Everything you need to know about Yew

This video is all about yew or Taxus baccata. From how to grow it, how to care for it and it’s history, yew has a place in every type of garden.

[@Edu_Kate]

You've swayed me. I wanted to grow an arborvitae and sheer it into a sort of chess piece to honor my late brother-in-law. A friend asked why not a yew. Hearing the significance to cemeteries this makes perfect sense. Your garden is glorious!

[@MurphysGarden]

So pleased to hear that, I think yew will be easier to keep in your desired chess piece shape. Hope it turns out well Thanks for watching Jenny

[@bohemiangardensandgourdfar8812]

The beautiful and unique sculptures cut from this plant in British gardens are truly magical... the plant itself a marvel. 😎✌️💚 USA

[@cathyhutchins1890]

You and your husband are dedicated gardeners. Love watching your videos. Your garden is amazing.

[@MurphysGarden]

Thank you so much Jenny

[@sandeehess472]

Thank you for sharing your beautiful garden with us, also a lot of knowledge! It helps to actually see things done as you are explaining, also what has and has not worked for you. Happy gardening!

[@MurphysGarden]

Thank you and happy gardening to you too

[@KasoniecumulasBui]

You brought him Tea but Was he Drinking tea or water Lol! Happy to have learned something new watching this Thank you!

[@oakleyjack7600]

I’m in my fourth year of growing a perimeter hedge of Hicksii yew. I bought them around 18” tall for about $15 each, and here in the 4th year they finally put out about a foot of growth. Patience is key but when they start responding it’s worth it and you can expect their yearly growth to multiply each year to maturity.

[@MurphysGarden]

Yes, we have found that with most trees or hedging, the saying ‘sleep (year 1, nothing happens)creep (year 2, a little bit of growth is seen) leap (by year 3 it’s away!)’ definitely applies. It can’t be rushed and perhaps it teaches us that patience has its rewards! Thanks for watching Jemny

[@jcking6785]

Stunning gardens! Great info on yews.

[@maryjones2437]

Thank you...I ❤ your video!!! I live in Baltimore Md and we have beautiful yew!!!

[@MurphysGarden]

@@maryjones2437 Thank you

[@liveacousticsound]

Hello Jenny! I live in San Diego, California. As you know, the weather here is very arid, but coastal. Many years ago, my mother knew a man whose father propagated Irish Yews up in Oregon state. One year, he loaded up his truck with a bunch of yews and brought them back to San Diego. My mother kept most of them in pots for many years, so they didn’t really grow very tall, and she did plant two in her yard. She had given me a couple at first, then a couple more, which I love, and I planted them in my yard. I even transplanted two from her garden to mine. I was unsure how well they would do here in southern California, but they seem to be thriving quite well. I have a total of nine plants in my yard, and they are very precious to me. The biggest yew is now about 4 meters tall, wow! The ones with drip irrigation are doing the best. Thank-you for sharing your garden and yews, I sometimes wish I lived where things are greener, but I do love sunny, warmer weather. By the way: I have never seen any other Irish Yews here in San Diego. Most people have no idea what they are! Cheers!

[@MurphysGarden]

Wow, what a fantastic story and amazing they are doing well there. Perhaps you should start a new business propagating and selling Irish Yews to the Californians!! 🤣Thank you for sharing and amazing to think how far that little sapling’s babies in County Fermangh have travelled!!!

[@manxman5825]

Very interesting to see other people's experiences with yew hedges. It's one of my favourite plants. Personally I would leave the soft growth trimmings on the ground around the hedge (after pruning each year)to act as a mulch. Saves money and time 🙂

[@MurphysGarden]

I’ve heard of the ‘chop and drop’ technique and I think that would work well in the less formal parts of the garden but it would look unsightly in the formal parts and I’m not sure how quickly yew would rot down. Guess if it’s a deciduous hedge such as beech it breaks down quickly but we’ve done it with laurel and it doesn’t really break down much at all. Also if you cut only a little off it would work well but if cutting a foot or more off it would be too slow. Thanks for your comments, it’s an interesting topic

[@manxman5825]

@@MurphysGarden Yes I only do it with trimmings of this year's growth. I find it works well.

