New garden shop yew

[DhD47]

I just got the yew for the local garden center Merrifield Garden Center for half price. I'm not sure what I'm doing with it but couldn't pass it up. I like the trunk could see.

D

 

[timetravel_0]

I just got the yew for the local garden center Merrifield Garden Center for half price. I'm not sure what I'm doing with it but couldn't pass it up. I like the trunk could see.

D

What type of Yew?

I picked up a Japanese Yew at an out-of-the-way nursery at the beginning of summer.

It doesn't gain height or diameter very fast, but it branches and back buds like crazy.

I'm spending more time cleaning unwanted developing buds off the trunk, trying to encourage growth elsewhere than anything.

It is real nice that whenever I prune a branch, it immediately puts out buds at that point too and begins to fork.

Be warned: I don't know if you have any pets, but these things are highly toxic.

 

[DhD47]

I heard they bud back well but didn't know they did that much. And I read about them being toxic. I guess really bad for horses.

 

[timetravel_0]

Yep, I read somewhere (pretty sure bonsai4me.com) that the only place they're seen in Europe is in church yards, because that's the only place they could effectively fence off from livestock.

I probably have an entire 14" of trunk space that is covered with emerging buds every two weeks.

Meaning that I have to clean it off every two weeks.

However, I'm in AZ, which means it's still in the 80's right now in the day time, and about 48-50 at night. I'm sure that mirrors some people's summertime conditions.

Can't tell you how they respond to wiring. Mine has been sitting with wire on the trunk since the beginning of September when growth took off after the oppressive heat began to subside. Hasn't bitten in yet, and I haven't checked to see if the trunk is holding shape on it's own. I'll be waiting until there is a little swelling of the trunk around the wire.

 

[DhD47]

Trimming a yew?

I was reading that it is best to trim a yew in Autumn. I just got my japanese yew and wanted to know if I could do trimming on it. I figure it's way to late for that now. Will I need to wait until Autumn next year before I can start to trim the yew?

Thanks for your time folks.
D

 

[Paradox]

Saw a workshop on yews last month. They are also toxic to pets and to humans.

If you do any grinding on a Yew of any kind, wear eye protection and a dust mask, and make sure to do it where pets and children wont breathe in the dust.

 

[timetravel_0]

I've trimmed mine in summer and in the fall.

Summer had better results for creating ramification.

My plan is to stick mine in a pond basket and a 50/50 mix of Napa Floor Dry and Pine Bark in the spring (I need the water retention) to see what kind of growth it can put on the trunk. I'm happy with the height and initial branch placement so far, but the trunk seems small for my end goal, it's about 1" right now.

It really does grow well though, which is nice. If my "collection" shifts due to mistakes, I wouldn't mind adding more Yews.

 

[geoff hobson]

yew

This tree seems to have a lot of yellow leaves, not good. Pruning can be done anytime with Yews. The only time that it is not good is during the winter when it is very cold, otherwise I work on them the rest of the year. They do back but well, I have seen stumps of trees that were very big budding from a stump.
Geoff.

 

[timetravel_0]

The "yellow" leaves look like an effect from the flash. I could be wrong though. I just picked on mine a little more yesterday, a whole new set of buds to cut off the trunk.

It's growing happily, in the northern shade of the house.