Yew pointed planting and care. Yew: breeding

Coniferous plant Yew in the photo

Yew belongs to a very valuable coniferous species. It is the only tree that can withstand full shade. It is easier to cut than other conifers, forming a crown.

There are 8 types of yew known in nature, photos and descriptions of which are presented on this page. They are all small evergreen conifers and shrubs that grow in the temperate to tropical areas of the Northern Hemisphere. Two kinds conifers yew are found in Russia, one in the Caucasus, the other in the Far East. Both are most in demand as ornamental shrubs and have many dozens of original forms.

Pay attention to the photo - all types of yew are characterized by flat and short needles, located on the shoots, most often in a comb in two rows:

Yew
Yew

The length of the needles is usually 2-3 cm, the width reaches 0.3 cm. Yews are one and dioecious plants belonging to the gymnosperm group, like other conifers. But the fruits of the yew are not at all like the cones of pines and firs. They look like berries, the seed of which is almost completely hidden by the fleshy pericarp.

Yew berry in the photo

Yew berry, or European, can grow as a fairly large tree or shrub. The largest yews grow in the Caucasus - up to 27 m in height. They have an ovoid-cylindrical, multi-peaked, rather dense crown. The needles are dark green, shiny.

The berry is bright red, surrounding the seed to the very top.

The history of the culture of this yew tree has thousands of years. Currently, it has more than a hundred different forms, many of which can grow in our country.

The most interesting varieties of berry yew are:

Yew "Dovastonian" in the photo

"Dovastonian"- reaches a maximum height of 5 m. The crown is quite dense, spreading. The form is widely known and popular all over the world. It is used in a variety of ways: singly and in the form of groups, including for curly haircuts;

"Fastigiata"- has a wide-columnar crown, reaching a height of 5 m, rather frost-hardy.

As you can see in the photo, this variety of European yew is used for hedges and singly

Yew "Semperaurea"
Yew "Semperaurea"

"Semperaurea"- grows in the form of a dense bush with shoots directed upwards up to 2 m high. The needles are about 2 cm long, golden yellow. A famous and popular shape with an unusual coloration. It is used for single planting, hedges;

"Compact" slow growing shape with an oval or conical crown with raised branches and dark green needles. Good for small alpine slides.

Below you can find a photo and description of other types of yew tree.

Yew capitate in the photo

Yew capitate- a tree with bare brownish-green shoots. The bark of the trunks is gray, flaking. Loves loose, well-moistened soils. Decorative with wide dark green needles, shiny above, below - with two light stripes. Good cuttings.

Yew pointed, or Far Eastern, grows in the mountains of the Far East and Sakhalin in the form of a tall (up to 20 m) tree and spreading shrub. It has frost-resistant forms, capable of tolerating the climate of central Russia without damage. The needles of this species are 2-3 cm long and lighter than that of the berry yew, in autumn period turns brown.

Within two years, retains soft pink berries with a whitish bloom, which cover the seed only up to half of its length.

The decorative form of the pointed yew is "Nana"... It is a dwarf plant with a beautiful dense crown and juicy dark green needles. Reaches 1 m in height and 3 m in crown diameter.

Canadian yew in terms of frost resistance, it exceeds all other types. In nature, it grows as a low shrub no more than 2 m in height. The needles are rather short, 1.5-2.0 cm. Bright red berries cover most of the seed. It has decorative forms that are very promising for Russia.

The middle yew is intermediate between the pointed and Canadian yew. Known for its popular decorative shapes:

"Hilly"- grows in the form of a dense broad-pyramidal tree up to 5 m high with a crown diameter of up to 3 m. Very good for cutting, frost-resistant;

"Hixie"- reaches a height of 1.5-3 m with a width of just over a meter. The crown is columnar, dense. In popularity, it is not inferior to the previous form, tk. possesses outstanding decorative qualities and frost resistance.

Look at the photo - this variety of yew is used both in sunny places and in the shade, including for hedges:

Conditions for growing yew, planting and care in the open field

For ease of maintenance, when planting yew trees, you should choose a suitable place. It is advisable to plant the yew tree immediately where you will form it. Although it tolerates transplantation well, it reacts to it every time by slowing down its already weak growth rate. The older the tree, the less desirable a transplant.

When planting, the size of the hole for the plant should be commensurate with the dimensions of the future tree. For dwarf forms, a diameter and depth of 50 cm is enough, for large ones - a larger size.

When planting and caring for yews in open ground keep in mind that different types slightly differ in their soil preferences, but a medium loamy, high-humus neutral or slightly alkaline reaction can be considered a universal substrate. A variant of the substrate can be a mixture of garden loam or sod land and humus in a ratio of 3: 1. Wood ash is added at the same time.

Care should be taken when choosing a place. The proximity of groundwater is unacceptable, protection from cold winds by buildings or relief is desirable. In this sense, the western and southern gentle slopes with accumulation a large number snow.

