They attract the attention of summer residents, gardeners and designers due to the fact that they remain decorative throughout the year and are quite unpretentious in care. One of these plants is (lat. Taxus) - an evergreen and shrub.

The tree, which has beautiful dark green foliage, a reddish stem, a spreading crown and bright red berries, will decorate any garden, cottage or country park. Its needles grow very densely - this allows, when trimmed, to form crowns of various shapes, which is especially appreciated landscape designers. In this article we have collected the most complete information about the advantages, features of caring for it, measures to combat diseases, as well as a description of its decorative types.

Did you know? Yew is a long-liver. On average, he lives up to one and a half thousand years. However, there are specimens that are three to four thousand years old.

Yew: description of the plant

Yew in wildlife distributed in areas with warm climates in the Northern Hemisphere. Belongs to the family of the same name, numbering eight species, which differ in the height of shrubs and trees, trunk thickness, wood quality and foliage characteristics.

Four types are used in decorative culture: berry (common, European), short-leaved (Pacific), pointed (Far Eastern), Canadian and their hybrids.

The first type is considered the most popular and valuable - berry (Taxus baccata). It is common in Europe, North Africa and Western Asia. To get an idea of ​​what this type of yew looks like, here are a few numbers. Grows up to 20 m in height and 12 m in width. The trunk diameter is up to 2 m. It has a short thick trunk and a spreading crown. The length of the needles is 2-3.5 cm. Yew berry has very hard and rot-resistant wood. Thanks to such qualities, it was popularly called “slightly wood”.

Did you know?In the Middle Ages, large bows of English archers were made from yew berry. In Ancient Egypt, sarcophagi were made from it. Today, yew furniture is popular, due to which the range of this tree has recently been greatly reduced. Yew wood has bactericidal and antiseptic properties.

(Taxus brevifolia) native to America, cultivated in Western Europe. Reaches a height of 6-12 m. It has heavy, strong wood of red-pink color.
Pointed yew trunk(Taxus cuspidata) grows 15 m, some specimens exceed 20 m. Many of its forms are included in decorative culture. The miniature varieties “Nana” and “Minima”, which can be from 30 cm to 1 meter in height, are especially valued.
Also, due to its miniature size, it is actively cultivated Canadian yew(Taxus canadensis). Shrubs of this species are rarely taller than one meter in height.
– plants are frost-resistant, depending on the type they can withstand temperatures from -30 to 40 Cº. Another feature of these plants is that they do not have resin, and therefore no pine smell.

Trees and shrubs of this family are resistant to short-term droughts due to their long and powerful root system. They have a slow growth rate - by the age of 10 they grow by only a meter. They can grow 25 cm in height and 20 cm in width per year. They begin to bear fruit at the age of 20-30.

Important! Yew shoots, bark, berries and seeds are poisonous to humans and some domestic animals.

Growing yew: where is the best place to plant the plant

The main advantage of yew is its ease of care and planting. However, you need to remember that the negative factors for the tree are:

• water stagnation;
• strong winds;
• gas contamination (for some species);
• prolonged droughts;
• dry air.

Climatic conditions for growing

Since in wild conditions Yew grows in warm climates, so when planting in open ground at the dacha, it is better to choose a well-lit place for it. However, if there is no such area or you have planned a shaded area for the shrub, the yew will grow there too, although it will slightly lose its decorativeness and growth. At the same time, growing in the shade of other trees, yew tolerates frost better.

It is also desirable that the planting site be protected from drafts. It is important to know that not all types of this tree are suitable for landscaping city parks and squares, since they do not tolerate polluted air.

Soil selection

When planting, fertilize the soil with the complex. The next feeding of the seedling is carried out in the spring.

Yew propagation

Yew can reproduce both by seeds and vegetatively - by cuttings. The first method is more expensive and labor-intensive.

Seed method

Yew seeds retain their germination properties for four years; if grown in spring, they will require. They will need to be stored at a temperature of +3-5°C in the refrigerator for six to seven months. This will ensure their better germination.

After stratification, in March, the seeds are sown in a container or cups with a light substrate, which must first be sterilized (can be in the oven or doused with boiling water). Planting depth is 0.5 cm. Further, only regular watering is required. The germination period is about two months.

Also, seeds are planted immediately after collection - in October-November.
You can try sowing seeds and immediately open ground. To do this, before planting, they are briefly soaked or kept for several days or weeks in damp sand at zero temperature. In autumn, sprouted seedlings will reach a height of 10 cm, in a year - 15-25 cm.

The seed method is mainly used for breeding yew in nurseries.

