Growing Yew in Pots: How to Grow & Use Potted Taxus Baccata
Yew (Taxus baccata) is a classic English country garden staple, known for its elegant appearance and longevity. Potted yew offers several advantages for gardeners seeking to establish these stunning plants with greater success. In this guide, we'll explore the benefits of growing yew in pots and how to ensure they thrive in your garden.
The Beauty of Yew Hedges
Yew is renowned for its classic appearance, featuring small needle-shaped leaves that clip incredibly dense and tight. This makes it perfect for creating smart-looking hedges that exude an air of sophistication and traditional English garden charm. When properly established, yew hedges can last for centuries – many churchyards feature yew trees that are 300-400 years old!
Why Choose Potted Yew?
Establishing yew hedge plants can be notoriously challenging, particularly in certain ground conditions. Here's why potted yew often proves to be the superior choice:
Higher Success Rate
Yew is extremely sensitive to soil conditions and particularly dislikes wet soil and clay. Root-balled yew planted in winter in unsuitable conditions will often sit and rot, with signs of decline only becoming visible months later – sometimes as late as May or June.
Established Root Systems
Potted yew comes with an already established root system, giving the plant a significant head start when introduced to your garden.
Seasonal Advantages
Potted yew can be planted during the drier months of the year, giving them a much better chance of establishing their roots and thriving in their new environment.
Perfect for Small Borders
If you're planning a small decorative border around 30-40cm in height, potted yew is preferable to bare-root options, which have low success rates for small plants.
Growing Yew in Containers
For gardeners with limited space or planting on patio areas, yew can work well in planters or large pots:
Drainage Benefits
Yew's preference for drier conditions makes it suitable for container growing, as pots typically drain more quickly than ground soil.
Nutrient Requirements
Because pots offer limited soil volume, regular fertilisation is essential to compensate for nutrients the plant can't seek out through expanded root systems.
Watering Balance
While yew dislikes waterlogged conditions, container plants will need appropriate watering to prevent drying out, particularly during the summer months.
Perfect Uses for Potted Yew
Yew hedging can be grown pretty much anywhere, providing you are patient due to its slower growth rate. However, it’s classic appearance makes it ideal for:
- Smart country estate borders
- Formal garden designs
- National Trust-style landscape features
- Village garden hedging
- Decorative borders around flower beds
Why Buy from a Professional Nursery?
When purchasing potted yew, there are distinct benefits to buying from a professional nursery. The best potted yew begins its life field-grown, where it can be properly trimmed into dense uniform shapes. Some of the other benefits of buying your plants from a nursery include:
Winter Protection
Professional nurseries will usually protect freshly potted yew from excessive winter moisture by keeping them under cover in polytunnels or glasshouses. If you’re unsure, ask the nursery when the plants were potted and how they've been cared for over winter to ensure you're getting quality stock.
Root Development
Reputable nurseries won't sell potted yew until they're fully rooted in their containers, ensuring you receive a healthy plant ready for successful transplanting.
UK-Grown Potted Yew from Mathias Nurseries
Growing yew in pots offers significant advantages for establishing these classic garden plants successfully. While more expensive than root-balled alternatives, the higher success rate and reduced risk make potted yew a wise investment, particularly for challenging sites or smaller plantings. With proper care and patience, your potted yew will develop into a stunning landscape feature that could potentially last for generations.
As growers, we have more than 60 years of experience specialising in the large production of hedging plants at highly competitive rates. Discover our extensive range of potted taxus baccata today. Alternatively, get in touch with our team of experts – we have a wealth of knowledge and can advise you on all aspects of your hedging requirements.