When growing and caring for yew, remember that the tree grows very slowly for the first six to seven years. Its growth accelerates significantly after 7-8 years, when annual increments can reach 15 cm or more in height and about the same in breadth.

Plant care is about maintaining moisture and soil fertility. In a drought, watered once every two weeks with irrigation of the crown. It is advisable to water in the evening, then the plants will be in a humid atmosphere that is useful to them until the morning. A good technique, as with other conifers, is to mulch the root zone.

One of the important conditions for growing yew is soil aeration. Yew loves breathable soils, so loosening should be done regularly. But you should not do it deeply, but only destroy the crust that appears.

In autumn, it is useful to cover the trunks of plants with fallen leaves. decorative trees... In addition to improving aeration and enhancing the activity of earthworms, a favorable consequence of this technique is an improvement in wintering conditions. Shelter bushes in middle lane Russia is superfluous, except if the landing is too late.

A freely growing yew tree often has a sparse, uneven crown. Mostly decorative forms have dense crowns. Meanwhile, both are equally suitable for haircuts. A “pillow” can be formed from a squat, spread-out plant. Conversely, an upward-looking tree is more suitable for creating vertical shapes. You should not get carried away with the complexity of the outlines. "Pillows", balls, pyramids or fusiform crowns look no less impressive. The main thing is that the surface of the haircut is perfectly flat.

Yew has a high shoot-forming ability, so any shortening causes intense tillering. Do not use heavy pruning. And then you will be pleased to see how the crown will thicken more and more.

Berry yew belongs to the oldest genus of conifers, the Yew (Yew) family. In European forests, the foothills of the Carpathians and the Caucasus, you can find majestic specimens a couple of thousand years old. Yew has long been valued for the quality of wood, from which beautiful and durable furniture was made and houses were built. It is known that yew wood has bactericidal properties and practically does not rot.

In modern ornamental horticulture, it is used as an evergreen ornamental crop. Planted as a hedge, used to create green sculptures.

Berry yew is a slow-growing evergreen conifer tree, reaching a height of 15 m. Its shoots are covered with reddish bark, spreading crown. The needles are flat, up to 3 cm long, green. Yew blooms in March in small inconspicuous flowers. After flowering, bright red fruits similar to a rosehip are formed on it.

Yew berries are poisonous!

In nature, berry yew grows in European forests. The plant is now recognized rare species and guarded.

Popular varieties in the Moscow region

• Adpressa golden is a low-growing variety of berry yew, reaching only one meter in height at the age of 10 years. The needles of the plant are colored golden-greenish. Planted on alpine hills, and as a curb plant. Perennial is picky about good lighting.
• Fastigiata is a pyramidal plant, in adulthood it can reach 6 m. It grows slowly, needs shelter for the winter. It has golden color needles.
• Elegantissima for its 10th anniversary reaches a height of 100 cm, and up to 150 cm in diameter. The branches are densely covered with greenish-white needles. Yew of this variety is winter-hardy, tolerates shade, does not require special care.
• Samergold is an unpretentious variety that forms a compact spherical bush, no more than a meter high. The needles are small, dense, golden in color.
• David - forms vertical bushes, up to 2 m in height and 70 cm in diameter. The color of the needles is light green, with a yellowish tinge. The plant is actively used to form hedges.
• Repandez forms a lush, spreading bush, densely covered with yellow-green needles. In a year, it gives an increase of 8 - 10 cm, in adulthood, the height reaches 4 m. Ephedra is light-loving.

Reproduction methods

Berry yew can be sown by seed and planted by cuttings.

Sow it before winter, in October, using fresh seeds. Spring sowing, even after stratification, shows the worst results.

A simpler method is vegetative propagation. Twigs are used for grafting, at the age of 3-4 years. They are cut from a plant in October, cutting off a stalk 20 cm long. The twigs, with the lower part cleared of needles, are placed in pots filled with a mixture of peat and sand (perlite). For better survival, plantings are spilled with a solution of heteroauxin or root and kept indoors, at a temperature of + 14 ... + 16 degrees and moderate watering. In spring, rooted yew seedlings are planted in the garden.

Choosing a place in the garden and preparing the soil

It is better to plant the berry yew in lighted areas and in a small shade. Plants should not be in direct scorching rays of the sun, otherwise the needles may burn.

Soils for ephedra require humus-rich, loose. There should be no stagnation of moisture in the root zone. Good composition soil for berry yew: sod land, sand, peat (3: 2: 2). The acidity of the soil is suitable alkaline and slightly acidic.

The root system of the yew tree penetrates deep into the soil, so the plant is drought-resistant. But this feature makes it impossible to land in places with a close occurrence of groundwater. The device of a drainage layer and raised ridges will not help in this case.

Landing

When purchasing seedlings of yew berry in a store or nursery, you should pay attention to the general condition of the plant. The trunk and crown should have a characteristic color for the variety; the bark should not have wounds, cracks, wet spots. The soil in the seedling pot should be free of mold.

