General: The common yew is widespread throughout Europe, North Africa and as far as northern Persia. It already occurred in the Middle Tertiary (over 20 million years ago!) And is therefore the oldest conifer in Europe. In Germany, however, it is threatened today and is on the red list of endangered species. Its natural location is the forest, where it grows as an extremely shade-tolerant species, mostly shrub-like and with a height of 10-15 meters. The bark is gray-brown and later partially dissolves into scales. This often creates a very interesting mosaic of different shades of red. The needles are evergreen, brownish in autumn, and female plants have striking red fruits. Except for this red pulp, all parts of the plant are poisonous! The yew tree is very robust and tolerant of soil and weather conditions.
Care as a bonsai: Due to its robustness, its strong throwing power (also from the old wood) and the fine foliage, the yew tree offers many possibilities for bonsai cultivation. However, you should wire it in good time when the branches are still young. Later on they become very hard and inflexible. Yew trees can grow in the shade as well as in the sun. The only important thing is appropriate irrigation, whereby waterlogging must be avoided at all costs! During the growing season, the long shoots are shortened by plucking. As with almost all conifers, late summer / autumn is the best time for root pruning and repotting. When milling wood, you should definitely use a respirator due to the toxicity!
