You can read more about how to care for both of these plants on the Monrovia Web site under "About Our Plants" and searching using the words Japanese Yew. According to the USDA Zone map, you're in zone 6, so the soil in the planter is likely to freeze, and that is dangerous for even the hardiest of plants. Click to see full answer.
Are Japanese yew trees cold-hardy?
Japanese yews are more cold-hardy than many evergreen shrubs, thriving in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 7. Plant Japanese yews from nursery transplants, which are often patented cultivars.
How much sun does a Japanese yew need?
Grow Japanese yew in anything from full shade to full sun; it tolerates a wide variety of sunlight conditions. It also tolerates shade quite well for a needled evergreen. This tolerance is part of the reason it is cultivated so far from its natural habitat.
Can Japanese yew be pruned lightly?
They can be pruned lightly to maintain shape and size or sheared for a trim look. Japanese yews are more cold-hardy than many evergreen shrubs, thriving in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 7.
Do yews do well in the winter?
Planted in the right conditions, yews can tolerate winter weather and provide winter interest in our landscapes. I planted an upright yew evergreen shrub this summer. Do I need to wrap it in burlap for winter or protect it in some other way?
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Can Japanese yews survive a freeze?
When planted in the right conditions, yews can tolerate our cold winters without protection. However, they can experience winter burn and bleaching and should be planted on the north-facing side of buildings. Winter burn occurs when the winter sun heats up the cells in the needles.
How cold hardy is Japanese yew?
This species is cold hardy to -30° F (USDA-NRCS, 2017), and is recommended for use in USDA hardiness zones 4 through 7 (Missouri Botanical Garden, 2017). It is adapted to soils with a pH range of 5.3 to 7.8 (USDA-NRCS, 2017).
Are yews cold hardy?
Evergreen plants in the landscape are a terrific way to reduce winter doldrums as you wait for those first spring flowers and summer vegetables. Cold hardy yews are outstanding performers both in ease of care and also versatility.
Can you grow Japanese yew in containers?
In containers, Japanese Plum Yews grows best in a very well-drained damp soil. Therefore, I recommend using a premium potting mix or potting soil, or a 50/50 mix of the two, in a container that has a drainage hole(s). More on planting in containers below.
How do you protect yews in the winter?
Next winter you can try protecting your yews from prevailing winds with physical burlap barriers. Because evergreens retain their needles it is extremely important to water your evergreens right up until freezing. If you need to shape the shrubs or shorten them, now is a good time.
Do yews stay green in winter?
Most evergreen trees and shrubs such as yews, boxwoods, and cedars are highly susceptible to wind burn during the winter seasons in North America. This will result in your evergreens turning brown in the winter. In the fall these species will begin to go dormant.
Why is the yew tree called the tree of Death?
Drooping branches of old yew trees can root and form new trunks where they touch the ground. Thus the yew came to symbolise death and resurrection in Celtic culture. The Celts will also have been familiar with the toxicity of the tree's needles in particular.
Why is my Japanese yew turning brown?
Too Much or Too Little Water When put under certain stress conditions, it is a common problem for yew hedges to turn brown. There are many reasons why this may occur. For example, Yews dislike waterlogged soil, so problems with the roots can develop if there's too much moisture at the base of the plant.
Do yew trees go brown in winter?
Yew Winter Damage Winter damage can and does affect yews, generally presenting as browning of the foliage. Yew winter damage is the result of rapidly changing temperatures during the winter. It is also caused by bright sunshine and inadequate water reserves in the yew's root system.
How long do Japanese yews live?
It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 50 years or more. This tree does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water.
Do yews need a lot of water?
Yews require minimal watering. During drought conditions, weekly watering is recommended. Adding a layer of mulch around the base of the plant can help to retain moisture in the soil.
Will Japanese yew grow in shade?
Grow Japanese yew in anything from full shade to full sun; it tolerates a wide variety of sunlight conditions. It also tolerates shade quite well for a needled evergreen.
Is Japanese Yew Poisonous?
The fact that Japanese yew doesn’t mix with dogs or children is an important limiting factor in the tree’s use. Consider the toxicity of the plant along with the way you and your family will use your garden before deciding to plant Japanese yew.
Are Japanese Yew Berries Edible?
All parts of the Japanese yew are toxic except the flesh of the red berry that surrounds the seed. You can eat the berry, which is called an “aril,” but first strip the flesh away from the toxic seed to eliminate the possibility of swallowing or biting into it.
Additional Info About Japanese Yew Plants
Japanese yew looks its best when planted in groups or masses. They make lovely hedges and foundation plantings. These evergreens have dense foliage that forms a solid screen. When sheared, they have a formal appearance, or you can let them grow into their natural shape for an informal look.
Taxus cuspidata
Max Van Zile is a freelance writer who contributed content to The Spruce in 2014. Max covered gardening and other outdoors topics.
Latin and Common Names
The Latin, or scientific name for Japanese yew is Taxus cuspidata. The plant shares its dark green leaves with other plants in the Taxus genus, and it is a member of the yew family or Taxaceae. Japanese yew is also known by the common name "spreading yew."
Preferred USDA Hardiness Zones
Japanese yew is hardy to zone 4 and is generally found in zones 4 through 7. Though native only to Asia, it also thrives in many parts of North America, particularly northeastern states like Connecticut and Massachusetts.
Size and Shape
Japanese yew grows 20 to 40 feet tall, though it can reach 50 feet in the right conditions; in cultivation, however, it is usually much smaller. Left to its own growth pattern, the yew is fairly broad and likes to spread, but many landscapers prune its crown much narrower.
Exposure
Grow Japanese yew in anything from full shade to full sun; it tolerates a wide variety of sunlight conditions. It also tolerates shade quite well for a needled evergreen. This tolerance is part of the reason it is cultivated so far from its natural habitat.
Foliage, Flowers, and Fruit
The yew is notable for its spiny, dark-green evergreen needles, which are about 1 inch long. Its leaves often are tinged yellow on the underside. Its bark is red-brown and scaly, and in the winter its foliage may turn a similar red-brown color.
Design Tips
Taxus cuspidata is a popular plant in landscapes. It tolerates pruning well and can be used in foundation plantings or as a hedge, where it can take different shapes, such as flat-topped or pyramidal, broad or narrow. Some ambitious landscape gardeners even grow it in topiaries.
Yew Winter Damage
Winter damage can and does affect yews, generally presenting as browning of the foliage. Yew winter damage is the result of rapidly changing temperatures during the winter. It is also caused by bright sunshine and inadequate water reserves in the yew’s root system.
Winter Injury to Yews
Yew winter damage may not be always be caused by fluctuating temperatures but by salt. Yews are sensitive to salt used for deicing roads and sidewalks. You can tell if your winter burn on yews was caused by salts since salt-burned plants will turn brown on the side closest to the salted area. Symptoms usually first appear in the spring.
Treating Winter Damage on Yews
Because browning of yew branches can be caused by so many different things, you have to review the tree’s growing location and recent history in order to figure out what is going on.
Latin and Common Names
Preferred USDA Hardiness Zones
- Japanese yew contains toxins called taxine A and B, which can be fatal if ingested by dogs, cats, horses or people. The primary symptoms are tremors, difficulty breathing and vomiting as well as seizures in dogs. Ingesting the plant can cause sudden death due to heart failure. Any person or animal that has eaten any part of the plant needs immediat...
Size and Shape
Exposure
Foliage, Flowers, and Fruit
Design Tips
Growing Tips
Maintenance and Pruning
Pests and Diseases