Planting is best done in spring, in April-May, when the soil has warmed up enough, but is still filled with moisture. The distance between the yew bushes ranges from 50 cm to 3 m, it all depends on the size of the adult plant. For a hedge, seedlings are placed denser than usual.

The depth of the planting pit is 60 - 80 cm. The pit is filled with loose fertile soil mixed with a complex fertilizer for conifers (Kemira, Buisk fertilizers) at the recommended rate. The seedling is placed in a hole without deepening the root collar of the plant.

After planting, the yew is watered abundantly. The soil is mulched with pine bark or sawdust, peat.

Care

Young plants in the first year after planting are regularly watered, spending up to a bucket of water per bush. Adult yews are content with natural precipitation.

Top dressing is carried out once a year - in spring, with full mineral fertilizer for conifers.

In early spring, the needles of the yew tree can suffer from the burning March sun. To protect the plant, it is wrapped in light lutrasil or other light material in the fall.

For the winter, the berry yew does not require shelter, only young plants are sprinkled with peat or sawdust.

Sprawling crowns can break under the weight of the snow covering them. Bushes with especially lush branches for the winter are tied in bunches.

The plant tolerates a haircut perfectly. The obligatory pruning procedure takes place in the spring, when damaged and weak branches are removed. Formative pruning and pinching can be done throughout the summer.

Role in garden design

Lush evergreen yew berry bushes look great in single and group plantings in rocky gardens and rock gardens. A dense crown with dense needles and good pruning responsiveness makes it an excellent crop for green sculptures.

Living yew hedges are durable, decorative all year round and do not require careful maintenance.

The southern side of the berry yew is burning, you have to bandage the branches for the winter. We want to transplant it. When is it better to do it and which site to choose?

L. Sayanova

Yew berry: beautiful, but not here

Yew is one of the conifers that are easy to buy but difficult to grow.

I'll start with general characteristics plants.

Berry yew (Taxus baccata) is a slow growing shrub or tree. Only at the age of ten does it reach a meter in height, but since the yew is a long-lived plant in a climate favorable for it, it can reach 10-20 m in height. Begins to bear fruit at the age of 20-30. Bears fruit annually.

Moisture-loving and shade-tolerant. Prefers fertile soil. The needles, bark, yew seeds are poisonous. And only the flesh of the berries is pecked with pleasure by birds, carrying seeds over long distances. So they help the yew to settle down.

In ornamental gardening, yew is planted in areas shaded by large trees. It is well cut, since it retains the ability to form shoots all its life.

When planting, the root collar must be located at soil level. A young bush is covered for the winter. Mature plants are more winter-hardy.

Yews attract with spectacular needles and excellent crown structure.

Yew berry is the most common in the culture. It does not grow very well in central Russia.

European berry yew is very picky about air humidity. It is better to plant yews in protected and even completely shady places, which is especially important in our region: plants are very afraid of early spring burns.

They prefer rich and moist soil. Their root system is rather superficial. It is interesting that these plants tolerate transplanting even at a fairly respectable age.

The reader did not indicate what form of yew grows in her - columnar or creeping... The creeping form is more reliable. There is a dwarf form of the yew berry Repandes (Taxus baccata Repandens). The height of the bush is 40 cm, with time it grows in breadth. The branches are horizontally growing, the lower ones are slightly raised, firm.

Protecting the berry yew for the winter

Severe frosts for yew are most dangerous at the end of winter, when the plant begins to wake up and its winter hardiness decreases. Protecting conifers from frost, you should, first of all, insulate the roots, especially in winters with little snow.

Hilling with snow, mulching of near-trunk circles with peat, fallen leaves, spruce and pine needles will help.

Conifers growing on open place as well as young and transplanted plants. Wire frames wrapped in lutrasil, spunbond and other non-woven materials will keep the air gap around the plant. The shelter should be at some distance from the needles, otherwise in early spring the plant can still get sunburn.

If the frame is difficult to make for some reason, the crown is loosely wrapped in several layers with dense lutrasil. You can also wrap with burlap or gauze cloth. But these materials get wet in the thaw, which is undesirable.

Do not use plastic wrap or roofing felt for winter shelter. From the beginning of the thawing of the soil, the shelters are gradually removed from the crowns, airing the plants.

The reason for burning needles in spring

Evaporation of moisture from the surface of the needles continues throughout the winter, when the roots, which are in the frozen ground, are not able to replenish this moisture. The result is the so-called physiological drought. Conifers can dry out especially strongly in frosty, sunny and windy weather.

Transplanting berry yew

In early spring, when the soil warms up (we usually have it in late March or early April), try replanting your yew tree.

Choose a shady, sheltered place and prepare a planting pit 0.5-0.6 m deep and slightly larger than a clod of earth in the yew being transplanted. Pour a drainage layer 15 cm thick at the bottom of the pit, then pour the soil mixture, spill well. Place the plant with a lump of earth so that the root collar is strictly at the level of the soil surface. Fill with potting mix, compact and water again. Form a shallow tree trunk circle and fill it with mulch.

