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What wildlife can I attract with this Yew I planted?

deadendwaterfalldeadendwaterfall Posts: 70
in Wildlife gardening
Do any insects have a particular affinity for Yew plants?


Posts

  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Birds and mammals will like the berries and the dense canopy will be good for birds to nest in. I wonder if it's planted rather close to the fence 
  • deadendwaterfalldeadendwaterfall Posts: 70
    Fire said:
    Birds and mammals will like the berries and the dense canopy will be good for birds to nest in. I wonder if it's planted rather close to the fence 
    Will the blackbirds and robins I sometimes see in the area likely be interested in Yew berries? 
  • amancalledgeorgeamancalledgeorge Posts: 2,736
    It's going to be a while before it's truly useful being such a small plant. But I agree that's too close to the fence, a standard yew would be quite wide eventually. I have some large Baccara David yews in my main bed for winter interest and they're not exactly a haven for birds but you see them in and out at times and resting in between attacking aphids. 
    To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    What max size are you wishing for your yew, DEW?
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Yews will reach around 10 feet in width - easily, so you'd need to prune it as it gets bigger or it'll just dominate the area, and other plants will struggle. I agree that they're good for shelter for birds, but the berries are a big feature and pruning will mean very few berries. They're slow growing, but if you intend keeping it, you need a much bigger site for it to be of real use. 
    It's far better to choose suitable plants for the garden instead of hoping something random will be useful.  A 'gift' of a plant isn't always the right thing to have, regardless of how well meaning that gift might be. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • deadendwaterfalldeadendwaterfall Posts: 70
    Fairygirl said:
    Yews will reach around 10 feet in width - easily, so you'd need to prune it as it gets bigger or it'll just dominate the area, and other plants will struggle. I agree that they're good for shelter for birds, but the berries are a big feature and pruning will mean very few berries. They're slow growing, but if you intend keeping it, you need a much bigger site for it to be of real use. 
    It's far better to choose suitable plants for the garden instead of hoping something random will be useful.  A 'gift' of a plant isn't always the right thing to have, regardless of how well meaning that gift might be. 
    The fence I've planted this Yew next to doesn't really have many plants either side of it, just lots of weeds and if it grows as big as what you suggested, great - the fencing is quite ugly, which is largely why I planted this Yew in the first place, to eventually cover up much of the fencing from view.

    I was originally going to plant goldcrest conifers, but I someone on Facebook urged me to plant something native instead. 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    It grows much bigger than I suggested, as it will reach that size within about ten years or so, depending on conditions, especially when grown as hedging.
    It won't just stop though - they become massive trees if left alone as a single specimen.

    You'll have to bear that in mind, and in the meantime, they'll be a lot of dead space around it which will be weedy if there's no other planting actively put in. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • deadendwaterfalldeadendwaterfall Posts: 70
    Here's two other Yews I planted, although not near the same fencing, they were planted in other areas of the same garden:




  • ViewAheadViewAhead Posts: 866
    I have a Yew about that size.  It planted itself. 😁  It's fairly close to a fence but I figure they grow so slowly, it won't be a problem for a long time.  




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