Plant cuttings

More in a simple way, how to propagate yew, there will be a separation of cuttings. This is how gardeners most often propagate trees. In species that have vertical growth of branches, crowns in the shape of cones and pyramids, cuttings are taken from the apical shoots.

In bushy varieties, they are also used for propagation. side shoots. If cuttings are taken from old trees, they must be processed.

Best time for yew cuttings - autumn (October). Although this can also be done in the spring, in April-May.

The length of the cuttings to be cut is 15-20 cm. They should have several lateral shoots. It is also necessary to leave a piece of mother tree wood. The lower part is cleared of needles. For rooting, cuttings are planted in containers with a mixture of sand and peat (1:2).

Roots should appear within three months. Then they are transplanted into pots and kept in a warm place, for example in a room or greenhouse.

Rooting occurs within three months. If the cuttings took place in the fall, then the rooted cuttings can be planted in open ground in May. When cuttings in spring, this is done in September.

When planted directly in open ground, the propagation period of yew by cuttings is six to seven years. If you plant them under film, the process will speed up by two years. Before winter, soil under the planted cuttings with peat or pine needles.

Another method of propagating yew, which is used very rarely, is. It is mainly used for breeding pyramidal forms of yew berries.

How to care for yew in the country

As you may have noticed, growing yew is simple: the technology for planting it will not cause any particular difficulties, and caring for the plant will not cause much trouble. It will mainly consist of removing, regular watering, loosening the tree trunk circle and pruning branches.

For the first two to three years, young plants should be covered for the winter. As everyone suffers from spring burns, early spring Yew should be covered from the sun with spruce branches or craft paper.

Watering the plant

Only young plants up to three years old require regular watering. They are watered at the root once a month. At least a bucket of water is used for one bush. In the future, thanks to its powerful root system, the yew will seek moisture for itself. It is necessary to help him with this only during particularly dry periods. At the same time, it is advisable to spray (sprinkle) the crown.

Soil care

Under the yew it is necessary to periodically loosen it to a depth of 10-15 cm. It is especially important to do this in the first two to three years after planting, after watering and crust formation. This will allow the roots to better receive oxygen.

The soil also needs to be mulched. IN trunk circle cover with sawdust, pine needles, and peat in a layer of 8-10 cm.

An important condition for care is weeding in close proximity to the tree.

Feeding yew

The first fertilizing is carried out immediately upon planting at the rate of 1 g and 15 mg of copper sulfate per 1 liter of substrate. In the future, yew berry, like other species in principle, will need feeding a year after planting in open ground.

Annual ones are introduced during the growing season. At intervals of two weeks, yew is fertilized with Florovit or other preparations.

Plant pruning

The tree tolerates both formative pruning and strong sanitary pruning, which is necessary for dry and damaged branches. The ability of the yew to produce new shoots remains throughout its long life. After severe pruning, the plant recovers easily and quite quickly.

Every year, yew branches, like those of other conifers, are cut off by a third of their length. This can be done in almost any period - spring, summer, autumn. Apply

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 began to be often used in hedges, to create borders and simply planted in gardens. The thick, hard crown of the yew, however, can be trimmed well. the site will tell you which varieties of yew are most suitable for growing in the country.

The evergreen yew belongs to the genus Taxus. These coniferous plants are distinguished by their longevity and can be found in the most different places of our planet. Yew is a dioecious species, that is, there can be male and female plants, this feature quite rare for representatives of coniferous species. On male plants in due time, balls with golden-colored pollen are formed; in female plants, seeds with a red periospermium develop. It’s interesting that yew, although conifer, but he doesn’t have cones, instead of them he has berries and fruits, but for humans they, like his seeds, are completely inedible and even poisonous.

It tolerates poor conditions better than most, will grow on chalky soils, and does not 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, yew will begin to wither in 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 summer cottage 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 berry yew is very popular among summer residents, varieties of which are upright, and there are also varieties that grow in the form of a bush with a beautiful dense crown.

The properties of the Fastigiata variety, which also belongs to the yew berry species, make it very convenient for forming living fences. It has a straight trunk, short branches are often located, and grows up to 1-2 m.

Fastigiata Aurea is a variety with yellow needles, while Fastigiata Aureomarginta has a tench yellow border on the leaves. Among the low-growing yews, one can distinguish the variety Semperaurea with a yellow color.

Among the yews there are also varieties that creep along the ground, such as Repandens, which is characterized by very slow growth. Over the course of a decade, it will grow by only 50 centimeters, but despite its thick trunk, it always retains correct form umbrella It spreads, with horizontally growing branches extending from the trunk and clinging to the ground. The needles are 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 terraces; it grows well in a container, good for group plantings and as an element of a rock garden.