The composition of the potting mix should be approximately the following: equal amounts leafy earth, peat and sand. Place a cover on the frame above the plant (see above) and do not remove it until you see a young growth.

Spray the plant 2-3 times a week. When the plant is accepted, use a special mineral supplement for conifers according to the instructions.

Berry yew (Taxus baccata) - benefits and harms, recipes from the herbalist

Growing

Grows better in a well-lit area, not bad in light shade.

In spring, it can be damaged by recurrent frosts, so it is advisable to hide it under a frame with lutrasil stretched over it. In young plants, the near-stem zone should be mulched with peat (4-5 cm layer).

Suitable for growing is light, well-fertilized soil, such as sandy loam, slightly acidic or alkaline.

Yew recipes

For rheumatism, gout, skin mycosis, dermatitis, for the treatment of scabies 0.5 tsp. boil the needles of yew berry 1 tbsp. boiling water, boil for 30 minutes. in a water bath, cool for 15 minutes, strain, squeeze, add boiled water to the original volume. Make lotions from the broth on sore and inflamed areas of the skin and joints. Keep them for no more than 8 minutes, repeat three times a day.

Contraindications of yew berry

Due to the deadly toxicity, herbal remedies of berry yew are not recommended for oral administration!

Watering is necessary only in drought. It responds well to sprinkling every 15-16 days.

When planting, it is good to add 1 tbsp under the plant. nitroammophos. The next year - 55-65 g.

For the winter, it is better to tie the crown in order to avoid fractures.

Tolerates strong formative pruning and shearing (early spring).

Yew (yew) is one of the longest-lived plants. According to legend, it is this tree that guards the entrance to the kingdom of the dead. Its wood has always been used to make expensive tombs. The crayfish for the relics was also made of yew. Warriors and athletes ordered bows from the branches of this tree. It is believed that it was from the yew bow that Richard the Lionheart was killed. Yews adorned medieval castles, they poisoned enemies.

This yew is many years old

Description of some types of yew

V Western Europe often meets yew berry (Taxus baccata) families Yew (Taxaceae), therefore this species is sometimes called European yew. It is a relatively tall evergreen coniferous tree or shrub. It can be seen in Belovezhskaya Pushcha and in the Kaliningrad region, yew feels good in the Crimea and the Caucasus. In mountainous areas it often grows as tall shrubs. Near Khosta (between Sochi and Adler) on the eastern slope of Mount Akhun there is a relict yew-boxwood grove. In 1931 it became a nature reserve, now it is under the protection of UNESCO. There is a very old yew berry growing in Scotland, which is about nine thousand years old.

The garden forms of the berry yew are varied: columnar, weeping, dwarf, squat, flattened, creeping and prostrate.

The needles of a yew tree are not needle-shaped, but flat. It is usually green or with a bluish tinge, in some varieties it is silver-variegated, golden-bronze or with yellow stripes. There are varieties that change the “summer” color of the needles for the winter.

Yew varieties " Summergold "Has yellowish needles. A slow-growing variety " Elegantissima "The needles turn white by winter. This beautiful yew must be insulated well for the winter.

Among the berry yews, there are low-growing shrubs with a height of only 0.5 - 1.5 m. These are “ Repandens "(With blue-green needles, often takes on a creeping crown) and" Elegantissima ". Variety " Fastigiata »In the suburbs it is undersized, in a milder climate it is higher. It often freezes in winter.

I consider a hybrid one of the most beautiful “ Silver Spire "With a columnar crown. When blooming, the needles have a yellowish edging, later (especially in winter) they become bluish-silver.

The wood of the berry yew is hard and heavy, red in color. It joins the long list of mahogany breeds. The tree does not rot for a long time, has bactericidal properties. Since ancient times, funeral sarcophagi and cult accessories have been made from it. The wood is perfectly polished and is used for the manufacture of expensive carved furniture and boxes.

All parts of the yew tree are poisonous to humans and most pets. Therefore, in some places, these trees were cut down after massive poisoning of residents and livestock. There were times when enemies were specially treated to drinks poured into yew goblets. Older plants have the highest concentration of toxins.

Another species grows into a beautiful winter-hardy tree or shrub - pointed yew(T. cuspidate)... In nature, it can be seen in Sakhalin, the South Kuriles, Korea, China and Japan. In the Primorsky Territory, there is the Lazovsky State Nature Reserve, where a grove of relict pointed yew grows on Petrov Island, which is more than a thousand years old.

The pointed yew has interesting tall and semi-dwarf varieties. A dense bush with a golden crown looks beautiful " Dwarf bright gold ". It is worth looking for a low-growing variety on sale " Monloo »With a dense pillow-shaped crown.

Even nurseries rarely have seedlings. canadian yew(T. canadensis). This winter-hardy species is represented by low shrubs from the east of North America.

Medium yew- a hybrid of berry yew and pointed yew, bred in the very early XIX century in the United States. He produced many wonderful varieties. For example, with a wide-pyramidal crown (height 4 m, width 3 m) varieties " Hatfieldii ". Unfortunately, many varieties can freeze over in winter. A dwarf variety with a bright green flattened wide crown is distinguished by winter hardiness " Taunton » (« Taunyonii »).

