloids that act fast on the heart and can be fatal to people, cats, dogs, horses, and livestock, with very small amounts dangerous; symptoms include trembling, slow or irregular pulse, difficulty breathing, collapse, and sudden death. Only the soft red aril - the fleshy berry-like cup around the seed - is non-toxic, but the hard seed inside it is deadly, so treat the whole plant as poisonous and keep clippings away from animals.