General Culture:
Best grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Tolerates a wide range of soils as long as drainage is good. Also tolerant of full shade and considerable pruning. Intolerant of temperature extremes. Prune or shear as desired in early spring before new growth appears.
Noteworthy Characteristics:
This hybrid yew cultivar is a dwarf, spreading, evergreen shrub which typically grows 3-4' tall but spreads to 5' or more. Yews are classified as conifers, but female plants (yews are dioecious) produce red, fleshy, single-seeded fruit instead of cones. Lustrous, dark green, two-ranked, flat-needled foliage. The popular Taxus x media hybrid cultivars are crosses between Japanese yews (T. cuspidata) and English yews (T. baccata). All parts of this plant are poisonous if ingested.
Problems:
Long-lived and generally considered a low-maintenance shrub with no serious insect or disease problems. Plants may wilt and die if grown in heavy, poorly drained soils. Foliage may brown in winter (winter burn) from exposure to dry winter winds. Twig dieback may occur in winter or at other times in the year as a result of damage caused by sudden and extreme winter temperature changes. This cultivar is noted for having better resistance to heat stress and to winter burn than most other yews.
Uses:
Frequently used as a specimen, small hedge or foundation plant. Shrub borders or perennial borders.
© Missouri Botanical
Garden, 2001-2010