A beautiful rounded bush is formed by the Hicksti variety, a medium yew species. The trunk is straight, up to 2 m in height, while the branches are located quite sparsely, the color of its needles is dark green.

The Nana yew variety is also a creeping, slow-growing variety. The crown of this low tree is wide-spreading, the ends of the needles are colored 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. The variety of yew shapes allows it to be used for different purposes. Tall tree-like and columnar varieties can be planted separately, their spectacular appearance 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 a magnificent green wall can be created. Many types of shrubs look very advantageous next to the yew ornamental breeds. 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 that are well permeable to water. For planting, it is better to use seedlings in containers. When purchasing seedlings, pay attention to ensure that the needles look healthy. To plant, you will need to dig a hole with a depth equal to the size of the earthen ball around the roots and 2 times wider. After removing the plant from the container, you need to lightly loosen the lump of earth around the roots with your fingers and straighten the crumpled roots. Then you should lower the seedling into the hole and cover it with fertilized soil. After compacting the soil, you need to water it. In northern latitudes, it is recommended to choose places that are windless and not in the sun for yew; you can also make a fence using burlap.

Yew should be pruned so that the cuts of the lower branches are covered by the branches growing higher. Every spring, old brown shoots must be removed. In summer, the crown of yew trees that form a hedge can be shaped into a ball or cone.

The yew genus includes 8 varieties of monoecious or dioecious evergreen shrubs and trees. In the wild, yew can be found extremely rarely.

One and a half kilometers from the Caucasian resort of Khosta there is a sieve-boxwood grove. In the upper part of the Alazani River there is one of the largest yew berry groves, its area exceeds 800 hectares, and middle age plants are 350 - 500 years old, some specimens are over 1500 years old.

It is worth remembering that all parts of this plant are poisonous, only the shoots are safe.

Yew tolerates drought very well, it has a highly developed root system and is able to draw water from the deepest aquifers.

During the planting process, it is advisable to use Kemira Universal. in spring next year You can apply mineral fertilizer.

You need to water the plant once a month, 10-12 liters will be enough. Sprinkling is done once every two weeks. Loosening must be done only in the first 2-3 years to a depth of 10-15 centimeters.

Young plantings must be covered for the winter with a small (5-7 cm) layer of peat. In addition, when exposed to cold, they become very fragile and break from accumulated snow, so they are carefully tied into one bundle.

You can protect from burns with craft paper or spruce branches. Mulching can be done with wood chips, and the layer should be at least 8 cm.

Mature plants tolerate well low temperatures and do not require additional care. Yew is resistant to heavy pruning and crown shaping. Dry shoots can be removed by 1/3 of the length of the sprout.

Planting yew

Soil for planting yew: sand, turf land, peat in proportion (3:2:2).

Planting yew berries can be done in both slightly acidic and alkaline soils. For pointed yew, loamy, podzolized soil is suitable; it is advisable to avoid waterlogged and acidic soil.

It is preferable to plant Canadian yew on slightly acidic soils, and medium yew on slightly alkaline or neutral soils.

Can be used as drainage broken brick covered with a layer of sand 20 cm thick. Yew is very sensitive to high humidity soil and the presence of toxic substances in it, so it is unsuitable for growing within the city.

The distance between plants should be within 0.6-2.5 m. Planting is done to a depth of 60-70 cm, while the root collar should be above the ground.

Yew propagation

Reproduction of yew is possible both by cuttings and by germination of seeds. This plant bears fruit for two years in a row, the third year there is no fruiting.

Seed ripening occurs in autumn, at which time the color of the seed plant becomes transparent and slightly glassy.

Yew trees reproduce well by cuttings, and not only fresh shoots are accepted, but also those from two years ago. Empirically, a peculiarity was noticed that cuttings taken from branches produce vertical, compact bushes.

And those cuttings that were taken from horizontal branches produce low, sloping plants. True, this difference remains noticeable only during the first 100-200 years of the plant’s life. Subsequently, it acquires its natural form.

Yews also reproduce well by grafting and layering.

Using yew in the garden

Use of yew in landscape design very diverse and depends, first of all, on the type of plant. It is great for forming hedges and looks good both in groups and alone.

Can be used to create alpine slides, container gardening, or group plantings on the ground lawn.

