- Characteristics
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Details
One of only three native British conifers, yew is often seen in woodlands and gardens where its blackish-green foliage and shaggy red-brown bark make it the most identifiable of trees. With dark, narrow leaves and a very dense habit of growth, it makes an ideal hedge (arguably the best), is often used for topiary and has good wildlife value. Yews are probably the longest-lived European tree; estimates put some specimens at over 2,000 years old.
Site and soil
Yew does well on all but the very wettest of soils. It prefers well-drained soil, either acid sands or chalk and is good on exposed coastal sites. It can cope with dense shade and is tolerant of pollution.
Height and spread
Below are the approximate stages of growth, assuming sited in suitable conditions for this species;
After 10 years: 2.5m x 1m
After 20 years: 5m x 1.5mLeaf and bark
The leaves are very narrow, a dark blackish-brown, paler on the undersides. The bark is dark brown, peeling in strips to reveal reddish patches beneath. The leaves, wood and bark are poisonous.
Flower, seed and fruit
Yew trees are dioecious, that is both male and female flowers are borne on separate trees. Both open in March, the males larger, to 0.6cm, and yellow, the females green and tiny. Male trees shed copious amounts of pollen as the flowers mature. The female flowers ripen to form red, berry-like fruits called arils, enclosing a single seed. The seed is poisonous, although the flesh of the aril is not. When bought in quantity there is a good chance that both sexes will be represented.
Uses
Specimen tree, woodland, parkland, topiary and hedging. Although yew has a reputation for being slow-growing, it is faster when young and hedges planted in well-prepared ground should make 30-40cm of growth a year. Large topiary specimens are used to line avenues in grand houses, and yew hedges were traditionally used as a backdrop to large herbaceous borders.
Yew was famously used to make English longbows, and it is used to make furniture and in cabinet making. Yews have a strong association with churchyards, where it has been suggested that they were planted to protect and purify the dead, but many trees are older than the churches themselves and they are thought to have been sacred to the earlier Druidic religion. Yew leaves are collected commercially to make the drug Tamoxifen which is used to treat breast cancer.
Wildlife
Yew provides nesting sites and shelter for a variety of birds. Insects shelter in the peeling bark, and Tree- creepers are often to be seen searching them out. Birds like thrushes, fieldfares and waxwings feed on the fleshy arils, whilst others, like the Blue Tit, eat the seeds. Yews tend to become hollow with great age and insects, birds and small mammals colonise the opening for shelter and food.
- Plant Protection
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The main reasons for buying protection is to protect the plants against:
- Pests
- Spraying
- Strimming
Pests
When it comes to deciding what protection to choose the golden rule is to choose the product dependent on which pest you are protecting against. The below will help you in deciding what height of protection you will need.
Vole, Mice
20cmRabbit
60cmHare
75cmRoe Deer/Muntjac
1.20mFallow Deer
1.50mPest & Minimum Protection Height Protection Type
Where more than one size is listed, the wider diameter protection is recommended for taller, bushier plants.Support Required
Taller support is recommended for use in sandier, lighter soils and wider/stronger support should be used at exposed sites.
Vole, Mice
20cmVole Guard
20cmNone required Pest & Minimum Protection Height Protection Type
Where more than one size is listed, the wider diameter protection is recommended for taller, bushier plants.Support Required
Taller support is recommended for use in sandier, lighter soils and wider/stronger support should be used at exposed sites.Sorted by price; lowest to highest
Rabbit
60cmSpiral Guard*
60cm x 38mm, 60cm x 50mm
*Not recommended for this speciesBamboo Cane
90cm x 9-11lbs, 12-14lbs or 14-16lbsTubex Easywrap*
60cm x 50-65mm
*Not recommended for this speciesBamboo Cane
90cm x 9-11lbs, 12-14lbs or 14-16lbsMesh Guard with Spray Shield
60cm x 130mm2 x Bamboo Canes
90cm x 9-11lbs, 12-14lbs or 14-16lbsTubex Fruitwrap*
60cm x 65-80mm
*Not recommended for this speciesBamboo Cane
90cm x 9-11lbs, 12-14lbs or 14-16lbsTubex Ecostart*
60cm x 57-73cm
*Not recommended for this speciesSquare Sawn Tree Stake
75cm x 25mm, 75cm x 32mmTubex Tree Shelter
60cm x 73-105mmSquare Sawn Tree Stake
75cm x 25mm, 75cm x 32mmTubex Shelterguard Mesh Tube
60cm x 80-110mmSquare Sawn Tree Stake
75cm x 25mm, 75cm x 32mmTubex Treeguard Mesh Tube
60cm x 80-110mmSquare Sawn Tree Stake
75cm x 25mm, 75cm x 32mmTubex Shrub Shelter
60cm x 130-160mm, 60cm x 144-200mmSquare Sawn Tree Stake
75cm x 25mm, 75cm x 32mmTubex Shrub Shelterguard Mesh Tube
60cm x 130-160mm, 60cm x 170-200mmSquare Sawn Tree Stake
75cm x 25mm, 75cm x 32mmTubex Treeguard Mesh Tube for Shrubs
60cm x 130-160mm, 60cm x 170-200mmSquare Sawn Tree Stake
75cm x 25mm, 75cm x 32mmPest & Minimum Protection Height Protection Type
Where more than one size is listed, the wider diameter protection is recommended for taller, bushier plants.Support Required
Taller support is recommended for use in sandier, lighter soils and wider/stronger support should be used at exposed sites.Sorted by price; lowest to highest
Hare
75cmTubex Easywrap*
75cm x 50-65mm
*Not recommended for this speciesBamboo Cane
90cm x 9-11lbs, 12-14lbs, 14-16lbs or 1.20m x 20-22lbsSpiral Guard*
75cm x 50mm
*Not recommended for this speciesBamboo Cane
90cm x 9-11lbs, 12-14lbs, 14-16lbs or 1.20m x 20-22lbsTubex Fruitwrap*
75cm x 65-80mm
*Not recommended for this speciesBamboo Cane
90cm x 9-11lbs, 12-14lbs, 14-16lbs or 1.20m x 20-22lbsTubex Ecostart*
75cm x 57-73mm
*Not recommended for this speciesSquare Sawn Tree Stake
90cm x 25mm, 90cm x 32mmTubex Tree Shelter
75cm x 73-105mmSquare Sawn Tree Stake
90cm x 25mm, 90cm x 32mmTubex Combitube
75cm x 73-105mmSquare Sawn Tree Stake
90cm x 25mm, 90cm x 32mmTubex Shelterguard Mesh Tube
90cm x 80-110mmSquare Sawn Tree Stake
90cm x 25mm, 90cm x 32mmTubex Treeguard Mesh Tube
75cm x 80-110mm, 90cm x 80-110mmSquare Sawn Tree Stake
90cm x 25mm, 90cm x 32mmTubex Shrub Shelter
75cm x 130-160mm, 75cm x 144-200mmSquare Sawn Tree Stake
90cm x 25mm, 90cm x 32mmPest & Minimum Protection Height Protection Type
Where more than one size is listed, the wider diameter protection is recommended for taller, bushier plants.Support Required
Taller support is recommended for use in sandier, lighter soils and wider/stronger support should be used at exposed sites.Sorted by price; lowest to highest
Roe Deer/Muntjac
1.20mTubex Tree Shelter
1.20m x 73-105mm, 1.20m x 80-120mmSquare Sawn Tree Stake
1.20m x 32mm, 1.35m x 32mmTubex Combitube
1.20m x 73-105mmSquare Sawn Tree Stake
1.20m x 32mm, 1.35m x 32mmTubex Shelterguard Mesh Tube
1.20m x 80-110mmSquare Sawn Tree Stake
1.20m x 32mm, 1.35m x 32mmTubex Treeguard Mesh Tube
1.20m x 80-110mmSquare Sawn Tree Stake
1.20m x 32mm, 1.35m x 32mmGalvanised Mesh Tree Guard
1.20m x 300mmMachine Rounded Tree Stake
1.20m x 50mm, 1.50m x 50mmPest & Minimum Protection Height Protection Type
Where more than one size is listed, the wider diameter protection is recommended for taller, bushier plants.Support Required
Taller support is recommended for use in sandier, lighter soils and wider/stronger support should be used at exposed sites.Sorted by price; lowest to highest Fallow Deer
1.50mTubex Tree Shelter
1.50m x 80-120mm, 1.80m x 80-120mmSquare Sawn Tree Stake
1.50m x 32mm, 1.80m x 32mmTubex Combitube
1.50m x 80-120mm, 1.80m x 80-120mmSquare Sawn Tree Stake
1.50m x 32mm, 1.80m x 32mmTubex Shelterguard Mesh Tube
1.50m x 80-110mm, 1.80m x 80-110mmSquare Sawn Tree Stake
1.50m x 32mm, 1.80m x 32mmTubex Treeguard Mesh Tube
1.50m x 80-110mm, 1.80m x 80-110mmSquare Sawn Tree Stake
1.50m x 32mm, 1.80m x 32mmGalvanised Mesh Tree Guard
1.80m x 300mm, 1.80m x 600mmMachine Rounded Tree Stake
1.80m x 60mmSpraying
Tubex tree shelters offer the benefit of not only protecting against animal damage, they also ensure that herbicides do not come into contact with the plants during spraying.
The main reason for spraying is weed control, however, there are other options available to suppress weeds, such as weed control matting.
Strimming
Young plants should be protected from damage caused when strimming. To protect plants solely for strimming, our strimmer guards are the ideal product.
- Planting & Care
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Planting
Can be grown on to a tree or can be planted as a formal hedge.
We recommend planting in a straight line, 4 plants per metre.
Aftercare
Hedges and topiary should be trimmed once a year in summer. Older specimens or hedging which has lost its shape can be hard-pruned in late winter, but it is safest to cut back half the plant one year, wait for re-growth, then finish cutting back the following year. Ensure that heavily pruned plants are well fed and watered after pruning.