Growing yew

Place... Yew berry is a shade-tolerant coniferous tree or shrub, listed in the Red Book. In nature, his seedlings first grow under other trees, they need shading. It is worth choosing a place carefully, because we are planting a plant that will live for at least a thousand years!

The soil... Yew has a developed root system that allows it to live even on rocky soil. Its roots get moisture from great depths, so temporary drought is painlessly tolerated. This plant feels worse in areas where water stagnates. In such places, it is better to grow it not outdoors, but in containers.

Yew grows well in a container, but in the Moscow region it will have to be transferred to a frost-protected place for the winter.

Yew is suitable for any soil except acidic. It is planted on neutral, slightly alkaline or calcareous soils. Fertile soils preferable.

Watering... Water as the soil dries up, avoiding waterlogging.

Fertilizers... They use special fertilizers for conifers, containing all the necessary elements in the right concentration and proportions.

Wintering... Frosty winters can be a serious problem for young plants. In a sheltered and sheltered place, problems usually do not arise. Especially with additional insulation. In an open space, the seedling is at risk. The first three to four winters are insulated with spruce branches. The stunted forms, which are covered with snow in winter, are considered the most frost-resistant.

In frost, branches of yew (especially young yew) become fragile and may break. At the end of autumn, they are tied in a bundle, wrapped in non-woven fabric or placed on supports. This will protect the plants from damage caused by accumulated snow or freezing rain.

It is advisable to provide protection against sunburn. Especially in young plants.

Diseases and pests... Yew rarely gets sick, if agricultural technology is not grossly violated. Occasionally, "witch's brooms" with dense shortened shoots and pale needles may appear.

Reproduction of yew

Yew propagates by cuttings, cuttings and seeds.

Cuttings... This simple propagation method allows you to get good seedlings, if you take into account some of the features of the cutting. Sometimes it is taken from a branch that was directed upwards. Then, with a high probability, a compact slender tree will grow. A stalk from a horizontally directed branch will become a spreading or spreading coniferous. Therefore, it is difficult to predict what the tree will be like when the purchased seedling grows up. The use of rooting stimulants increases the percentage of rooted cuttings. Sometimes succinic acid or aloe juice is used.

Layers... This is another option for successfully rooting a yew tree. The lower branches touching the ground take root on their own.

Seeds... Seed propagation is quite difficult due to stratification, long period and uneven germination. Seedlings may appear one year or three years after sowing the seeds. They remain viable for about four years.

Berry yew is a dioecious plant, i.e. You cannot get seeds from every tree or bush. Begins to bear fruit at the age of 25-30 (sometimes later). The first 6 - 7 years, berry yew grows slowly. It should be borne in mind that even an adult plant is a slow-growing one. A ten-year-old yew tree can be a little over a meter tall.

The berry yew has no berries. What we think of as berries are the seedlings, or aryllus, roofs. A juicy, bright red shell envelops the light brown seeds. The pulp is slimy and sweetish. People are better off not trying it, although it is the least poisonous part of the plant. Birds (especially blackbirds) like it.

Berry yew seeds are surrounded by a juicy scarlet roof

Formation

Yew tolerates pruning easily. The stump left over from a cut tree grows over time with overgrowth. and yew screens become dense if they are regularly shaped.

Balls, cubes, pyramids and intricate shapes are cut from the dense crown of a coniferous tree. These figures last for a long time, because yew grows very slowly. You need to skillfully form the crown, because any error will be noticeable for a long time.

Only craftsmen can form a yew like this.

I like to form the crowns of a variety of trees and shrubs, decorate the site with garden bonsai. But our yew, which is about fifteen years old, grows at ease. I still hesitate to take a pruner in my hands to remove some of its luxurious dark green branches.

Don't forget about it

Yew is a poisonous plant, which must be taken into account when choosing a planting site.

Young seedlings need a special microclimate. They grow better with light shading, especially between conifers.

Many varieties of yew will grow over time, which must be taken into account when planting. This plant is planted for centuries.

Yew seedlings planted on the lawn

Many interesting varieties yew (especially berry yew) do not always tolerate our winters well.

I advise you to first practice on the gentle corrective pruning of the yew crown and only then proceed to a more daring one. Creation complex figures requires skill. Slow growing yew is not best plant for beginners mastering the art of curly haircut.

It has been noticed that those workers of parks and garden complexes who are engaged in regular shearing of yew, more often than others, suffer from headaches and poor health after work.

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The tree-like shrub called "berry yew" has a rich history. Even in the days of Ancient Egypt, this representative of the plant world was highly valued for its beautiful, durable wood with unique bactericidal properties. Enviable unpretentiousness makes berry yew, planting and caring for which is very simple, a favorite plant of many landscape designers... It perfectly tolerates pruning and allows you to create very interesting garden compositions both in single plantings and in curbs and hedges. The peculiar beauty of Taxus baccata lies in the amazing harmonious combination juicy green needles and spectacular red berries.

