You Have Yews?
Yews have taken a beating among so called "serious" gardeners. They're mocked for being pruned into little meatballs or flat-topped tables. They're belittled for being ubiquitous and they're considered down right boring. I beg to disagree.
I think yews make excellent landscape shrubs. I even prefer them pruned, rather than au natural. They give a tidy, orderly look to a foundation planting or garden bed and some cohesiveness to the neighborhood. Prune them once a year and they remain attractive all season. They're a glorious, shiny green all year. And they have cherry, bright red berries that persist into winter, until the birds feast on them. Speaking of birds, my yews are always home to at least one nest a season.
Don't let the garden snobs talk you out of planting yews. About's Landscaping Guide can help you brush up on your Yew knowledge so you can go shopping for just the right yew for you.
Photo: © Marie Iannotti
Comments
I love yews, sadly, we see so few mature ones. Few plants look as beautiful when planted in a hedge row.Unfortunately I had to stop planting them due to the grazing of deer, it seems to be one of their favorite wintertime snacks.
I understand all parts of this plant are extremely poisonous if ingested. I wanted to plant some around my property but was worried about my dog chewing/eating them.
All parts except the fruit are poisonous, so it may be wise to avoid planting them if your dog is a muncher. Obviously the deer are unaffected and I haven’t had an animal who was interested in them, but it’s always best to be on the safe side. You’ll have to enjoy them from afar.
This popped up in my RSS feed today… I thought it looked familiar.
I was at a performance of Lipizzaner horses, a traveling troupe that came to campus. In the middle of the performance the horse in the ring stumbled and then fell. We could hear several horses in distress backstage. Four horses died. Turns out they were allowed to munch on yews near the building where the performance was held. It was so sad to see these magnificent animals go down right in front of us.
Yes, yews are toxic to horses, as are many ornamental plants. It’s very important that people caring for animals be aware of what the animals could be eating. Ornamental plantings are not meant for grazing animals. Use the same care you’d use for pets and small children, when considering what to plant where.