Irish Yew is a fastigiate or upright, slow-growing conifer with attractive, yellow tinted, evergreen foliage. Taxus baccata fastigiata has a fairly narrow width and columnar shape, making it ideal to use as sentries outside front doors and along pathways or to punctuate a border. This striking conifer is easy to maintain and stray stems can be trimmed back to maintain the symmetrical appearance.
Irish Yew is expected to reach a height and spread of 5 x 2 metres in 20 years, and will grow well in any situation, tolerating full shade and all soils, other than damp, badly drained conditions.
Note: please bear in mind that all Taxus varieties are toxic if eaten.
AKA Irish Yew, Blue John
Common name: Irish Yew tree
Great for: Year round interest or screening
Awards: RHS Award of Garden Merit
Height and spread in 20 years: 5 x 2 metres
Foliage: Yellow-tinted, green foliage year-round
Position: Full sun to full shade
Soil: Tolerant of all soils
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Planting Advice for Taxus baccata Fastigiata
Our pot grown Upright Irish Yew trees can be planted at any time of the year. Prepare the planting site by removing weeds and grass within a metre of your desired planting hole then dig a hole as deep as the root mass and 2x as wide. We recommend digging a square hole as this encourages the roots to grow straight as opposed to around inside the hole. To help Yew trees establish more effectively, we advise sprinkling Mycorrhizal fungi in the hole.
Gently loosen the tree roots and place into the planting hole. Mix 50% of the original soil with 50% high quality compost and use this to fill in the hole. Firm around gently, taking care not to bank the soil up around the collar of the tree.
Aftercare Advice for Taxus baccata Fastigiata
If you’re planting Irish Yew in spring or summer, water well and regularly for the first few months. Keep an eye on young trees and increase watering if there are extended periods of hot or dry weather. If you’re planting in autumn, you may only need to water your tree a little. We offer a range of irrigation kits to assist in watering.
Once planted, it is important to keep the area free of competing weeds and grass for the first couple of growing seasons. Using a glyphosate based weed killer or installing mulch matting and bark chips will aid in this. Do not simply mow the grass around the area as this will only encourage it to grow more vigorously.
Pruning Advice for Taxus baccata Fastigiata
Irish Yew trees do not require a lot of pruning. Simply remove any dead, diseased or awkwardly placed branches as and when you see them.
Delivery Costs
*Free delivery promotion excludes mature trees, extra large kits and delivery to Highlands or Islands. Discount applies at checkout.
Small/medium trees & shrubs
Select semi-mature trees & shrubs
All other mature trees
Mainland UK ex. Scottish Highlands
£8 for any quantity
£35 for 1-4 trees
From £55 for any quantity
Scottish Highlands & the Islands
From £30
Outside Mainland UK
Currently we are unable to deliver outside of Mainland UK
Delivery Times
Next Day Despatch We will always try to get your plants to you as quickly as possible. For many of our trees and plants, if you order today we will despatch your order within 24 hours. We are constantly adding to our range of next day plants, and we do not add a surcharge for this service. Click here to see our next day delivery plants.
Standard Delivery We have one of the widest range of trees in the UK, and for those plants which we cannot despatch next day we will normally despatch within 4 weeks. The despatch time for different products will be confirmed when products are added to your shopping basket
Pre-orders We will only want to deliver your orders when they are perfect for planting! Depending on the season and how well the plants are growing, we will give our best estimates of the despatch dates for pre-orders. These dates may vary and by species and while we will always try to deliver within these timeframes if the expected despatch does change then we will notify you by email.
Special Orders Orders containing pleached or mature trees (trees over 2.5m in height) are delivered within 3 weeks. They require specialist delivery and are grouped geographically. Any customers ordering pleached or mature trees will be contacted and notified of their delivery date.
If your trees are required by a specific date, please let us know as soon as possible; while we can’t offer any guarantees we will always do our best to accommodate you. You can leave instructions in the notes field on the Delivery Page of the Checkout or send us an email at [email protected].
Please note that orders are shipped once all the trees in the order are ready.
Collections Collections are by appointment only at our West Yorkshire-based nursery. If you would like to place an order for collection, please get in touch before placing your order. You will not be charged a delivery cost for a collection and any delivery cost that has been applied will be refunded.
The product table at the bottom of the page gives the forms and sizes available for this variety. Please note, photos are a guideline as all plants are unique. *Pot sizes may vary. Below are definitions of terms:
Supplied Size: Height measured from the top of the pot.
Single Stem tree: Classic tree with one trunk, pruned for a beautiful, natural shape.
Top grafted tree: A height next to this form refers to the length of clear stem, which will not grow taller. Only the head of branches will develop. Ideal for small spaces.
Feathered tree: Branches from the bottom of the trunk all the way up. These branches can be removed if a clear stem is required.
Multi Stem tree: Two or more stems arising from or near ground level, growing from one root system.
Bush: A plant with many stems low down, rather than one clear stem.
Clump: Several plants in one pot that give the appearance of a bushy multi stem tree.
Climber: Naturally climbing plant. Usually delivered running up a cane, ready to position in the garden.
Standard Tree: A more mature tree with an upright clear stem of approximately 1.8m-2.0m (measured from the soil to the lowest branches of the crown). Standards are available in different forms relating to their girth size (circumference of the stem measured 1m above soil level), not height.