In its natural habitat, this shrub, and sometimes a whole tree, grows mainly in Europe and the Caucasus. There it can reach 30 m in height, but it is quite possible to grow a small neat specimen in the garden.

Yew berry. Landing

Unlike many horticultural crops, Taxus baccata thrives in shaded areas, but still prefers good lighting. Yew perfectly tolerates gas pollution, therefore it is suitable for growing in urban conditions.

Mahogany loves alkaline soils more, but it can fully grow and develop in slightly acidic soil. Prefers loams and fairly high humidity, but does not tolerate stagnant water well. Absolutely undemanding to soil fertility.

When planting berry yew, it should be taken into account that the distance between the seedlings should be at least 2 m, and the landing site should be well protected from the harsh wind. With single plantings of seedlings, the planting pit, which has a depth of about 60-70 cm, is covered with a substrate of sand, peat and garden soil, mixed in equal proportions. Adding coniferous soil containing mushroom spores to the soil during planting will have a beneficial effect on the growth of yew. Remember that plants with a deep root collar do not take root well and develop well.

When planting, to create a hedge, it would be more correct to immediately dig a trench about 50 cm deep and place seedlings in it with an interval of 0.5-1 m.For a two-row hedge, two trenches with a depth of about 70 cm are prepared at once.

The most optimal planting dates are from mid-August to October, but planting in spring is also possible, provided that it is protected from possible frost.

Care for young seedlings is very minimal. It is required immediately after planting to add mineral fertilizing for conifers, water and loosen the seedlings every month, remove weeds, mulch the near-trunk circle with chips or sawdust up to 10 cm thick.Young yew root system does not tolerate frosts well, so for the winter the bush should be insulated with spruce branches or sawdust.

Taxus baccata 'Repandens'

Growing care

An adult berry yew practically does not need any maintenance. They only require periodic sanitary pruning and watering during particularly dry periods. To create the most favorable conditions in hot weather, weekly irrigation of the plant crown with water can be carried out.

Young plants during the active growing season will be grateful for spring feeding with a weak solution of complex mineral fertilizer.
Before wintering, it is better to collect the branches of the shrub into a bunch using twine or wire to protect them from possible breakage under the weight of the snow cover.

With the onset of early spring, it is better to shade young Taxus baccata from bright sunlight with spruce branches or craft paper.

Taxus baccata 'Adpressa Aurea'

Reproduction

Yew propagates in two ways: cuttings and seeds.

Seed reproduction is a rather long process, since the yew grows very slowly and by the age of 30 it reaches only 1 m in height. For gardeners who have chosen this difficult way breeding, you should know that yew seeds remain viable for only 4 years, and a year and a half should pass before they germinate. In addition, before planting, the seeds must necessarily go through a period of holding at low temperatures, the so-called stratification, which takes 3-4 months.

A much more reliable and fast breeding option is cuttings. For this, cuttings are cut from lateral or vertical shoots. The branches should be between 3 and 5 years old. This is done in spring or early autumn. Cuttings from vertical shoots will result in a tall tree, and a sprawling bush will grow from horizontal cuttings.

Prepared planting material soaked in a growth stimulator, and the needles from the bottom are removed. For the substrate, mix peat and sand in a 2: 1 ratio.

In spring, cuttings can be planted directly into open ground, protecting them from frost with a small greenhouse. The entire rooting period, which usually takes about 3 months, plantings are regularly watered, not allowing them to dry out. In autumn, plantings are made in specially prepared containers, which are kept warm until spring, without forgetting to moisturize.

The greenhouse must be removed from the cuttings planted in open ground at the end of August so that the plants have time to undergo hardening before the onset of negative temperatures.

Taxus baccata 'Overeynder'

Yew berry in landscape design

Both European and Eastern landscape design one cannot do without this shrub, whose evergreen needles are a wonderful decoration for gardens and parks. It is great for creating hedges as well as garden sculpture. The variety of decorative forms allows you to choose a suitable specimen for both a spacious park and a small garden. Single landings, especially decorated with bright berries at the end of the flight, also look very impressive, for example, on an alpine slide.

The most suitable varieties for planting in central Russia are such varieties as the widespread low shrub Repandens or the small (up to 3 m) frost-resistant Adpressa tree, with short, raised, crowded branches.

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The genus of yew has 8 varieties of monoecious or dioecious evergreen shrubs and trees. In the wild, yew is extremely rare.

One and a half kilometers from the Caucasian resort of Khosta there is a sieve-boxwood grove. In the upper part of the Alazani River there is one of the largest groves of berry yew, its area is more than 800 hectares, and the average age of plants is 350-500 years, in some specimens the age has exceeded 1500 years.

It is worth remembering that all parts of this plant are poisonous, only the seed grape is safe.

Yew tolerates drought very well, it has a highly developed root system and is able to get water from the deepest aquifers.