[@jomassey4207]

The yew has such a neat yet wispy appearance as a hedging shrub. Love the dark colour too. Although too many would make for a grisly and depressing garden. The other buxus and cone shaped topiary lift the garden due to its golden or blueish hue. Didn't know the history of where the mother tree came from....interesting that the horticulturists have made such different growth styles from one mother plant. You'd never think that someone could make an upright yew from such a wide and twisted trunked, tree. Very fascinating talk. And your new secateurs, I'm still not 100% on how they work. You press once and they will keep cutting until the whole branch is cut. You just wait, no more pressing or forcing. Correct? Ive seen ones that are electronic but very dangerous for children to have in their disposal. I think I'd go for your special cutters anytime. I wonder if they export to the Pacific. Our summer last yr was terrible, no sun...rain and a cyclone as well, in Napier NZ. I'm praying for no further rain and consecutive sunny days. Seems we can't rely on our weather patterns anymore. Bye for now, Joanna😊

[@MurphysGarden]

Hi Joanna The secateurs are ratchet garden pruners with a mechanism that performs the cutting action in stages. This is what the website says- ‘Ratchet style hand secateurs offer more leverage for smaller or weaker hands. If you will be doing a great deal of pruning, ratchet pruners might save your hand and wrist some strain and fatigue. This is a real ally which will transform your work and passion. Perfect curved blade for maximum cutting efficiency up to 20 mm diameter. Non-stick coated Teflon blade’. I will contact the company to see if they export Thanks for your lovely comments Jenny

[@jomassey4207]

Thanks Jenny. I do alot of trimming and using this ratchet style secateur would really reduce any R.S.I Jo

[@MurphysGarden]

Yes, it definitely would help. I contacted the company last night to see if they ship to US and perhaps if they have a discount code, it’s worth asking! However, I think other companies do a ratchet system too if you can’t wait!

[@pamelacorsi]

I learned so much about yews! Thank you!

[@MurphysGarden]

Thank you for watching Jenny

[@sharronbiccum9720]

You are an absolute darling. Loved your vid. I live in Canada. Have never had a yew. Didn’t know anything about them. You have given megreat ideas. Will be buying one yew today. I live in the Kootenays in British Columbia Not sure where to plant this yew Thanks again for all the info❤️

[@MauriceSmith-y4z]

wonderful and informative

[@risalangdon9883]

Very helpful & informative! Also, the volume seemed much better on this video. 😉

[@MurphysGarden]

Oh great, got my son to sort it out for me, thank you for the feedback. I’m always terrified that it blasts out too much!

[@ginamansfield4376]

Your Yews are Lovely! I appreciate the education of how to maintain Yews, how to trim out branches that are gnarly, as well as the equipment used to do so. I’ve often wondered how the well manicured Yews are trimmed so perfectly & what is used to accomplish such perfection. I have very old Yews. I’m wondering if removing dead sections out of a Yew that is 60 years old would rejuvenate that particular area. May give it a go after seeing your video. Also, that is an Interesting tidbit about the Irish Yew. And, I loved seeing the growth on your Sweet Olive/Tea Olive in your Bottomless Lead-look Pots! Well done pot! And, the Erigeron ‘Profusion’ is so pretty! I couldn’t find ‘Profusion’ seeds in the States but managed to order seeds called ‘Santa Barbara Daisies (Erigeron kavrvinskianus).’I’m hoping they look the same as ‘Profusion.’ They are finally blooming and appear to be the same if not close to it. Thanks for sharing Murphy & Mr. Toad with us too! Blessings!

[@MurphysGarden]

Hi Gina Yes, just cut out the old dead bits and I’m sure they will come back. My mum and dad have an old yew tree which was dead all on one side where a conifer had grown up against it. They removed the conifer and cut out the dead part and it is slowly recovering. The Erigeron you’ve got is the same, mine is called Erigeron karvinskianus 'Profusion', It’s done brilliantly and I’m sure yours will too, let’s hope it survives the winter. The sweet olive is doing great too and I’m so pleased with how the pots turned out. Thanks for watching Jenny

[@ginamansfield4376]

Hi Jenny - Thanks for telling me about your Mum & Dad’s Yew. Glad to hear their old Yew survived & is regrowing where trimmed. I’m hoping to trim mine this weekend with the same results. Also, so glad to hear my Daisies are the same as yours! YAY! Mine are really beginning to burst forth in Profusion! Thanks again! Gina 😊

[@smalltimeproas]

@Murphy's Garden You have an amazingly beautifully balanced garden. The flow. The use of space and punctuations. I wish I could visit it one day. Its truly breathtaking. By the way what is the small 1ft hedging on the boundaries of the planted spaces?

[@MurphysGarden]

@@smalltimeproas Thank you so much, I’m so glad you like it. The small hedges are box.

