Taxus Baccata David or Yew David

Taxus Baccata David is a variety of fastigiate evergreen English Yew with dual dark green foliage and attractive golden tips. This is a hardy conifer and will grow in the majority of places including problems spots.

Taxus baccata is the common English yew that’s native to the UK. There are many cultivars, but Yew David originated in the 1960s in the Netherlands. It’s different to common yew because it has two-tone dark green foliage with year-round golden yellow tips. Its needles are arranged radially with bright yellow margins.

This is a fastigiate variety of male yew, so it grows upwards in a tall column and doesn’t produce berries. It’s resistant to sun scorch, very slow growing and extremely hardy due to its native origins. If you’re busy or have a problem spot that needs brightening up with greens and yellow Yew David is an excellent choice.

Height And Spread of Taxus Baccata David
Slow-growing Yew David reaches a maximum height of 1.3 metres and spreads half a metre in 10 years.

How Hardy Is Taxus Baccata David
Common yew is one of the hardiest plants you can grow in the UK and the David variety is no exception. It’s hardy in minus temperatures, full sun, and is rarely affected by pests if its roots are well drained.

How To Use Taxus Baccata David
Yew David is an excellent evergreen hedging plant that doesn’t get too tall. It’s also good as a divider marking out garden spaces, rock gardens, topiary, low maintenance spaces, and a tough alternative to Buxus in blight or moth-prone areas. Its slowing-growing upright nature makes it suitable for growing in pots or containers but it will need water and food if it’s grown in a pot. 

How To Care For Taxus Baccata David
Yew David needs barely any care once it’s established. It is not fussy over soil type and likes full sun to partial shade. In shady areas, it will lose some of its yellow colour.
Pruning isn’t necessary, but a yearly trim to keep the sides even is recommended. Water it well until established and you can see new growth. A layer of organic mulch to the roots in spring helps keep it looking its best.