Dwarf Japanese yew
Taxus cuspidata 'Nana' · Taxaceae
A slow, dense, wide-spreading yew with short, dark green needles on thick, tiered branches.
- Size
- 4 ft tall, 6½ ft wide
- Zones
- 4 to 7
- Light
- Full sun to shade
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves
- Pets
- Toxic (severe)
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around dwarf Japanese yew
The planner designed this bed around dwarf Japanese yew when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) formal bed in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why dwarf Japanese yew stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Dwarf Japanese yew × 1, dark green leaves
- 2 Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' × 38, yellow
- 3 Northern sea oats × 6, tan
- 4 Creeping Jacob's ladder × 11, blue
- 5 Astilbe 'Bridal Veil' × 6, white
- 6 English primrose × 24, yellow
- 7 Snowdrop × 6, white
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So does northern sea oats.
Why here
- At the back. At 4 ft it is seen over creeping Jacob's ladder (14 in) in front of it, and has nothing behind it to hide.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, all year. They cover the 11 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
- The only leaves in winter. From November to March it is what there is to look at.
Planned as a formal bed: 92 of the 92 plants (100%) are mirrored across the middle of the bed: each stands on the middle line or has a twin of its own kind opposite it. Heights step up from about 10 in at the front to 3½ ft at the back. The front edge is finished with English primrose and mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana'.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 4 Good, 2 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Dwarf Japanese yew is highly poisonous to people, dogs, cats and horses. Northern sea oats spreads aggressively.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where dwarf Japanese yew goes in a border
At 4 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is moderately tall (3 to 4 ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
The hardiest yew, with a naturally layered, picturesque shape. It grows in sun or deep shade, and can be clipped or left alone. Like all yews it will not stand wet soil.
- A low, dark evergreen mass
- Foundation planting in shade
- Clipped forms
What to plant with dwarf Japanese yew
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Hosta: bold leaves against its fine ones; spires rising out of its mound; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- Japanese forest grass: low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- Lilyturf: adds the flowers, early August to mid September; spires rising out of its mound; low enough (16 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about dwarf Japanese yew
Does dwarf Japanese yew need sun or shade?
Dwarf Japanese yew grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day), part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun), part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does dwarf Japanese yew grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 7. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Above zone 7 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should dwarf Japanese yew be planted?
5 ft (150 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 6½ ft (200 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 4 ft (120 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many dwarf Japanese yew plants do I need?
Usually one. At 5 ft (150 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 5 ft apart: three plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is dwarf Japanese yew poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: severe toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. Needles, bark and seeds are extremely poisonous; small amounts can cause sudden heart failure in people, pets and livestock. Never plant it where animals graze, and keep clippings out of their reach.
Rated from NC State Extension and the ASPCA. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like dwarf Japanese yew?
These come closest to doing what dwarf Japanese yew does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Box honeysuckle 'Baggesen's Gold': the same job in a bed; 20 in narrower.
- Globe arborvitae 'Little Giant': the same job in a bed; 20 in narrower, wants moist soil.
- Dwarf arctic willow: the same job in a bed; 12 in narrower, not evergreen.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat dwarf Japanese yew?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to rabbits. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What does dwarf Japanese yew look like in winter?
Dwarf Japanese yew keeps its dark green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
Is dwarf Japanese yew good for bees and butterflies?
Dwarf Japanese yew is visited by songbirds.
More Taxus
- Hicks yew Taxus x media 'Hicksii'
- Irish yew Taxus baccata 'Fastigiata'
- Spreading English yew Taxus baccata 'Repandens'
- Spreading yew 'Densiformis' Taxus x media 'Densiformis'
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 4 ft (120 cm) tall, 6½ ft (200 cm) wide
- Plant
- 5 ft (150 cm) apart
- Height class
- Moderately tall (3 to 4 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- None: grown for its foliage
- Leaves
- Fine texture, evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 7
- Light
- Full sun, part sun, part shade, shade
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Taxaceae
- Comes from
- Korea, China, Russia and Japan
- Attracts
- Songbirds
- Stands up to
- Rabbits, drought
Checked against NC State Extension and ASPCA poison lists. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.