Yew (lat. Taxus), or yew- a genus of the Yew family, which includes 8 species of coniferous, slow-growing shrubs and trees. One of the species grows in Europe and northern Africa, three - in Asia, including Far East, and four are in North America. Today, plants of this genus, due to their unpretentiousness and high decorative value, are widely used in landscape design and landscaping, but in nature, yew is becoming less and less common.

Planting and caring for yew (in brief)

• Landing: during the time period from late August to October.
• Lighting: bright sunlight.
• Soil: well-drained, fertile, but can also grow on poor soils. Soils that are too acidic or too wet 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. Mature yew trees need regular watering only during periods of prolonged drought. In the evenings in the heat, it is advisable to sprinkle the crown.
• Feeding: once a year with a solution of complex mineral fertilizer.
• Trimming: since yew grows slowly, its crown will need to be formed already in mature age, but it is undesirable to cut shoots by more than a third of their length. Pruning is carried out in early April, before the buds open on the trees.
• Reproduction: seeds and cuttings.
• Pests: yew false scale insects, gall midges, pine cutworms and spruce needle-eating budworms.
• Diseases: brown schutte, fomoz, necrosis and fusarium.
• Properties: All plant organs 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-vertexed. Yew branches are located on the trunk in a whorled pattern. Dark green, soft and flat needles are arranged spirally on the shoots, and in two rows on the side branches. The length of the needles is from 2 to 3.5 cm. On female trees, red berries are formed that do not fall off until winter. Shrub yew rarely grows above 10 meters, while the height of tree yew can reach 20-30 meters or more, and the diameter of its trunk is 4 m. Yew wood has bactericidal properties due to the large amount of phytoncides it contains: if the floors in the house or the furniture is made of yew, then the home is reliably protected from infections. It was the hunt for high-quality, hard yew wood, which is popularly called “non-wood,” that was the reason that today yew is listed in the Red Book.

Yew trees live up to 3000 years, and their amazing ability to quickly recover after pruning allows you to create from the crowns of plants various shapes, which explains the high popularity of yew in garden 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 yew organs are poisonous.

Planting yew

When to plant yew

Yew is planted in the garden from late August to October. If you live in a region with a warm climate, then plant yew in October, where it is convenient for you, but if summer is short in your area, it is better to grow yew in a sunny place and plant in late summer or early autumn. Seedlings with a closed root system can be planted throughout the growing season, but no later than October in warm regions and early-mid September in areas with early and cold winters.

In the photo: Tis

The yew plant should be protected from drafts at least in the first years of its life. Yew prefers fertile, light and well-drained soil, for example, a mixture of two parts peat, two parts sand and three parts turf or leaf soil. However, it can also grow on poor soils. The plant does not tolerate soil that is too acidic or too wet.

How to plant yew

The pit for a yew seedling should be at least 70 cm deep and 20 cm wide than the root ball. hedge It is more convenient to plant yew trees in a trench 50-70 cm deep. The distance between two yew trees should be from 1.5 to 2 m, and seedlings in a hedge are placed at intervals of at least half a meter.

Before planting yew, a layer of drainage material about 20 cm thick should be laid at the bottom of the hole. Use as drainage river sand, broken brick, pebbles or crushed stone. Then the pre-watered seedling is carefully removed from the container, lowered into the pit and the free space is filled with soil of the composition we described, mixed with a complex mineral fertilizer. This can be Kemira-universal, 100 g of which is added to each m² of soil, or Nitroammofoska, which needs 1 g per liter of substrate, or copper sulfate at the rate of 15 g for the same amount of earthen mixture. As a result of planting, the root collar 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, the tree trunk circle is mulched with compost or peat.

Caring for yew in the garden

How to grow yew

Planting and caring for yew is not difficult. Yew needs to be watered, its tree trunk area kept clean and loosened regularly. Young plants must be covered for the winter and protected from sunburn. It is also advisable to carry out preventive measures to protect yew from pests and diseases. As the yew matures, it may require pruning.

Only yew trees under three years old need regular watering: the soil in their tree trunk 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 from deep in the soil with their powerful roots. But it will be easier for yews to survive a prolonged drought with regular watering and sprinkling of the crown. The wet soil around the tree trunk needs to be loosened to a depth of 10-15 cm, especially in the first three years after planting, otherwise a crust will form on the soil, preventing oxygen from reaching the roots. Simultaneously with loosening, remove weeds, where harmful insects often settle. To make your work easier, mulch the tree trunk circle with a layer of peat, pine needles or sawdust 8-10 cm thick.

In the photo: Yew berries on a branch

If you added fertilizer to the soil when planting the yew tree, it will last for the whole year. In the future, fertilizers are applied annually. You can use the same Nitroammofoska in the amount of 50-70 g per m² or Kemiru-universal - 100 g/m².

