Plant Encyclopedia

Description:

A top notch landscape shrub featuring a dense, upright habit and bright green emerging foliage held over dark evergreen needles in spring; becomes quite large, makes a great hedge, takes pruning very well; one of the few evergreens that loves shade

Ornamental Features

Hicks Yew is a dwarf conifer which is primarily valued in the landscape for its rigidly columnar form. It has dark green evergreen foliage which emerges light green in spring. The ferny sprays of foliage remain dark green throughout the winter. The fruits are showy red drupes displayed from early to late fall.

Landscape Attributes

Hicks Yew is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a narrowly upright and columnar growth habit. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and can be pruned at anytime. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Hicks Yew is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Vertical Accent
• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use
• Topiary

Planting & Growing

Hicks Yew will grow to be about 18 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 10 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 50 years or more.

This shrub performs well in both full sun and full shade. However, you may want to keep it away from hot, dry locations that receive direct afternoon sun or which get reflected sunlight, such as against the south side of a white wall. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid, and parts of it are known to be toxic to humans and animals, so care should be exercised in planting it around children and pets.