Buying A New Taxus

I'm considering buying T. baccata and would be interested to hear some views and opinions from folks who've grown it and experienced it.

I'd like to buy a mature and established specimen, rootballed, for my back garden - it'll be in a north facing border and be subject to south westerlies, the opposite/south side will be the windier side.

Are they 'sociable' trees that will sit happily alongside other shrubs, namely Sambucus and Griselinia, and, will the wind cause damage to it, like it does to other conifers ?

I'm still considering it at the moment, nothing's a definate yet but i like to hear other people's views before making up my own mind

 

Louise, ordinary yew, common yew is a large tree, its good for hedging but unless you intend clipping it,it will very soon be quite big.

Of course, I dont know how much space you have, but I would not class it as a shub.

Not living on the coast I would not like to comment on wind damage in your area.

There are vaieties of baccata that might be more suitable, I've got a couple of these, Buy Taxus baccata Fastigiata Aureomarginata (Golden Irish Yew) in the UK

I'm even cutting them back, after 20yrs or so.

 

Hi Louise

It it the common green one that you are after ?? or the yellow form & how big is big that you are buying ? are you growing as part of a hedge or as a specimen plant how big do you want it to grow to eventualy ??.

To answer some of your questions .

I also suffer from the wind as we dont live that far apart apart from the Atlantic in between us , so I would see it getting scorched by the wind if in a exposed area but all evergreens would suffer at one point or another especialy with the winter we have just had .


it will get on with other shrubs but being evergreen may shade out others, it is very poisonous but so are lots of other plants we grow as well.

Spruce

 

Thank you both.

Pete, it's that one, in your link, that i'm considering.
Reading material says it's a slow grower at 15-30cm a year which sounds suitable but it also says suitable for coastal gardens so i understand that to mean what it says ..... wind tolerant.

Spruce, it'll not be a stand alone specimen, it'll be in a mixed border of the other 2 shrubs i mentioned, and as for height - i'll keep it at about 12' but that's flexible because there's no other house behind me to offend and it'll be a good windbreak aswell.

 

My yew is in it's third season, sorry, not sure which variety it is, but it's height should be no more than six to eight feet. So far it has put on about eighteen inches in height.

I'm on the coast and garden on sandy soil which it doesn't seem to have a problem with. The fence behind shelters it from a north west wind, so obviously it faces south east. I hope this is of some help.

 

Buying a new Taxus, yew are joking ? .....I'll get me coat....

 

A picture of one of mine, more than 20yrs old, it was 2ft when I planted it and about 4yrs ago I cut 3ft off the top.

 

Pete, may I ask what the climber is at the top of your house please.

 

Hi Sheal, its Campsis "Indian summer".

 

That's beautiful, thanks Pete.