Yew grows very slowly, so the plant does not need pruning in the first years. Mature trees and bushes are easy to form a crown; they tolerate even heavy pruning, but still try to shorten the shoots by no more than a third of the length. Dry, diseased, frostbitten branches must be removed completely. It is best to prune in early April, before the buds swell.

Pests and diseases of yew

As for pests, sucking insects pose a danger to yew: yew false scale insects and gall midges, and among the pine-eating pests, pine cutworm and spruce needle-eater can annoy the yew. As a result of the activity of pests, the yew turns yellow, its needles and branches dry out and fall off. Make it a rule every year in the spring, before the sap begins to flow, to treat the yew and its tree trunk with a solution of Karbofos or Nitrafen. If you find pests on yew during the growing season, spray the plant and the surface of the soil underneath it two or three times with Rogor or another preparation of similar action. However, it is unlikely that you will be able to get rid of insects in one session, so be prepared to spray the yew with insecticide again in 10-12 days.

Among the diseases that affect the yew are brown schutte, phomosis, necrosis and fusarium. They manifest themselves in different ways, but you should be wary of any change in the appearance of the needles. Main reason development of diseases - mechanical damage to the yew bark, opening the way for fungal infections. Diseases occur when yew is grown in low areas, in heavy clay soils. To improve drainage and remove from root area excess moisture, drive several pieces of plastic pipe up to 30 cm long into the soil around the perimeter of the trunk circle of the diseased plant, and treat the yew itself with a biofungicide. As a preventative measure, treat yew with copper-containing fungicides every spring and every fall.

Yew transplant

It is best to replant yew in the spring, when the soil has warmed up. Select suitable place, prepare landing hole the right size, as described in our article, dig up the yew, move it to a new location, place it in the pit so that the root collar is level with the surface, and complete planting. Be sure to then water the soil around the tree trunk and mulch the surface around the plant with organic material.

Yew propagation

How to propagate yew

Yew is propagated by seeds and cuttings. Seed propagation is more labor-intensive 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 of yews and to breed new plant varieties. Propagating yew by cuttings is faster and more reliable, and most importantly, young plants completely inherit the varietal characteristics of the mother tree.

In the photo: Branch of yew berry

Yew is also propagated by grafting, but this is best done by specialists.

Yew propagation by cuttings

For cuttings you will need sections of three to five year old shoots 15-20 cm long. They are harvested in September-October or April-May. Bottom part The cuttings are cleared 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 sand and two parts 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 cuttings are carried out in the spring, then you can first plant the cuttings in a greenhouse under a film, and when their roots grow, they are transplanted into the garden. Rooting lasts 3-4 months, and all this time the substrate should be slightly moist. Remove the covering from the cuttings only at the end of summer so that they have time to get used to the garden before the cold weather. For 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 seeds

When properly stored, yew seeds remain viable for up to four years. It is best to sow in the fall, immediately after collecting 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 ensure higher germination. In March, the seeds are sown in a sterile substrate to a depth of 5 mm, covered with film and placed in a warm place. Seed germination lasts at least two months, and if you used unstratified seed for sowing, you will have to wait from one to three years for germination. Two years after the emergence of seedlings, they are planted in a garden bed in a greenhouse, and after another two years, the seedlings are planted in a schoolhouse, where they will grow for another 3-4 years before being transplanted to a permanent place.

Yew on the site in winter

Yew in autumn

After the end of leaf fall, carry out preventive treatment of yew against diseases and pests with a fungicide solution, and cover the trunk circles of yew trees that have not reached three years of age with a layer of peat or dry leaves of decorative species 5-7 cm thick. To prevent the fragile branches of young yews from breaking under the weight of snow, pull them carefully towards 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 may freeze due to severe frost, so it is wrapped in 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 thaws and then freeze in the cold. It is also undesirable to wrap yew trees with polyethylene and roofing felt, which do not allow air to pass through to the branches. When the soil warms up in the spring, the cover is removed, but until fresh growth appears on the yew, it should be protected from the sun's rays, which at this time of year are coniferous plants serious danger: in sunny and windy weather, when the roots of the yew are not yet able to absorb moisture, and the needles evaporate it intensively, the yews can be easily damaged. Therefore, trees should be shaded from the bright sun.

