Taxus x media Groenland - Yew

The Taxus x media 'Groenland' is an ideal hybrid Yew for hedges, with its stiff, upright to ascending stems and its dark green, shiny, needle-like leaves forming a very dense conifer, well-suited as a visual screen to protect privacy. It can also be shaped into a topiary or used for its structural qualities to define spaces. It is a female cultivar with red berries in late summer, provided a male variety is planted nearby. Hardy and adaptable to different soils and climates, it has a place in every garden.

Very present in the oldest European gardens and parks, Yews sometimes contemplate us for hundreds of years. Their longevity and slow growth are legendary; these trees can live well over a century. The Taxus x media is the result of crossing the Taxus baccata (Common Yew) and the Taxus cuspidata, a Japanese Yew tolerant of shade and drought and with faster growth. All these plants belong to the family of Taxodiaceae, just like Cryptomerias and Metasequoias.

The 'Groenland' Yew can reach up to 3 metres in height with a width of 1.5 to 2 metres at maturity. Initially very columnar, its habit becomes more conical as it ages while remaining narrow. Its multiple, extended, and fastigiate branches allow for forming a reasonably dense network that does not become bare at the base. Covered with veined spines of a beautiful dark green, shiny, tapering to a sharp point but soft to the touch, it is adorned with a thick, persistent and regular mantle. It thus provides a presence throughout the seasons and often forms the backbone of the garden. The Yew is a dioecious tree: separate individuals bear male or female flowers. Thus, the ornamental red berries appear after a discreet flowering only on female plants.

Yews prove to be versatile actors in the garden. They offer a green and impeccable backdrop throughout the year. Their ability to structure, define and enhance spaces is remarkable. The Groenland variety adapts to all gardens and tolerates different types of soils: ordinary, slightly acidic or chalky, moist or dry. Resistant to wind, it can be an effective windbreak, alone or in combination with other evergreen and undemanding shrubs such as Elaeagnus, Cotoneaster or Photinia. Requiring biannual pruning, this Yew can also vigorously regrow even after drastic pruning. It tolerates all exposures, including shaded areas, and can be grown in containers near entrances.

Yews are sometimes relegated to cemeteries or near churches for symbolic reasons (they are considered the link between heaven and earth) and to prevent herds from consuming them. The needles, bark, and fruits are toxic to humans and animals (except for birds that consume the berries and discard the seeds).