shrub

Nova Japanese Yew

Taxus cuspidata 'Nova'

 

 
Nova Japanese Yew (Taxus cuspidata 'Nova') at Ryerse Garden Gallery

Nova Japanese Yew

Nova Japanese Yew

(Photo courtesy of NetPS Plant Finder)

Nova Japanese Yew (Taxus cuspidata 'Nova') at Ryerse Garden Gallery

Nova Japanese Yew foliage

Nova Japanese Yew foliage

(Photo courtesy of NetPS Plant Finder)

Height:  6 feet

Spread:  3 feet

Sunlight:  full sun  partial shade  full shade 

Hardiness Zone:  4a

Description:

A dense and columnar evergreen shrub with beautiful deep green needles which emerge a soft butter yellow; excellent for foundation plantings or shrub borders, takes pruning extremely well; one of the few evergreens that loves shade

Ornamental Features

Nova Japanese Yew is a dwarf conifer which is primarily valued in the landscape or garden for its rigidly columnar form. It has dark green evergreen foliage which emerges buttery yellow in spring. The ferny sprays of foliage remain dark green throughout the winter. The fruits are showy red drupes displayed from early to late fall.

Landscape Attributes

Nova Japanese Yew is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a narrowly upright and columnar growth habit. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and can be pruned at anytime. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Nova Japanese Yew is recommended for the following landscape applications;

  • Mass Planting
  • Hedges/Screening
  • General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Nova Japanese Yew will grow to be about 6 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 50 years or more.

This shrub performs well in both full sun and full shade. However, you may want to keep it away from hot, dry locations that receive direct afternoon sun or which get reflected sunlight, such as against the south side of a white wall. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America, and parts of it are known to be toxic to humans and animals, so care should be exercised in planting it around children and pets.

 
 
Hardiness Zone Plant Height Minimum Sunlight
Characteristics
Massing  Screening  Garden 
Applications
Fruit  Plant Form  Winter Value 
Ornamental Features