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, native to the forests of the east North America. Its branches are ascending, the shoots are densely leafy and short. The needles of the Canadian yew are sickle-shaped and sharply pointed. The needles are yellowish-green above, light green below with even lighter stripes. The species is characterized by high winter hardiness: it can withstand frosts down to – 35 ºC, however, this quality appears in the plant only after it reaches three years of age. The following forms are of interest:

• Aurea– a densely branching dwarf shrub up to 1 m high with small yellow needles;
• Pyramidalis- a low-growing form in which at a young age the crown has a pyramidal shape, and later becomes looser.

In the photo: Canadian yew (Taxus canadensis)

- a protected species that grows in the Far East, Korea, Japan and Manchuria. The tree can reach a height of 20 m, but on average grows up to 7 m. Sometimes the pointed yew has the form of a bush up to 1.5 m high. The crown of the plant is oval or irregular, the branches are located horizontally, young shoots and petioles have a yellowish tint, especially strong from the bottom side. The leaves of plants of this species are wide, sickle-shaped, with a protruding midrib. Above they are dark green to almost black, below the needles are of a lighter shade. Oval, pointed, slightly flattened seeds are surrounded by a pink or reddish fleshy amyelium up to half the length. The species has high winter hardiness, but in its young years it requires protection from the cold for the winter. These are popular decorative forms pointed yew:

• Rustique- a plant with a wide loose crown, long rising dark brown striped branches and slightly crescent-shaped, sparse, dark green above and yellowish below needles;
• Nana– low yew up to 1 m high with spread out strong branches and an irregularly shaped crown. The needles are linear, very thick, 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;
• Kapitata– has female and male forms. The crown of this yew, which may have one or several trunks, is strictly pin-shaped;
• Columnaris– wide-columnar form with dark needles;
• Dansa– female form with a very compressed 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 vase-shaped plant 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)

originates from western North America. This is a tree from 15 to 25 m high or a bush up to 5 m high with a wide pin-shaped crown and bark peeling off in pieces. Thin branches are spaced straight from the trunk, the branches hang slightly; yellow-green, sharply pointed needles up to 2 cm long and up to 2 mm wide, arranged in two rows. The two-tetrahedral, ovoid seeds, up to 5 mm long, are encased in bright red arils.

In the photo: Short-leaved yew (Taxus brevifolia = Taxus baccata var. brevifolia)

- a species common in Western Europe, Asia Minor and the Caucasus in mountain forests on sandy and even swampy soil. The height of 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 reddish-gray bark, which peels off in plates with age. The arrangement of the needles is spiral, on the side branches - two-row. The needles are flat, dark green, shiny above, matte below, yellow-green in color. The seeds are enclosed in bright red arils. This species has a large number of popular garden forms, for which a classification has been compiled. Most commonly grown garden forms type:

• Compacta– a dwarf form slightly taller than 1 m with a rounded crown of the same diameter and branches evenly spaced from the trunk. The needles are sickle-shaped, dark green and shiny above, slightly lighter below;
• Erecta– male shrub up to 8 m high with a wide crown and grey-green, short and thin needles;
• Fastiggiata– female form up to 5 m high with a wide columnar crown, drooping top and numerous sharp ascending branches. The needles are black-green, curved inward, arranged spirally on the shoots;
• Nissens Crown– a shrub up to 2.5 m high and a crown diameter of 6-8 m, but 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;
• Rependance- a creeping bush up to 50 cm high and up to 5 m wide with horizontally spaced branches pressed to the ground and sickle-shaped, shiny, dark green-bluish needles on the upper side. The underside of the needles is flat and lighter in color. The variety is winter hardy, so 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: Yew berry (Taxus baccata)

occupies an intermediate position between pointed yew and yew berry. It is taller than the berry yew, its old branches are olive green, but in the sun they take on a reddish tint. The shoots are ascending, the needles are needle-shaped, 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 a thick rounded crown up to 3 m in diameter. The needles are needle-shaped, thin, sharp, light green in color, up to 22 mm 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 the dense, narrow-columnar crown reaches one and a half meters. The needles are curved, double-lined, thick, 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 densely;
• 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, and gorges in the western part of 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 broadly pin-shaped, the bark comes off the trunk in plates, the branches are straight away from the trunk, the branches hang down slightly. The needles are needle-shaped, two-row, yellow-green, up to 20 mm 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 cultivation.

• Back
• Forward

After this article they usually read

The perennial evergreen yew (yew) berry is an amazing conifer loved by landscape designers and gardeners. Non-standard appearance, ease of planting, ease of care, longevity - this is not a complete list of the advantages of wood. Yew berry is also called mahogany, greenery, negtyuchka, nurseries often grow and sell seedlings under these names. The lifespan of a mahogany tree is measured in thousands of years - in Scotland, in the village of Fortingall, there is a tree whose age is estimated at 2.5 thousand years.

