The European yew (Taxus baccata) is an evergreen and adaptable tree whose wild populations are seriously endangered by deforestation. The conifer is also popular as an ornamental tree in the garden, but is it also suitable as a hedge plant? We report on our experience.
Is the yew a good hedge plant?
The yew is ideal as a hedge plant because it is evergreen, tolerates cutting, is malleable and easy to care for. It thrives in both sunny and shady locations and is hardy.
Can you plant yew as a hedge?
In fact, the yew tree is ideal as a hedge plant; after all, the coniferous tree scores with these advantages:
- evergreen with dark green needles
- extremely cut-friendly
- very easy to shape, e.g. B. as a topiary
- thrives in both sunny and shady locations
- very shade tolerant
- undemanding and easy to care for
- hardy
Yew trees have been used for ornamental gardens for centuries. Topiary trees made from yew trees or yew hedges can still be found today in numerous palace and baroque gardens. The tree can be extremely old: Germany's oldest specimen is estimated to be between 1,500 and 2,000 years old!
What advantages and disadvantages does the yew have as a hedge plant?
The numerous benefits of the yew tree have already been listed. The European yew (Taxus baccata) in particular is ideal for planting hedges, but it grows quite slowly and therefore needs a few years to reach an acceptable height. However, yews are an attractive sight in autumn with their dark green needles, fine branching - when pruned regularly - and bright red fruits.
But be careful: all parts of the coniferous plant are highly poisonous - just a few berries are enough to fatally poison a child. Therefore, you should avoid a yew hedge if you have small children.
Which yew tree is best suited as a hedge?
In addition to the European yew (Taxus baccata) in its different appearances
- Columnar yew: 'Fastigata', 'Fastigata robusta' with a growth height of up to 5 meters and a narrow growth width
- Columnar yew 'Fastigata Aureomarginata': tall, narrow growth with golden yellow needles
- 'Renkes Kleiner Grüner': Dwarf yew with a growth height of up to 80 centimeters, ideal for low hedges
Taxus media, a hybrid breed, is also suitable for hedge planting. These varieties are also known as “cup yew” and grow up to five meters high. The purely male variety 'Hillii' also does not produce any berries that could be dangerous to small children.
Which is better, yew or thuja?
This question is not that easy to answer, as personal preferences also play a role. That's why we're listing the most important advantages and disadvantages of alternatives to yew here:
- Thuja: inexpensive, adaptable, fast-growing, evergreen, but also dries up quickly and does not turn green again, depletes the soil
- Privet: very easy to cut, blooms in spring, but grows very slowly
- Cherry laurel: fast-growing, undemanding, grows almost everywhere, but worthless from an ecological point of view
- Cotoneaster: beautifully shiny leaves, red shoots in spring, flowers in summer
Instead of evergreens, you can also plant summergreen hedges, for example from wild trees, flowering trees, red or hornbeam or barberry.
Tip
Pay attention to the planting distance
Yew trees not only grow in height - an average of around 20 to 30 centimeters per year - but also in width. Therefore, when planting a hedge, you should leave enough space in front of and behind the plants so that they can develop. A yew hedge approximately two meters high requires around 90 centimeters of space. When planting, you should plant three yew trees per meter.
