Upright Japanese Plum Yew
Cephalotaxus harringtonia 'Fastigiata'
Upright Japanese Plum Yew
Cephalotaxus harringtonia 'Fastigiata'
Cephalotaxus harringtonia 'Fastigiata'
19cm
£0.00
Cephalotaxus harringtonia 'Fastigiata' is the upright, columnar form of the Japanese plum yew, a handsome evergreen conifer prized for its architectural shape and its willingness to grow where almost nothing else will. Unlike the spreading species, this cultivar throws its shoots vertically into a dense, narrow column, clothed top to bottom in soft, glossy, near-black-green needles that radiate around each stem like a bottlebrush. It is one of the most useful and least demanding exotic-looking evergreens you can plant.
What makes cephalotaxus harringtonia so desirable is its rare combination of dramatic form and genuine toughness. It is fully hardy across the UK (RHS H5), evergreen for year-round structure, and famously shade-tolerant, coping with the dry shade under mature trees that defeats most other shrubs. The plum yew also resists the pests and diseases that trouble true yews, and as a slow grower it holds its tidy outline for years with minimal attention.
How and where to grow
This is a brilliantly adaptable plant. It thrives in partial or full shade and tolerates full sun in cooler northern gardens, so it suits north or east-facing borders, woodland edges and shady courtyards alike. Give it any reasonably fertile, moist but well-drained soil, on chalk, clay, loam or sand and at any pH. It dislikes waterlogging, so lighten heavy ground with grit before planting.
- Eventual size: around 2 to 3 m tall and 1 to 1.5 m wide, reached slowly over many years
- Position: partial to full shade, or full sun in cooler areas, ideally sheltered
- Care: water through the first season or two, then little needed; clips well if a neater column is wanted
Its slim, upright silhouette makes the plum yew a natural choice for framing doorways, marking the corners of a bed, or adding evergreen height to a narrow space, and it sits beautifully alongside ferns, bamboos and other shade-loving exotics. Note that the foliage and seeds are toxic if eaten, so site it thoughtfully around children and pets. Every japanese plum yew we send out is a strong, well-rooted, nursery-grown specimen, carefully selected and packed to arrive in superb condition, ready to settle into your garden for decades to come.