Description and varieties of yew berry

Zelenitsa rarely grows above 20 m, because grows very slowly - barely a meter per season. Garden varieties are limited to a height of about 2.5 m. The wide crown is formed by soft branches covered with dense green needles up to 3.5 cm long. The view is remarkable in that at the end spring bloom does not form cones, but drupes, which acquire a bright red color in the fall.

The following varieties are common.

1. Elegantissima - in 10 years it grows up to a meter in height, forming a crown with a diameter of one and a half meters. The needles are greenish-white in color, often with a yellow tint, and are 2 cm long. young tree grows extremely slowly, only upon reaching 6 years does the growth rate increase to 25 cm/year. Representatives of the variety carry shady places, are frost-resistant.
2. Summer Gold is a low compact bush, up to a meter in height and crown diameter. The yellowish needles acquire a golden color by mid-summer. It grows equally well in the shade and in the sun, and tolerates frost well.
3. David - height up to 2 m, crown diameter 70-80 cm, yellow needles. Loves well-lit places.
4. Repandence - maximum height is about 5 m. The crown is spreading, asymmetrical by nature, the branches are curved. The annual growth is 8-10 cm. The variety is grown in sunny places and watered regularly.
5. Fastigiata are low-growing trees, up to one and a half meters. The crown is columnar, the needles are dark green. Lover of moisture, fertilizing, warmth. At moderate latitudes it is required winter shelter. One of the few varieties of yew berry, adapted to living in urban environments.

Remember: all parts of the yew berry are poisonous, except for the pulp of the fruit. All work with it is carried out using protective equipment.

Planting yew berry

Varieties of greenery differ in growing conditions, some like shading, others need good lighting. When buying a seedling, be sure to check this point with the seller. Lowlands, as well as places where melt or rainwater accumulates, are strictly unsuitable.

Planting time is only early spring.

The soil for yew must meet the following parameters.

• Light, nutritious, excellent drainage. Optimal composition– peat, river sand, leaf soil (2:2:3). Sandstones and clay soils require improvement.
• The pH parameter is not significant, but a neutral or slightly acidic reaction is preferable. If in doubt, check the soil characteristics with the seller.
• The soil should not contain heavy metal salts, construction waste, or household waste.

The planting hole is dug with a depth of 60-70 cm and a diameter of slightly large sizes earthen coma of seedling. On heavy soils, be sure to put 20 cm of drainage at the bottom - broken brick, tracing paper, gravel, expanded clay. For planting a single-row hedge, the depth of the trench may be slightly less - about half a meter, for a two-row hedge - 70 cm.

The optimal distance between seedlings is 2.5 m, in a hedge - from 0.5 m.

The process of planting a yew berry seedling is simple. The soil extracted from the hole is mixed with peat and sand, the soil mixture is spread in a small layer on the drainage, forming a small mound in the center. There is no need to add fertilizers.

The seedling is placed in a hole on a mound, the roots are spread along the slopes. The root collar should be at ground level. The hole is filled with soil mixture gradually with simultaneous compaction, not too strong.

Planting is completed by watering, then the tree trunk circle is mulched with a 10-centimeter layer of sawdust. At the same time, make sure that the root collar remains open.

Caring for greenery in the garden

The special structure of the yew berry root system explains some of the nuances of caring for it. In an adult plant, it goes several meters deep, providing the “host” with moisture. The roots are covered with mycorrhiza (fungal root), which supplies minerals and trace elements.

Basic rules of care

1. In the first 5-6 years of life, young yew is watered regularly, the norm is about half a bucket per plant every two weeks. At the same time, weather conditions are taken into account: in drought conditions, more water can be poured; in rainy weather, watering is avoided: the plant does not like waterlogging. Older trees are watered only during prolonged dry weather.
2. 2-3 times a month the crown is cleaned of dust by spraying it with water.
3. The root system of young plants requires aeration; the soil is loosened to a depth of 15 cm once every two weeks.
4. The tree trunk of young (up to a year) greenery must be mulched with sawdust or small wood chips.
5. For the first two to three years, the yew requires shelter for the winter. They use spruce branches for this purpose, covering the base with them. The branches are tied and attached to the support, because in the cold they become brittle, even a light breeze can break them. Can be used for insulation frame structure, covered with agrofabric.
6. Young plants may suffer from bright sunshine, so they are protected with kraft paper or light canopies. This also applies to sun-loving varieties.
7. The first pruning is carried out in the second year of life, in early spring. Remove broken and dry branches, and shorten the shoots by a third. Next, the trees are pruned, taking into account varietal characteristics.
8. Young yew trees are fed with mineral fertilizers only in the first year of life - 70 g/sq.m of the universal complex is applied once two to three weeks after planting.
9. Fertilizing with organic matter is carried out twice a season: in the spring it is fertilized with rotted compost, in the summer - with liquid mullein.

