Taxus Baccata Summergold

Taxus Baccata Summergold is an evergreen low-growing conifer with yellow-green foliage. It’s tolerant of pollution and will grow almost anywhere, so it’s a good choice for front gardens, hedging, slopes and difficult chalky soil.

Taxus Baccata is the Common Yew that’s also known as English Yew and one of three native conifers to the UK. The Summergold cultivar retains its hardy native origins but adds attractive foliage on broadly spreading branches. Its foliage is distinctive yellow in the summer when new growth appears, and turns green with a yellow margin as it matures. Throughout autumn and winter, it retains its glowing summer gold foliage and makes a real statement in a bare garden.

This is an attractive yet tough and undemanding evergreen for low maintenance gardens and tricky spots.

Height And Spread of Taxus Baccata Summergold
Taxus Baccata Summergold is slow-growing and densely bushed. It’ll reach a height and spread of 1.5 to 2.5 metres over 10-20 years.

How Hardy is Taxus Baccata Summergold
Its native UK origins make Yew Summergold a tough cookie. It will grow in chalky, clay or acidic soil in partial shade or sun and copes with the coldest and wettest of UK winters if its roots are well-drained. It tolerates drought, coastal sprays, and pollution too.

If you want a hardy evergreen Summergold is one of the most undemanding you can find.

How To Use Taxus Baccata Summergold
Yew is an excellent alternative to Buxus in blight prone areas where it can be clipped to form a hedge or boundary.
Other great uses are as a year-round specimen shrub in a border or container, as part of a rockery or gravel garden, on slopes to prevent soil erosion, or to bring colour and life to a pollution prone front garden.
If you want a low maintenance border, try planting Yew Summergold with a variety of hardy conifers such as Taxus Baccata Repandens for a yellow, grey and green evergreen spread that provides shelter for wildlife and colour throughout the year.

How To Care For Taxus Baccata Summergold
Once established Yew Summergold lives for years and needs little attention. Full sun or partial shade brings out the brightest foliage colours and it’s not fussy about soil so long as it’s well-drained.
There’s no need to prune it because it naturally forms a neat mound, but you can trim excess branches back in late summer or early autumn to create a dome or a neat hedge if you prefer.
Mulch it each year in spring for good health and water it well until established. If you’re growing Yew Summergold in a container, it will need regular water and food in the growing season.