[@heyyou274]

I am reading The Hound of the Baskervilles. Not being a native speaker, I was wondering how to pronounce the "yew" in the Yew Alley which is so often mentioned in the book and where Sir Charles Baskervilles meets his grim fate. Your video has also been educational in this regard 😀

[@MurphysGarden]

@@heyyou274 Great classic - Yew trees are the perfect choice to evoke the dark mystery! Thanks for watching Jenny

[@a760541]

We have approx a total of 120 mtrs in yew hedge (All baccata) planted 20 yrs ago and now various heights from 1 mtr to 4 mtrs in height. Cutting on the non cosmetic side we do evey other year by hand with secateurs. The cosmetic sides with hedge clippers in late May - Mid June. When we do when we need to reduce height we do it in stages. Cut the middle down by about a foot each season. This way you keep the green on the outsides and top edge of the hedge. The inside will start to grow from this new lower height. The next season lower the outsides. That way you don't have a eyesore. The secret is don't if you can let them get out of control..... With our waste cutting in general we finely chop them with a garden tractor and them mix them into the compost bins.

[@MurphysGarden]

Thank you for that great advice Jenny

[@a760541]

It's the product of past eyesores

[@goaltotroll4241]

Love yew too

[@ajmalrandhawa2968]

I really love your garden and your videos. I would like to plant about 6 Irish yew fastigiata. either Aurea or Robusta. Please would you let me know which ones you have, where you purchased and what size and when you planted. Thanks

[@MurphysGarden]

I’ve just found the plant label and they just say ‘Taxus baccata ’Fastigiata’, I bought them in 2018 from the Dingle/Derwen Nursery in Welshpool and they were 140-150cm tall. They have just recently got really tall, I forgot they were so little! Hope that helps and thanks for watching Jenny

[@Encephalitisify]

Each year you cut it, you take shears and snip off the vertical growth as you were describing. That prevents those long vertical woody branches from forming.

[@MurphysGarden]

Thank you. It’s really worked and ours is looking so much better this year with much more forward facing growth and no ugly verticals

[@a760541]

PS If you're thinking of planning any real hedge lengths of yew. Buy from out of the field. DON'T go via a garden centre, it will cost you a fortune. Source s grower and ask them for a price for 100 plus. We did this with 250 40cm trees, just organised a day and they were waiting to trailer away in root balls - good to go. Don't forget to pre dig the planting trenches beforehand. That way they are out of the field and into their new home within a day.

[@MurphysGarden]

Yes, absolutely agree, so much cheaper that way

[@CarolynMcComb]

Greetings from Toronto, Ontario, Canada! I have been looking for a dark green, evergreen plant to use as a hedge to replace my diseased Boxwood hedge. This Yew is the perfect replacement and will look fabulous in our white, snow covered winters. I appreciate your detailed and informative video! Thank you! Would you please tell me the name of the lower, light green hedge plant in front of the tall Yew? The contrast is stunning! Again, thank you.

[@MurphysGarden]

Yes, yew is a great plant and is easier to keep under control than some other plants and looks lovely topped with snow! The smaller hedge is boxwood, mine has had blight but has now recovered completely following treatments of Top Buxus. If you don’t know about this, it may be worth looking into before you make your decision. See video below: Is it the end for your Boxwoods? -it doesn’t have to be! kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zmaml32QarKHl5Y

[@serenapeksa]

Toronto, Ontario, Canada here too…exactly how I landed here! Diseased boxwoods, can’t wait to replace them with yews!

[@CarolynMcComb]

@@MurphysGarden Thank you so very much for your reply. I will certainly look into what you have sent and see whether my numerous boxwoods need to be replaced. I so much appreciate your feed back!

[@g-man7938]

I have some yews that seem to be dying back, would like to have heard what the recommendations are on feeding the plants i.e. fertilizers and such.

[@MurphysGarden]

Yew is quite a tough plant and can cope with drought quite well once established. One of the most common reason for yew to fail is water logging of the soil. Although it needs water, especially when newly planted, it hates sitting in soggy soil. Add grit to soil if you are on heavy soil such as clay. If the soil is ok, then cut out the dead branches and feed with a liquid seaweed fertiliser and hopefully it will rebound. Good luck 🤞 and hope that helps

[@liammullan2197]

Love this video, thank you. One thing I don't get about yew is that regular yew hedges seem quite kind of "coarse". I saw a hedge in a front garden in wimbledon that was about 6 feet tall and very shallow front to back - say 1 foot max - and very closely clipped like topiary. I can't imagine using regular yew for this, somehow? I have seen there are other types of yew - e.g. japanses yew and english/japanese yew hybrids - that are reckoned to be denser. Perhaps those are better for hedges with small footprints for urban settings?

