Anglojap yew

Sun

Full sun to full shade; light shade or shelter from drying winter winds helps prevent foliage scorch.

Water

Water regularly during establishment, allowing the soil surface to begin drying between waterings. Established plants tolerate some drought but not prolonged waterlogging.

Soil

Well-drained loam, clay or sandy soil; tolerates acidic to alkaline conditions. Avoid compacted soil and sites that stay wet.

Height

5-20 ft (1.5-6 m), depending on cultivar and pruning

Spread

4-12 ft (1.2-3.7 m), depending on cultivar and pruning

Foliage

Evergreen. Flat, soft-looking, dark green needles with paler undersides. Female plants may carry red, fleshy arils surrounding exposed seeds when a male yew is nearby.

Growth

Slow to moderate, depending on cultivar and growing conditions.

Care needed

Medium

• Drought tolerant
• Cold hardy
• Wildlife

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Very tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1.6 ft (0.5 m)

2. After 1 year

   3 ft (1 m)

3. After 2 years

   5 ft (1.5 m)

4. After 3 years

   7 ft (2 m)

5. After 5 years

   10 ft (3 m)

About 7 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Toxic

Growth rate

Slow

• Plant with the root flare at soil level; choose another site if water collects around the roots.
• Water deeply during dry spells for the first two growing seasons.
• Apply 2-3 in (5-8 cm) of organic mulch, keeping it clear of the stems.
• Feed lightly in spring only if growth is weak and soil fertility is low.
• Keep plants and all clippings away from livestock, pets and children who may eat plant material.

Pruning. Clip hedges in late spring or early summer after the first flush, keeping the base wider than the top; make a light second trim in late summer if needed. Renovate overgrown plants in late winter or early spring, preferably in stages, as yews can regrow from old wood.

Late winter

Remove damaged branches and begin any staged renovation before new growth starts.

Spring

Plant when soil is workable and not waterlogged; refresh mulch without covering the root flare.

Late spring

Check new growth for scale insects and clip established hedges after their first flush.

Summer

Water young plants deeply during dry weather and inspect declining plants for drainage problems.

Late summer

Give formal hedges a light final trim if needed, leaving time for growth to harden before frost.

Autumn

Water before the ground freezes if conditions are dry, and remove fallen clippings from areas accessible to animals.

• Clip into a dense boundary hedge or evergreen screen, choosing an upright cultivar for narrow spaces.
• Use spreading cultivars beneath taller trees where their dark foliage provides year-round structure.
• Shape into simple topiary or formal edging to frame paths and garden rooms.
• Place behind pale flowers, ferns or variegated foliage to create a quiet, contrasting backdrop.

Garden styles it suits: Formal, Topiary garden, English country, Woodland, Architectural minimal and Winter interest.

Plant it with: Hostas, Hellebores, Japanese painted ferns, Epimediums, Snowdrops and Japanese forest grass.

Wildlife: Birds eat the red arils and may disperse the seeds. Dense growth provides nesting cover, but deer can browse the foliage heavily.

• Root rot: yellowing, wilting or dieback often follows waterlogging; correct drainage and replace badly affected plants rather than watering more.
• Vine weevil: larvae can destroy roots, particularly in containers; inspect root balls and use an appropriate locally approved biological control.
• Scale insects: inspect stems and needle undersides; prune small infestations and use a labelled horticultural oil when appropriate.
• Winter scorch: exposed foliage may bronze or brown in drying winds; water during dry autumn weather and provide a sheltered position.

Highly poisonous to people, cats, dogs and horses if eaten; ingestion can cause fatal heart disturbances. Needles, bark and seeds are toxic, including dried clippings. The red aril flesh is not toxic, but it surrounds a poisonous seed and must not be treated as edible. Seek urgent medical or veterinary help after suspected ingestion.

• English yew (Taxus baccata)

  Often has needles arranged in flatter, two-ranked sprays, but cultivated forms overlap strongly with the hybrid. A nursery label or known parentage is more reliable than appearance alone.

• Japanese yew (Taxus cuspidata)

  Typically has needles ending in a more abrupt, pointed tip. The hybrid is intermediate, so this feature alone cannot reliably identify every cultivar.

• Japanese plum yew (Cephalotaxus harringtonia)

  Usually has noticeably longer, broader needles and larger, plum-like reproductive structures rather than the small red, open-ended arils of true yews.

Anglo-Japanese refers to its English and Japanese yew parents, while the Latin epithet media means intermediate.

Propagation. Take semi-ripe cuttings in late summer or early autumn; rooting can be slow. Use cuttings to preserve a named cultivar, as seedlings are variable and seeds may take more than a year to germinate.

Accepted botanical name

Taxus media

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.