How to Plant Yew

Finding a Planting Spot

Plant the yew in the beginning of spring or autumn. Yew is an evergreen, so it does best when avoiding the summer heat and winter frost. In spring, plant around the beginning of April when you see no more frost on the ground. In autumn, plant in September to let the yew take root before winter.

Buy young yew plants rather than seeds. Pick yew plants one or two feet high (45-60 cm). These young plants are easier to move and adapt to new ground than taller plants. You can get these with their roots balled, bare, or in a container. Seeds and cuttings, while able to grow when planted the same way as young plants, take a few years to sprout.

Find a partly-shaded place. Yew still grows well in open areas, but is more likely to dry up when under full sunlight. The best area is shady for half the day. Young yews are most vulnerable to intense sunlight, so keep them near taller yew hedges or walls. Other hedges and walls also shield the yew from strong winds.

Pick soil that drains well. Avoid places where puddles of water remain hours after a hard rain. Opt for soil that feels loamy rather than compact. Good soil will feel soft, rich, and easy to dig. Soil that feels soggy can give the yew root rot. Soil can be amended with sand or gravel for better drainage. Yew also grows well in containers. Get a good, slightly acidic soil from a gardening center and a container with drainage holes.

Planting the Yew

Dig a trench. Make the trench about 12 inches (30 cm) deep and 20 inches (50 cm) wide. Clear out all of the dirt along with the stones, weeds, and other debris. Don’t worry about providing too much space. Yew grows high and wide. In heavy soil, gather the soil into a ridge six inches (15 cm) high and three feet (1 m) wide before planting. This will help with soil drainage.

Set the plant in the trench. Remove the plant from its container. Place the plant firmly in the middle of the trench. If your yew has bare roots, spread the roots apart so that they don’t grow into one another. Roots that are balled or in dirt from a container can be left alone. Remember, yews can be left above ground and grown in a container. Don’t ever plant the container in the ground.

Water the yew if the ground is dry. A little bit of water can help the yew take root, but should only be done when the soil is dry. If the soil is dry about an inch (2 cm) down from the surface, water the area. Moisten the soil until it is damp but not waterlogged.

Return the soil to the trench. Fill the hole with loose soil. The yew is better planted shallow than deep, so don’t cover much of the bark. Keep the center of the bed slightly higher than the outside edges to protect the yew from disease. Afterwards, press down on the soil or walk across it to make sure the yew is secure.

Plant additional yews far apart. First, lay out string in a straight line, passing over your first yew. You can tie the string to two poles to keep it straight. Walk about six and a half to ten feet (2-3 m) from the yew. Use the string as a guide to plant the yews in a straight line. The yews will fill in the space between them as they grow, forming a solid hedge line.

Maintaining Yew

Water yew once a week. During the first summer after planting, water the yew well. Once a week, give the soil a good soaking. Don’t waterlog the soil. If it rained during the week, test the soil first. When the soil feels damp about an inch (2 cm) down, you don’t need to water the plant. Stop watering near the beginning of winter. After this, the yew usually can take care of itself.

Fertilize the yew once a year. Get compost or potash from your local gardening center. Take out any weeds around the yew, then spread the fertilizer. Liquid feed once a month will also encourage growth. Once the yew has grown tall and strong, fertilization is less important but can still be done to ensure the plant’s health.

Trim the yew once a year. The yew will grow thick, requiring trimming to control it and keep yew hedges even. Put on safety goggles and sturdy gloves. You can use shears or trimmers. Work slowly, cutting off the branches that stick out. Keep the plant tapered by cutting the top end slightly shorter than the bottom end. This will enable light to reach lower branches. It’s best to let the hedge grow about four inches (10 cm) higher than you want it and then trim it. Do not attempt to cut the top off until the plant has grown. Trimming can be done in any season other than winter. A neglected yew can be renovated by trimming it very short in the middle of spring. The yew will need a few years to grow back to the desired size.

Wash soil exposed to winter salt. In addition to waterlogged soil or sunlight exposure, browning is caused by road salt getting into the soil. In spring, the side of the yew closest to the road will turn brown. Do not prune these areas. Leach the soil by soaking it with water. Do add walls if possible to shield the yew from salt splashes. Make sure the yew is planted away from run-off areas. If there is a lot of rain after an exposure, you won’t need to flush out the salt. If your yew is in a pot, add water until it drains from the holes in the bottom of the pot.

Remove pests from the plant. Yew doesn’t have many pest species that will damage it. If you see the plant turning brown, examine it. Look for colored balls on the needles and stem. These are insects that can be scraped off with a knife. Also, shield the yew with walls or wire to keep out hungry deer and pet waste. In warmer climates such as the American South and Southwest, root knot nematodes may be the problem. Remove the yew if possible. Treat the soil with a fumigant or heat it for six weeks by covering it with plastic. If you see yellow mushrooms near the yew, the plant may die very quickly from Armillaria root rot. Dig up the soil so the yew’s base is exposed. Replace the soil right before winter. To minimize your risk of a honey fungus attack, trim off broken pieces of root before planting the yew. Add compost to the soil regularly.