Taxus Resource Thread

just.wing.it

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I know there are a few of us Yew lovers out here...
I think we should make this a Dedicated Thread for any solid information you have, and would like to share with the Bnut universe, about Taxus.
(@sorce maybe you can tag this as a "Resource"...or whatever you do...
?)

If you have something to post about Taxus, begin with a small title, like "Collection", or "Repotting", or "Fertilizing", or "Placement", or ....you get the idea.

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I'll start with what sparked my idea for this post, something I learned the hard way this spring...

Wiring Taxus:
Wiring is best done in late spring or summer.
The earlier you wire, the sooner the branches will hold their position.
I've wired new growth in late spring and removed said wire in late autumn, and branches are set.
*The biggest thing to avoid is wiring small branches (less than 4mm thick) in winter.*
I did some minor detail wiring in late December and it looks like every single branch I wired is dead now.
It may be possible to safely wire larger branches in winter, with raffia, but I still recommend summertime.
 

Underdog

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Who starts a thread on April 16th about Taxus?
Nah, I'm with Yew... I've just dug a 35yr old foundation plant from my house to make room for another project.
Unfortunately I've no use full information to pass along. I'm just hoping to learn more about the plants I hated as a kid. Parents have a HUGE hedgerow of these I used to have to trim.
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JosephCooper

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All I really know is that Yew wood is VERY hard (hehe), and branches don't respond to wire well.
 

WNC Bonsai

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Yew-wood-dust is toxic. Don’t breef.
All parts of a yew plant are toxic to humans with the exception of the yew berries (however, their seeds are toxic); additionally, male and monoecious yews in this genus release cytotoxic pollen, which can cause headaches, lethargy, aching joints, itching, and skin rashes; it is also a trigger for asthma. Be careful what you collect and keep away from kid and pets.
 

daudelus

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I'm just hoping to learn more about the plants I hated as a kid.

I can understand the distaste some have for yew... they are kind of ubiquitous in landscapes ... I recently repotted a yew and since it was up close to our back door (for post-repot protection) , my wife noticed it (she’s fairly uninterested in my trees) and said “I generally hate those types of bushes, but I like the way the trunk looks’... pretty good compliment I think!!

Here’s a pic... not the best image, but it’s kind of dark under the overhang....

5AB38F12-0FAD-41C9-968F-C3F330929C68.jpeg
 

flor1

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I just picked up aa yew from a nursery had been left for years had to cut main root off with a saw slipped into a grow box for now. How much of the present growth be removed to promote back budding.
 

A. Gorilla

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I can understand the distaste some have for yew... they are kind of ubiquitous in landscapes ... I recently repotted a yew and since it was up close to our back door (for post-repot protection) , my wife noticed it (she’s fairly uninterested in my trees) and said “I generally hate those types of bushes, but I like the way the trunk looks’... pretty good compliment I think!!

Here’s a pic... not the best image, but it’s kind of dark under the overhang....

View attachment 188702

I think post-war suburban landscape material, for the eastern united states, is our greatest untapped resource of "yamadori". Imagine how many millions of yew and other hedges are out there with fantastic bones. We don't know it, because they are so "common and boring".

Probably what natives of Croatia thought about the sheep-bitten hornbeams nobody noticed for god-knows-how-long.
 

daudelus

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I think post-war suburban landscape material, for the eastern united states, is our greatest untapped resource of "yamadori". Imagine how many millions of yew and other hedges are out there with fantastic bones. We don't know it, because they are so "common and boring".

Agreed! many a time waiting at red lights has been spent peaking under the foliage with envy at the massive trunks below! Or, more excruciating is when you drive by a place where you have admired potential material to see the whole hedgerow cut down to ground level or ripped out!
 

daudelus

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I just picked up aa yew from a nursery had been left for years had to cut main root off with a saw slipped into a grow box for now. How much of the present growth be removed to promote back budding.

Not having seen it, I would guess that the root ball was amazingly tight and dried out... getting that teased out was probably enough for one period of time. If it were mine, I would leave the foliage on, as is, so that it can regenerate below the soil line.
 

just.wing.it

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Pictures For Reference:

Healthy new growth on Taxus:
Notice how the shoots which grow more horizontally are flat, with the leaves/needles growing out from the sides of the branch...but the shoots which grow more vertically have leaves/needles all the way around, I think I've heard them referred to as "florets".

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WNC Bonsai

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Pictures For Reference:

Healthy new growth on Taxus:
Notice how the shoots which grow more horizontally are flat, with the leaves/needles growing out from the sides of the branch...but the shoots which grow more vertically have leaves/needles all the way around, I think I've heard them referred to as "florets".

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Is this a collected or nursery plant? The back budding is amazing. Was this induced by cutting back the branches real hard?
 

just.wing.it

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Is this a collected or nursery plant? The back budding is amazing. Was this induced by cutting back the branches real hard?
There are 2 there.
Both I believe to be originally purchased from landscape nurseries (one I know for sure).

And yes, the back budding is the result of a hard late summer cutback...
It was mid September 2016, it was also wired at that time.
It grew freely all of 2017, and generated all the buds that are now opening this spring, '18.

(Side note, the tree was bare-rooted in spring of '17, and I think that if it had not been insulted so much, by the root work, it probably would have opened these buds last year as a second flush.... however I still have a few more years of testing and learning to confirm this.)
 

tree4me

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I love yew. I have 2. 1 cuspi and 1 baci I got this year. I bare rooted and trimmed the roots and potted in inorganic mix. Here is the cuspi. Style wise ??? not sure but its still with me so I'm happy. Following this thread closely.

IMG_1661.JPG IMG_0695.jpg
 

just.wing.it

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Hi.
I've a lot of taxus. You can have a look on my work here : http://opalebonsai.canalblog.com/
I update every week.
At the time, you need to pinch the new shoots of about the 2/3. In 2 or 3 weeks, some of the old leave must be pinch. News buds will appear at the place of the old leaves.
Fabrice.
Thanks for chiming in!
I'll certainly check out your work!
Thank you!
 
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Who can talk on recovery time for collected landscape Yews? I agree that landscape Yews are a great option for people that don’t have access or permission to sweet Yamadori.
 
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