[@radharcanna]

A lovely video. While I like yew, my preference is for beech because it’s lighter in colour and it seems to grow more quickly. Do you think beech would work as a hedge for dividing garden rooms?

[@MurphysGarden]

@@radharcanna Absolutely, I love beech too and we have used it lots. Too much yew looks dark and oppressive and so it’s best used by contrasting it and we have contrasted it with beech which is a much brighter, fresher green and the autumn colour is fabulous too. What’s also overlooked is the colour it provides now, in the depths of winter, the orange, dead leaves hang on and provide much needed colour. Now is a good time to plant bare root beech hedge and it’s a much cheaper way of doing it, here is a link to a video I did if you are interested. Good luck kzbin.info/www/bejne/pXnde5R7YrllZpYsi=rfU_k0_s5ZigckCv

[@radharcanna]

@ Thank you very much for that Jenny.

[@moniquemckenna6795]

I have a large Yew hedge planted about 10 years ago. It has lots of new growth but I am finding lots of bronzing. I keep the interior clean for air flow but I keep getting this bronzing. Any ideas as to why this is happening?

[@MurphysGarden]

Bronzing of the leaves is usually a sign of stress. Think about the weather in your area, yew hates saturated soil and that is the most common cause of it’s demise. Could it be that the soil is waterlogged? If this is the case, you could try improving the soil by adding a bit of grit. If not that, then it could be fluctuations in weather, cold winds, hot summers etc. You say you have new healthy growth so whatever it is, it sounds like it’s not too much of a problem so I would just clip out any discolouration and wait and see.

[@moniquemckenna6795]

@@MurphysGarden Thank you for this, I had read it could be stress, I live in Canada zone 4a to 5a We have weather fluctuations of +35C to -35C, albeit each of these may be for a 2 week span. The hotter temp are becoming more frequent so this may contribute to stressing the plant. Thank you for letting me know they do not like too much water.

[@annas866]

Thank you very much for the video! 12:20 Could you tell me please the name for the tool (grey) which you use for grabbing branches?🙂

[@MurphysGarden]

Yes , of course. It is called Spear and Jackson scissor action leaf grabber, they are brilliant and definitely saves a lot of back ache! Thanks for watching Jenny

[@thefullerlife5838]

Can you keep it small? Like 2x2 ft hedge?

[@MurphysGarden]

I’ve seen yew used as a box replacement and this one, Taxus baccata ‘Repandens’ is less vigorous and would stay at your desirable size. It is tolerant of both sun and shade but because it is less vigorous it takes a few years to fully ‘fill out’ but will only require one clip a year to maintain a tight appearance, this cultivar Taxus baccata ‘Repandensis’ tends to grow more prostrate, and takes to close clipping on a small scale beautifully well. They have used it at RHS Wisley in their box alternative trials and found it to be very good. Not sure how hard/easy it is to get hold of. From experience, the standard Taxus baccata would be hard to hold back I think, hope that helps. Jenny

[@thefullerlife5838]

@MurphysGarden very helpful! Thanks so much for your reply!

[@ikaratepe28]

Great video🎉 how can I distinguish between two different yew types that you started to explain at 6:31. Are their names the same? How should I search online? thanks a lot

[@MurphysGarden]

The two different types can be distinguished by their names, so if you want hedging, a large shape or a ball then get ‘Taxus baccata’ or English yew but if you want a narrower, more upright column then get ‘Taxus baccata fastigata’ or Irish yew. Hope that’s clear and helps Thanks for watching Jenny

[@ikaratepe28]

@@MurphysGarden Got it! Thanks for the helpful tips🏡

[@matthewjandecka9362]

My Lords creation. On a warm summer evening after a thunderstorm... On an evening rich with ozone and mist... A Yew can produce a sweet fragrance one of which is unlike any other and that which you will never forget.

[@X737_]

Sorry to split hairs but yew berries aren’t toxic, their seeds are a bit in particular to horses and ponies but the berry fruits themselves with the seed removed are safe to eat.

[@MurphysGarden]

Yes, my husband has demonstrated this fact and it makes me a bit nervous!

