Taxus baccata Fastigiata Aurea - Yew

The Taxus baccata 'Fastigiata Aurea' is a variety of common yew that is dazzling. With a very harmonious upright habit, slowly forming a vegetal flame, it is adorned with a very dense foliage that takes on a superb golden yellow color on the young shoots. Remarkable in winter and spring, this conifer with moderate growth brings a remarkably graphic touch to gardens of all sizes. Yew, a true tranquil force of nature, combines elegance with a highly accommodating character: it grows slowly, tolerates pruning perfectly, requires little maintenance, and adapts to a wide range of growing conditions. 'Fastigiata Aurea' is perfect for solitary planting, to create a highly structured hedge, and is exceptionally suitable for topiary art.

Widely present in the oldest gardens and parks in Europe, Taxus baccata sometimes gazes at us for hundreds of years. Its longevity is indeed remarkable and can reach several centuries. The species, which has become rare in nature, is native to Europe, Asia Minor, and North Africa. In France, it is still present in the Breton, Norman, and Vosges plains, in low and medium mountains in the south and in Corsica. Some stands also survive in the limestone massifs of Provence, on the northern slopes of Sainte Baume and Sainte Victoire near Aix-en-Provence. Some specimens growing in the Verdon Gorge are said to be over a thousand years old. Impressive specimens can also be admired in old gardens or cemeteries, near churches for symbolic reasons as yew is considered the link between heaven and earth. The needles, bark, and fruits are toxic to humans and animals, except for birds that consume the berries and discard the seeds. The common yew is a conifer in the taxodiaceae family, just like cryptomerias and metasequoias.

The 'Fastigiata Aurea' cultivar distinguishes itself with moderate growth, a dense and regular fastigiate habit, and young foliage of yellow-gold color. Slow-growing, it will reach a height of approximately 4-5m (13-16ft) and a diameter of 1.50m (5ft) at maturity. At the age of 10, the plant will measure approximately 1.50m (5ft) in height and 40cm (16in) in width. Its short and upright branches and trunk are covered with a reddish-brown bark that flakes off. Its branches are adorned with flattened and shiny needles with two white bands on the undersides, ending in a sharp point but very soft to the touch. Their color, during spring or winter bud break, is golden yellow. Over the weeks, they turn bronze and then a very dark and deep green, creating a beautiful gradient of colors throughout the shrub. This conifer provides a presence throughout the seasons and often forms the backbone of the garden. It is a dioecious tree: each individual will bear only male or female flowers. Thus, red berries appear after inconspicuous flowering only on female plants, in the presence of male plants of any variety. It is also a nectar-bearing tree.

The Taxus baccata 'Fastigiata Aurea' does not need any embellishment, it is a centerpiece of the garden. Naturally elegant like all yews, it thrives in gardens of all sizes, from the north to the south of our country, and adapts to all styles: formal, whimsical, classic, contemporary, rocky, or poetic. And this is especially true since this yew is not only very hardy but also accepts all types of soil: ordinary, slightly acidic or alkaline, moist or dry. It can be a beautiful solitary specimen or be accompanied by low shrubs, or even creeping ones (low-growing Cotoneaster, chamaecyparis, and dwarf junipers, white Germander). If you are patient, it can also be planted as a hedge or in a row along a grand avenue with a row of boxwood or Tarente myrtle in mild climates. Pruning is not necessary or is limited to one intervention per year, and it will successfully regenerate after a more severe cut by sprouting from the old wood. Indifferent to exposure, it can even be planted in shade in a warm climate. Finally, yew can advantageously replace cypress, which grows faster but is susceptible to diseases and not well-suited to pruning.