Plant Image Data Base                                         

       Taxus x media

                                                           Taxus, or Yew 

• Form
  • culturally a medium-sized evergreen shrub
  • maturing at roughly 5' tall by 10' wide (if left unpruned, as a general dimension for most modern compact cultivars that spread), but highly variable among the cultivars, and often sheared to fit the dimensions needed for a particular site or hedge
  • upright spreading growth habit (although some are globed or upright columnar)
  • slow growth rate (although a medium growth rate can be achieved with annual pruning that increases the root to shoot ratio)
• Culture
  • full sun to full shade
  • performs best in full sun in moist to dry, but very well-drained soils of average fertility; highly adaptable to poor soils, compacted soils, very dry soils, heat, drought, shearing, pruning, and root pruning, but does not tolerate poorly drained soils that give it "wet feet", leading to root rot and the resultant decline or death
• Foliage
  • foliage on the exterior portions of the shrub may Winter-burn (turn a shade of brown-chartreuse) in exposed sites of its northern range, but will recover its green color in early Spring
  • some cultivars are noted for their foliage that is bright green, fine-textured, Winterburn-resistant, or golden

• Assets
  • attractive foliage (dark evergreen, dull shiny, with flattened needles)
  • extreme tolerance to drought, poor soils, and repeated shearing/light pruning
  • usually has recovery from severe pruning (to bare stems)
  • many cultivars are available (although only about ten are truly needed, since most are sheared into one of three basic shapes anyway)
• Purpose
  • Taxus is the best evergreen hedge or shearable evergreen shrub for climates in zones 5 through 7, being tolerant of both poor soils and dry conditions.
• Summary
  • Taxus x media is known as a tough, drought-tolerant evergreen shrub with flat-needled shiny foliage, often spreading and used as a formal or informal hedge, especially at entranceways and foundations and very common in landscapes of the Midwestern United States.

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