[@X737_]

@@MurphysGarden that’s understandable. It’s weird that it hurts horses much more than us due to different digestive systems (if seeds aren’t removed). Kinda like laurel, we’d get the runs but much worse for horses and ponies. Get one, take the seed out clean the inside with running water to add extra confidence and eat half of one. I bet you think it’s the best native foraging fruit you can find 👍

[@thetreehunter]

Powis Castle is yew-tiful!

[@MurphysGarden]

Completely agree with yew 🤣

[@Ohhellno376]

My daughter died from yew. There are many other substitutions that can be used for landscaping.

[@MurphysGarden]

Oh I’m so sorry to hear that

[@KurtAMaier]

Yew hardiness in North America is zones 3-8 not 7-10.

[@Edu_Kate]

Phew! I worried it wouldn't work in my zone 4b Minnesota garden.

[@MurphysGarden]

Apologies, different websites seem to say different things. Here in the UK we don’t use that system, so I’m sure you know better than me!

[@sandeehess472]

Irish yew is hardy to 6 at most, common yew in us is hicksii yew which is quite a bit hardier, Irish yew is also going to be a more expensive purchase if you find it. It is a beauty though.

[@MurphysGarden]

Thank you, I didn’t know that Irish yew isn’t as hardy, I keep learning!

[@rjsellers254]

I call them house eating evergreens..they will grow much to large and eventually cover your home completely obscuring your windows all the way up to the second floor

[@MurphysGarden]

Don’t worry, we will keep them at the height we want!

[@zarkadiusz123]

😍

[@josephbohme7917]

WHEN SO MUCH PRESSURE OF WORLD DRAMA AND UNREST EVEN WAR. Hard to imagine the mental luxury for am owner to devote the space and effort. Sure if rich, but a common person, what an endeavor. Who gets to sit in it - do you have a tea or coffe party weekly? Will they let you rent your tard for weeings. Many cities even counties deny the use. America has many rules

[@EdmundLancaster-i6s]

Kihn Wall

[@GujgdyfuhoighdhfgTydyjfchhvokv]

6272 Prince Glens

[@FosterChastin-q4p]

King Prairie

[@DavidWoods-m5e]

095 Austyn Ford

[@MurphysGarden]

@@DavidWoods-m5e I’m so confused, what does this mean? Lots of people are posting random names and numbers, can you explain to me what it refes to?

[@NancyTaylor-n6p]

Crona Crescent

[@RuthSmith-c2r]

Oliver Streets

[@Thebeekeeper568]

Native Americans use to use these yew trees for medicine purposes and it was introduced to European which they took credit and now they're using the ingredients of the bark for modern medicine.

[@plantsandfish7197]

⁠@jackcavendish8900 there are different yew species. Some are native to North America while others are found in Europe. The modern cancer-fighting medication taxol was found only in the yew native to north america hence the comment.

[@supramby]

False yew trees are abundant in Europe and the Europeans knew about them hundreds of years before coming to the new world. But thanks for your woke joke

[@BigDemocracyEnergy]

The problem is so do the deer.

[@MurphysGarden]

Oh deer! 🤣 it’s not poisonous to them then!

[@BigDemocracyEnergy]

@@MurphysGarden not that I know of but I wish it was because they eat huge holes in my bushes and I can’t get them to stop and I have destroyed my role of hedging.

[@MurphysGarden]

That is a big problem, it’s very demoralising. Could you fence your garden to stop them getting in or is that not practical?

[@Loomr]

No one likes yews these days

[@dispmonk]

Geez, I watch 3/4 of the video and you come up and ask if anyone knows if you’re actually doing it right…. I was watching because I thought you knew what you were doing. 🤦‍♂️

[@MurphysGarden]

Fair point! Rest assured it is the correct thing to do, the hedge has responded very well and we are getting lots of good forward facing growth. I spoke to a head gardener of a large National Trust Property nearby with very mature hedges and was advised that this is the best course of action in young hedges. Apologies for expressing doubt (a British trait!) but I do like hearing other people’s experiences too. Thanks for watching 3/4 of the video!!! Jenny

[@CorinaGilligan]

😂

[@cogybear]

Had to watch for ten mins to realise I wouldn’t learn how to grow a yew from seed. Title misleading! 😢

[@Trident750UK]

The flesh of the red berries can be eaten….

[@MurphysGarden]

Yes, so my husband has demonstrated to me but it’s a bit terrifying and risky, thought to avoid any misinterpretations better to just say the berry is poisonous!