Yew care

It is advisable to use "Kemiru Universal" during the landing. In the spring next year you can apply mineral fertilizer.

You need to water the plant once a month, 10-12 liters will be enough. Sprinkling is done every two weeks. Loosening should be done only in the first 2-3 years to a depth of 10-15 centimeters.

Young plantings must be covered for the winter with a small (5-7 cm) layer of peat. In addition, under the influence of cold, they become very fragile and break from the accumulated snow, so they are neatly tied into one bundle.

You can protect from burns with kraft paper or spruce branches. Mulching can be done with chips, while the layer should be at least 8 cm.

Mature plants tolerate low temperatures well and do not need additional care. Yew is resistant to heavy pruning and crown formation. Dry shoots can be removed up to 1/3 of the shoot length.

Planting a yew tree

Soil for planting yew: sand, sod land, peat in proportion (3: 2: 2).

Yew can be planted in both slightly acidic and alkaline soils. For pointed yew, loamy podzolic soil is suitable, it is advisable to avoid swampy and acidic soil.

It is preferable to plant the Canadian yew on slightly acidic soils, and the medium yew on slightly alkaline or neutral soils.

As drainage, you can use broken brick covered with a layer of sand 20 cm thick. Yew is very sensitive to high soil moisture and the presence of toxic substances in it, therefore it is unsuitable for cultivation within the city.

The distance between plants should be within 0.6-2.5 m. Planting is carried out at a depth of 60-70 cm, while the root collar should be above the ground.

Reproduction of yew

Reproduction of yew is possible both by cuttings and by germinating seeds. This plant bears fruit for two years in a row, the third year of fruiting is absent.

Seed ripening occurs in autumn, at which time the color of the seed plant becomes transparent and slightly glassy.

Yews reproduce well by cuttings, and not only fresh shoots are accepted, but also two years ago. Empirically, the feature was noticed that cuttings taken from the branches give vertical, compact bushes.

And those cuttings that were taken from horizontal branches produce low, sprawling plants. True, this difference remains noticeable only during the first 100-200 years of a plant's life. In the future, it takes on its natural form.

Yews also reproduce well by grafting and layering.

Using yew in the garden

The use of yew in landscape design is very diverse and depends, first of all, on the type of plant. It is great for forming hedges and looks good both in groups and singly.

Can be used to create alpine slides, container landscaping, or group plantings on a parterre lawn.

Berry yew is held in high esteem by landscape designers due to its originality. This coniferous culture with scarlet drupes looks graceful and elegant in any composition. In addition to good external data, berry yew is distinguished by a long lifespan, simplicity and unpretentious cultivation in the open field. To fully reveal the beauty of the varieties of this plant, take care of the correct and timely planting and caring for it.

Description: varieties and varieties of berry yew

Berry yew is a unique coniferous culture:

• cones do not grow on it;
• the tree does not emit resins with a characteristic odor;
• wood does not rot, does not sink and has a strong bactericidal effect.

Plant characteristics:

• height - usually about 1 m;
• crown shape - oval, dense, has several tops;
• needles - up to 3.5 cm, flat and soft, dark or yellow-green hue;

Yew berry fruits

• in autumn, the branches are covered with bright scarlet berries;
• the root is powerful and branched, capable of drowning out neighboring plants.

Pick up suitable grade yew can even be seen from the photo. Most demanded:

Attention! The culture is listed in the Red Book.

Yew berry: planting a plant

Berry yew varieties differ significantly in their character. However, there are some common features:

1. The culture needs a light, nutritious and well-drained soil. A substrate of peat and river sand (40% each) in combination with leaf turf (30%) has proven itself well.
2. Acidity is not a fundamental soil parameter for a plant. The main thing is that it is not sandy.
3. Most varieties do not tolerate smoke, gases and heavy deposits in the ground of a large city.
4. For the predominant number of varieties of yew, excess moisture in the soil is destructive.

Yew should be planted only in spring. Make a hole in the ground about 0.7 m deep. For a single-row hedge, dig a trench about half a meter deep. There should be at least 2 m between the seedlings. Place the plant in the hole, dig in and water.

Attention! When planting, the root collar should remain above the ground.

Caring for berry yew

This culture belongs to the northern, and in general is able to cope with the vagaries of the Russian weather. Caring for her can be reduced to the following aspects:

Planting berry yew

• The plant needs regular watering in the first 2 seasons. The norm is 6-10 liters once a month for each tree. Your job is to keep the soil moist, but not overdo it. For example, you shouldn't water the tree if the summer is rainy. And vice versa: in drought, it is better to increase the rate a little.
• Spray needles to remove dust. This should be done a couple of times a month in addition to watering.
• Yew roots in the first 2-3 seasons are in dire need of air access, so it is better to loosen the soil more often. Depth - up to 15 cm.
• In the first year of life in the open field, cover the near-stem section of the yew tree with peat or mulch from wood chips with a layer of at least 5 cm.
• Young trees should be insulated at the end of autumn with spruce branches. Adult plants do not need such care.
• From the second year of life in the open field, the yew needs pruning. In early spring, shorten the branches by 1/3. Also remove damaged and dried out shoots. In adult plants, pruning is more thorough, taking into account the varietal characteristics.

