Taxus baccata Hedge Plants Description
Taxus baccata (English Yew) is a dense, evergreen conifer hedge which boasts vibrant green foliage during spring, with small red fruits appearing in the autumn - which, although delightful in appearance and loved by birds, are harmful to humans, pets and livestock. English Yew's compact, needle-like foliage is incredibly easy to trim. Even for inexperienced gardeners, sharp or simple lines are easy to achieve to create a refined, classic hedge shape. However, for anyone who enjoys getting creative with their topiary, English Yew is very popular as Taxus foliage can be trimmed into wonderful shapes - the perfect choice if you are keen to create a statement or feature piece.
English Yew hedging has an average growth rate of around 30 - 40cm per annum and can be easily maintained at a height of 1 - 5m, so it's no wonder that this ever-popular hedging plant is great for bringing privacy to your outdoor area. Once it has reached the desired height, the stylish and elegant Taxus baccata is incredibly low maintenance.
During the first few seasons, English Yew hedging needs a substantial amount of water, but be careful to make sure the soil doesn't become waterlogged - if you have clay, wet soil, we'd advise improving the draining when planting Taxus baccata. Aside from the volume of water, English Yew is wonderfully resilient and easy to grow, adapting well to all soil types, particularly alkaline. It also grows well in shaded areas.
English Yew is a truly versatile hedge - as well as looking stunning as a boundary hedge in gardens of all sizes, Taxus baccata can be an effective filter for external noise, wind and pollution. It can also be used as part of a native garden feature to bring striking texture and winter cover, or to create magnificent topiary shapes. We stock a vast array of eye-catching topiary plants, including Taxus baccata topiary balls or cones and pyramids. Its fine, densely-needled habit lends itself perfectly to clipping into shapes, making English Yew as popular for household gardens as it is for castles and stately homes.
If you're looking for a dense, evergreen hedge on a lower budget, Lonicera nitida is a lovely alternative, as is the lower-growing Buxus sempervirens (box hedge). Western Red Cedar is also a good alternative to English Yew as it's a fast-growing conifer hedge plant that is similarly low maintenance.
Extra Tall Root Balls - Minimum Order Quantity and Delivery
Please note that there is a minimum order requirement of five plants for the extra tall root balls, due to the specialised delivery required. Because of their large size and weight, these hedging plants need to be transported via articulated lorry and require a forklift to remove from the truck and into place for planting. A forklift icon on the listings indicates these products.
How to plant a Yew (Taxus baccata) hedgePrices shown are the price per plant. Planting distances are very much a matter of choice - for bare roots, 3 plants per metre is adequate, 5 is good, 7 in a double staggered row will give a dense hedge quicker. Generally, smaller plants should be planted at higher density. Cell grown should be planted at 4 per metre in a single row or ideally 6 per metre in a staggered row. Planting densities for pot grown (which vary by pot size) and root ball (which vary by height) are shown below but again you can vary these depending on your budget and level of patience.
In addition to Yew, include a variety of colour within your garden with our colourful foliage plants. Yew is also a popular box alternative as it can be trimmed to shape and has small sized foliage. Taxus baccata cell grown, pot grown and instant hedging plants are available all year round. Cell grown and pot grown plants are available all year round. Bare roots are only available from november to late April/early May. Root Ball plants are only available from early-October to late May. Taxus is one of the most accommodating hedging plants and this means in an ordinary year we are able to lift it from the field for you to transplant it in 'rootball' form for 10 months of the year. This assumes of course that the usual aftercare is provided ie lots of water until the plants are established.
For more information on planting distances please see our
planting density advice section.
General hedge trimming should be done twice a year, once in early June and again in late September. It is important to prune at the right time, so as not to remove new growing shoots.
Free delivery is available on all orders providing they meet the minimum spend criteria for the size of box or pallet. Pallet deliveries and large box deliveries for tall plants are indicated by icons on the product table listings. Delivery costs and minimum order details for each packaging type are as follows:
| Packaging Type | Standard Delivery Charge | Minimum Order Values (incl VAT) for FREE Delivery |
|---|
| Small Box (Bare Roots up to 1.2m) | £12 delivery charge (orders up to £100 incl VAT) | Orders of £100 and over - FREE |
| Box (Pots up to and incl. 7.5L) | £12 delivery charge (orders up to £100 incl VAT) | Orders of £100 and over - FREE |
| Large/Tall Box (Tall bare roots 1.2m +) | £18 delivery charge (orders up to £120 incl VAT) | Orders of £120 and over - FREE |
| Pallet (Root balls, large pots, trees etc) | £60 delivery charge (orders up to £240 incl VAT) | Orders of £240 and over - FREE |
There are some exceptions to the standard delivery pricing structure, which relate to deliveries to more remote areas, overseas, or extremely tall plants requiring specialist delivery - for more information see the
Delivery Information Page. (Please note that due to new Brexit rules, we are currently unable to export to both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.)IDelivery Time - Please note that due to high demand, current delivery is 14-28 days! (Some trees can be 10-14 days delivery as standard - see product pages for info.)
It's Convenient - no need to wait in all day to sign, we don't need a signature (the odd, larger order may require a signature but will be delivered at a mutually agreeable time)
It's Tried & Tested - we use only couriers who have shown consistency in their efficiency & care
* Please note that delivery costs are based on the final order amount in your cart
after any discounts have been applied.
Hedges Direct 12 Month Plant Guarantee
Our plants are guaranteed for 12 months after delivery subject to specific criteria. Visit our
Hedges Direct Plant Guarantee Page for full details.
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