Taxus Baccata Elegantissima Yew

Taxus Baccata Elegantissima is a variety of strongly growing evergreen English yew with golden yellow needles. It’s first-rate hedging plant that fruits abundantly.

Taxus Baccata is our evergreen Common Yew that’s widely known for its tough ‘grow-anywhere’ nature. Its cultivar Yew Elegantissima was bred in the 1800s, and it’s been popular ever since for its hardy nature and attractive golden form.

It’s a female shrub with widely spreading branches of golden yellow needles. Its needles start life with yellow stripes but mature to rich creamy green shades. If Yew Elegantissima is shade grown its needles turn green, but they are still lighter than their Common Yew parent’s foliage.

Taxus Baccata Elegantissima produces insignificant, but bee magnet flowers in spring and lots of bird-friendly red berries in autumn.

Height and Spread of Taxus Baccata Elegantissima
Yew Elegantissima is slower growing and more compact than Common Yew. It reaches 1.5 metres tall by one metre wide over 10 years.

How Hardy is Taxus Baccata Elegantissima
This yew is very hardy. Once established it’s able to withstand pollution, some drought, and exposed positions. If its roots are well drained, it tolerates minus temperatures and the majority of soil types. The RHS have labelled it hardy to H7 conditions, which is their hardiness criterion.

How To Use Taxus Baccata Elegantissima
Most people use this yew cultivar for hedging because it has dense, thick ascending branches that create privacy and shelter from the wind. Its thick branches provide a haven for birds and small mammals throughout the year, and its red berries feed birds in autumn.
Yew Elegantissima is low maintenance enough to be left to its own devices once established, so it’s a great way for busy folk to create structure and green outside spaces with very little effort. With regular trims, Elegantissima suits rockeries can replace buxus (box) in blight-prone areas.
It’s also a great choice for front gardens because it’s pollution tolerant.

How To Care For Taxus Baccata Elegantissima
Elegantissima is an easy-to-grow yew cultivar that suits the majority of soils including sandy and chalky sites. The only soil it can’t tolerate is consistently soggy areas. 
It will grow in a sheltered or exposed spot in full to sun to partial shade. In full sun, its needles are yellower and it produces more fruits. You can leave it to grow or prune it back in late summer for a formal look.
Water Yew Elegantissima well until it’s established and add a thick layer of well-rotted organic mulch to its roots in spring to add nutrients and trap moisture.