It is better to apply fertilizers to previously dug soil.

Diseases and pests

Too much frequent landings, thickening of the crown or waterlogging of the soil provokes fungal disease, characteristic of conifers: brown schutte and fusarium.

Brown schutte - the shoots are covered with black mycelium, very similar to a cobweb. The needles last quite a long time without changing color or falling off. To combat the damage, fungicides are used, the cause is eliminated - watering is regulated, the crown is thinned.

Fusarium - the needles become brown and fall off. Treatment is carried out with special targeted drugs: Agat-25, Fitosporin-M, Baktofit, Fundazol, Topsin-M.

Caterpillars of spruce budworm and pine cutworm are destroyed with special chemicals.

You can use chemicals if the greenery is not adjacent to fruit-bearing crops. Otherwise use folk remedies based on soapy water.

Reproduction of yew berry

As experts joke, yew can be propagated in two ways - long-term ineffective or fast productive. The first means growing a tree from seeds, the second method is cuttings.

Growing from seeds

There are several reasons for the low efficiency of seed propagation. First of all, sown seeds do not just take a long time to sprout - they wait from a year to 4 years for seedlings to appear, they germinate unevenly, i.e., the final result is unknown. The second reason is that green grass is a heterosexual plant, and to pollinate the inconspicuous male flowers that bloom in the spring, two trees are required, male and female, of “respectable” age - more than 20 years. The third is the need for seed stratification, which lasts about a year.

Algorithm for growing redwood from seeds

1. The fruits are harvested in the fall, when the shell of the fruit begins to turn red. Then they are soaked in water for a short time to remove the pulp from the seeds.
2. The peeled seeds are dried and put in the refrigerator for stratification until the fall of next year. The process involves alternating exposure to cold and heat, so the bag with seed is periodically moved to heat (about 20 ° C). When the seeds hatch, they are left in a relatively warm place.
3. Sow seeds in protected ground - a greenhouse or hotbed. No holes or grooves are made; the seeds are simply scattered over the surface and mulched with dry pine litter. Peat, straw and other options familiar to gardeners are not suitable for yew.
4. The seedlings are grown in greenhouse conditions for 2 years, then they are planted in the beds. They are cared for according to the general method.

Propagation by cuttings

It is interesting that when purchasing yew berry seedlings from a nursery, it is not always possible to determine exactly what form it will take. mature tree. It turns out that the outline of the crown depends on the location of the shoot from which the cutting was taken:

• The lower horizontal branches produce a spreading, bush-like plant;
• Shoots growing upward will form a columnar crown.

Plants that are 3-5 years old are suitable for cuttings. Planting material Such trees take root well without the use of additional means. Cuttings from young green plants take a long time to take root. Cuttings taken from old trees need to be treated with growth stimulants.

For independent cuttings of yew berry, the following method is recommended:

In autumn, when the fruits are fully ripe, cuttings are cut from 15 to 20 cm long, having several lateral branches. The lower part is cleared of needles, the cuttings are placed in a solution of a root formation stimulator for a couple of hours.

The rooting substrate is made up of two parts peat and one part sand. On initial stage A general container is suitable for cuttings.

Rooting occurs under normal conditions - room temperature or slightly lower, special requirements to humidity and daylight hours no. The average duration of the process is two weeks.

February or March is the time to plant mature seedlings in separate pots. With the onset of consistently warm weather, young plants are planted outdoors.

Young yew trees become fully decorative at the age of 7 years. This period can be shortened if the first two years of the seedling are spent in greenhouse conditions.

Reproduction by layering is also practiced; it is less troublesome than cuttings, but just as productive. To form layering, the lower branches are bent to the ground, secured and buried. Layers will form completely root system and will be ready for independent living in 2-3 years.

It is not difficult to grow a beautiful yew berry, which our ancestors called the “tree of life and death.” Even the slow growth of a tree is its advantage; formative pruning is sufficient to carry out once a year. Easy to plant and easy care, especially behind a mature tree, increase its attractiveness. Decorative all year round, attracting pollinating insects in the spring, improving the air quality are a worthy reward for the troubles associated with growing seedlings.