Japanese Plum Yew Tree

Cephalotaxus harringtonia TREE FORM

Plant Details

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 6a-9b Find Your Zone

Plant Type: Evergreen Tree

Height at Maturity: 8-10′ in as many years; 20′ with age

Width at Maturity: 5-10′ in as many years; 15′ with age

Spacing: –

Growth Habit / Form: Upright, Rounded, Arching, Pendulous branchlets

Growth Rate: Slow

Flower Color: NA

Flower Size: NA

Flowering Period: NA

Flower Type: NA

Fragrant Flowers: No

Foliage Color: Dark Green

Fragrant Foliage: No

Berries: No

Berry Color:

Sun Needs: Shade or Mostly Shade, Morning Sun With Afternoon Shade, All Day Filtered Sun, Full Sun in Zone 6

Water Needs: Average, Low when established

Soil Type: Clay, Loam, Sandy, Silty; Especially likes a sandy soil

Soil Moisture / Drainage: Moist But Well-Drained

Soil pH: 5.0 – 7.0 (Acid to Slightly Acid)

Maintenance / Care: Very Low

Attracts: Visual Attention

Resistances: Deer, Disease, Drought (Moderate when established), Heat, Heavy Shade, Insect

Description

One of if not the rarest plants we grow and offer, the tree form Japanese Plum Yew is a small coniferous evergreen tree featuring handsome, needle-like, dark green leaves that are arranged on the leaf stems in a way that resembles fern fronds. The arching and pendulous leaf stems provide a very unique look and texture in the landscape. Like other Cephalotaxus, this one thrives in part shade to full shade, but will take full sun in cooler climates. It is a slow to moderate grower reaching 8 to 10 feet in as many years and up to 20 to 30 feet over time if left unpruned. Extremely low maintenance and very easy to grow, it has high tolerance for heat, deep shade and is drought tolerant when established. Deer haven’t touched it in our gardens.

Landscape & Garden Uses

The Japanese Plum Yew is ideal for use as a single specimen or small groupings in shady landscape or woodland borders and home foundation plantings. It also makes a nice centerpiece in container gardens. An ideal selection for woodland gardens, as an evergreen accent or background in perennial shade gardens, Asian themed gardens and rare plant gardens.

Note: For our customers who live and garden north of USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 6a, where this Plum Yew is not reliably winter hardy, you’ll be happy to know it can be grown in containers that can be brought indoors during winter and placed back outside when temperatures warm up in spring.

Growing Preferences

Exceptionally easy to grow, the Japanese Plum Yew Tree prefers a moist but well-drained soil and part to full shade. It will tolerate full sun in cooler climates. Does not require pruning however responds well to it for shaping purposes. The best time to prune is in early spring before the first flush of new growth.

Helpful Articles

Click on the link below to find helpful advice from our experts on how to plant, fertilize, prune and water Plum Yews.

How To Plant & Care For Plum Yews

Plant Long & Prosper!

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Questions? Contact Us

The tree I ordered came very safely packed and in excellent condition. I was very happy to see how mature the height was. it is planted and doing just fine. Thank you.——————————————————-You’re welcome! We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy your purchase for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and wonderful review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

The plant arrived very quickly, well packed, sized as expected, and beamingly healthy (as with all other orders I placed with Wilson Brothers, which, by now, quite a few). The attached picture shows the plant in ground in exactly one month after arrival.———————————————————-We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

A very delightful tree – which arrived and looks exactly as pictured. It was very securely shipped and easy to plant. Got exactly what I was expecting and the quality appears to be excellent. Am looking forward to see how this tree does over the coming years.—————————————————————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

Unique tree-form Japanese Plum Yew received in excellent condition. Planted a pair of 5-gallon specimens in Zone 7 and they seem to be thriving in part shade.———————————-We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG