yew

A couple of weeks ago, I pulled the heaviest, thickest “urbandori” I have ever (and who knows, may ever) get as future bonsai material. Someone needed a Taxus removed to install a fence, so while the timing was not the best, it was non-negotiable. While the price was “free,” in reality it cost...

Hi there, I have bought a yew (taxus baccata) tree in mid-July this year (2025). Since the seller wanted to keep the bucket I have slip potted it into same size container (the rootball kept stable during repot, with quite heavy soil, but not rootbound). The tree was in good condition, having...

When is it the best time for chopping the apex and some of the thick branches of a yew tree, for compacting the size and encouraging backbudding to create thinner branches that can be wired? Is it possible to do this in mid summer? I am talking about reducing the 50 % of the foliage or more and...

Ok so I decided to make a thread about my collected yew tree (I posted this tree in the 'what did you do today' thread). The reason is that collecting yews can be quite tricky, as several members on this board have experienced. Hence I thought it would be interesting (and fun!) to see how this...

Hey everyone. Working on my first Yew at the moment. I have it growing in the ground after a trunk chop that removed probably 8 feet of upward growth from 3 large diameter trunks. It's had some die back but for the most part is very healthy and pushing lots of new growth. No clue where to go...

Last year I purchased this Yew and it has been in a gallon nursery pot since. The only reason I didn't repot last year was because when I removed the root mass from the pot I noticed the roots were not bound or even crowded. In a few weeks I'm looking to reduce the roots to get it ready or in...

I've had a Yew laying around that I've been meaning to get to and I finally made some time today. I left the branches longer to jin. I still might reduce the left branch a little more and bend it downwards. I want to give it the feel of a heavy branch that pulled itself downward and eventually...

I recently lucked into these 3 yews that were removed from someone's yard and the yard crew let me take them. I don't know what variety they are exactly, but around here (Dc area) it's mostly dwarf yews used for low hedging and I think that's what they are. Anyway, due to lack of space I would...

Hi all, First time posting here, but I've been browsing for a while. I collected this old Japanese yew that was a bush in someone's yard. I had a hell of a time getting it out of the ground, and because of the struggle I ended up being more careless to the root ball than I would have liked...

Basically my Taxus I noticed is turning brown, it's been a pretty cold winter often down to -20c or lower. It's warmed up a little now but still cold (-5 to 5 c.) my tree is on a protected glass balcony and out of the wind with the balcony about 5c warmer than outside. Any thoughts what it...

Every list I see of beginner species includes types of juniper, and although they are great, I’m curious as to what people think of other conifers. In your opinion, what are the top 5 easiest conifer species that aren’t junipers?

Basically I have a nursery stock yew I worked on at the end of May in a workshop and we created deadwood and cut maybe 70% foliage off. Since then it seems to have grown really healthy (I think, this is my first yew). I want to encourage the lower growth, especially the buds lower on the trunk...

So I recently went to my first workshop and it was great, I learnt a lot and It made me a little more confident with trying to do things alone. However when it comes to wiring I am still not confident in my abilities and I was hoping to get advice on the wiring here? Basically I used a young...

I have a big Taxus baccata in my parents garden. It is very bushy wide and around 2 meter high and with a trunk width approx a feet. My parents might sell their house within a year, but im promised i can dig up the yew before. Is a bit emotional, since the bush was my childhood hide out. Now i...

Hi everyone - fairly long time lurker, first time poster. I’ve been tinkering with nursery stock junipers and cotoneaster for 6 months or so. Reading and learning about bonsai for several years but only recently built up the nerve to have a go. I’m now a bit obsessed. Mostly practising...

Just recently finished the 1st initial structure styling of this Yew. Here's a before and after. I know it's really basic and needs trimmed and detail wiring but that can wait. Thinking I should let it recover all next year and do repot in 23. It was a learning experience for sure. Definitely...

This yew was dug from a hedge in May 2020. There were 3 others but I did not have the option of taking care of them and they perished in a field. It was originally growing in clay, then when I got it it went into the ground in my garden. I put black flower soil around the root(stump)s. As you...

Hi there, Just started bonsai, I’ve bought a small yew tree from the local nursery. Hoping to teach myself the basics. Unsure which branches to keep and which to chopping off to get the bonsai style/shape. Was thinking of cutting at the red line but unsure what to do next. Any suggestions/advice...

So I made the mistake repotting my yew in a mix I'm not sure was best. Now I don't know if I should repot in a better mix or wait till next year. I put him in a 33% Akadama, 33% Lava, 20% Pine Bark, 10-15%~ Peat Moss. I should not have added any peat moss and now worried it won't allow for...

Please enjoy another progression thread… I bought this male European yew at the BSOP 2017 fall show for $385. It had gone to auction through the Heritage Program after the passing of a man by the name of McDonald. That’s about all I know about the history of the tree, but I guess it may have...

Hello everyone, I have been developing bonsai for a few years now but only with nursery stock, no yamadori, collecting... Now my aunt's house has gotten quite overgrown the last few years and while looking over the property I noticed a few good candidates for collection. The issue is that this...

I found this Yew tree being discarded by a landscaper. I’ve had it potted for 2 months and it’s doing well, new growth. I took it to experiment and practice drastic bending on, but I’m still a rookie and was curious if anyone had any advice on styles that could work for this Yew. I know it’s...

The bonsai group that I'm a part of organized a collection trip to a semi-abandoned nursery this weekend. I got myself a yew. Not sure if it is a Taxus cuspidata or Taxus brevifolia, but they were the two planted there 40 years ago so it's one of those. I found this one overgrown with grass and...

Well it’s been a little over a year since I’ve been active and thankfully life has mostly stopped beating me in the head with a hammer. I’m glad to be able to get back to learning this ancient art. I purchased a yew of unknown variety in the middle of last summer from the local nursery reject...

This is a yew I collected from a hedge row about 3 years ago, and this year I decided to do some work on it... this one had much of its foliage strength on one side, so I decided to use the weaker side for dead wood features. This is the tree before starting... I cleaned up the bark a bit...