Fertilization and feeding of berry yew

In the process of growing, the plant needs several fertilizers:

1. When landing. Before placing the seedling in the hole, apply a universal mineral mixture - 100 g / m2.
2. Re-feeding with the same complex - 70 g / m2.
3. Annual fertilization in spring with rotted organic matter - once a season.
4. Annual summer feeding with liquid mullein - 2 times a season.

Advice. Dig out before fertilizing upper layer soil.

Plant propagation on the site

Reproduction of yew berry in the open field can be carried out by cuttings or seeds. It will take at least 1.5 years to grow seedlings from seeds. First, find the berries. They need to be plucked in the fall:

It is very important to observe the regime of watering the yew berry

1. Peel off the pulp. Dry.
2. Stratify. To do this, store in a low humidity and temperature of about +5 ° C.
3. After a year, the seeds can be sown in fertile and loose soil, under a film. The soil in the pot must be covered with a layer of pine needles.

With this care, about 70% of the seeds should sprout by the spring. Without stratification, seedlings will have to wait at least three years. But instead of this procedure, you can use when seed reproduction chemical treatment: pour for 30 min. sulfuric acid and then rinse vigorously. It is permissible to use both methods at once.

To get a propagating stalk at the beginning of autumn, find an adult branch and cut it into 15-20 cm segments.At least 3 shoots should remain on each. Peel off the needles from the lower end of the twig and place it in a container. The soil is peat, sand and crushed coniferous bark. In the coming spring, the trees can be rooted. In open ground, they will grow in 7 years, in a greenhouse in 5.

Advice. For accelerated reproduction and cultivation, cuttings are advised to be treated with a root stimulant before planting.

Diseases and pests of berry yew

When grown in a sunny place with proper care the plant has a powerful immunity to various ailments. Sometimes insects disturb the berry yew:

• yew gall midge;
• yew false shield.

Yew seed

You can find them out from the photo. Traditional methods are not effective against them. In both cases, treat the wood with a 2% mixture of karbofos. In the fight against false shield, prophylactic spraying with nitrofen will help until the kidneys swell.

Yew berry: combination with other plants

Depending on the variety, yew can be used to create green hedges, borders, accents in the composition. Figures are also cut out of the tree, which then retain their shape for a long time. The combination of berry yew with other flowering crops is almost always advantageous. A tree looks especially good in a company with a juniper, western thuja, Japanese quince.

Planting yew berry: video

It is not difficult to grow yews in the garden. You just need to adhere to the rules for handling them.

Landing place

A place for planting yew trees must be protected from the sun and wind, preferably under a canopy of coniferous and deciduous species. The distance between plants should be between 0.6 and 2.5 m; for large-sized plants - 3-4 m. The root collar remains at ground level. The depth of the planting pit is 60-70 cm.

To plant a hedge from yews, it is necessary to dig trenches. The depth and width of a single-row trench is 0.5 m. A double-row trench should be 0.7 m wide and 0.5 m deep.

Soil for yew

The planting mixture for yews is made up of turf, peat and sand in a ratio of 3: 2: 2. At the bottom of the planting pit, it is imperative to lay drainage - broken brick and sand with a layer of 20 cm.

Some species have soil preferences. Yew berry can grow on both alkaline and slightly acidic soils. Yew pointed grows on slightly podzolized loamy soils, avoids acidic and waterlogged. Yew canadian prefers slightly acidic soils, but in culture it can grow on neutral ones. Yew middle best on neutral or slightly alkaline soils; it is less picky about growing conditions than others.

Yew care

When planting yew, Kemiru-wagon is applied at the rate of 100 g / m². After a year, the planting is fed with a full mineral fertilizer (nitroammophos) in the amount of 50-70 g / m².

If the weather is dry during the warm season, then the yews are watered once a month, giving 10-12 liters of water for each adult plant. To clean the needles and trunk from dust, yews need sprinkling - once every 2 weeks. If the warm season is rainy, then watering is optional.

Only young plantings should be loosened during the first 2-3 years, especially if there are signs of soil compaction around the trunks. The depth of loosening is 10-15 cm. It is recommended to mulch the space near the trunk with chips or peat, the layer thickness is 8 cm.

Yews tolerate shearing well and strong pruning during crown formation (pruning 1/3 of the length of the shoot). If you want to form a crown, pruning should be done in early spring, early April. Dry shoots are removed completely.

In the first year after planting, the trunks of young yews must be covered with peat (5 cm layer), then spruce branches. Adult plants hibernate without shelter.

Most often on yews there are “registered” pests - yew gall midge and yew false shield. To combat gall midge, it is necessary to treat with karbofos near-table circles and crowns in the spring. Against the false shield, plants are sprayed with nitrafen in the spring, before bud break, and in the summer with rogor.

Covering materials for winter

How to check the acidity of the soil?