The Canadian or American Yew has not been used in gardens or landscapes because it grows more irregular in form. It is only available from some native or specialty nurseries. I think it looks great in a naturalistic landscape, not for shearing. Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois has a fantastic large mass growing on the east side in the Conifer Collection towards the south end. It is the cold hardiest Yew species. It is native to Newfoundland and southeast Canada, New England, New York, Pennsylvania, northern New Jersey, much of Ohio, Michigan, northwest Illinois, west central Indiana, Wisconsin, northern Minnesota, and some spots in the Appalachians of West Virginia and Virginia. It is slow growing of a little less than 1 foot/year and lives hundreds of years. There are several cultivars; one is 'Compacta' that is more dense, but I have not yet seen them. It is subject to winter feeding by deer like Eurasian Yews. Its needles are 1/2 to 3/4 inches long, densely set in 2 ranks and develop some reddish-brown tint in winter. Some plants are monoecious instead of being just dioecious and often are self-fertile.

Reply to this comment