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Expert horticultural advice on the merits and pitfalls of planting bare root yews, and how to get the best from them.

Like many of our most popular species, English Yews are available in a variety of root types (namely bareroot, pot grown root ball and instant troughs) providing many options for planting new hedges throughout the year in a range of sizes from 20cm to 2 metres or more.

Bare roots will always be the cheapest option because they have unique cost advantages, being grown in the soil of the nursery fields they don’t need any pots or compost. They use less water and fertilizer during the production cycle and when lifted from the soil in their natural season of winter dormancy, all the soil is shaken off before sale meaning they are lighter, less bulky and therefore cheaper to transport.

These attributes, coupled with them not needing glasshouses or artificial heat of any sort mean that bare roots are also the most environmentally friendly option. All great reasons for purchasing bare roots and they can make a lovely new hedge, indeed we sell over 50,000 of them each winter season.

But bare root yews aren’t the right choice every time, just because they are the cheapest doesn’t necessarily mean they will be the best value in every situation. We aren’t trying to put you off, just providing you with the complete facts before you opt for bare roots when another root option such as potted or root balls might be better suited to your individual needs.

(Nor am I saying there is anything wrong with our bare root plants. Each autumn I personally inspect the Yews in production at our bare root growers’ nurseries, we go to great lengths to ensure our plants are as strong, healthy and fresh as they can possibly be – the best you can buy anywhere)

English Yew (Taxus baccata) is one of the few evergreen hedging plants that are available as bare roots. (Laurel, Box and Lonicera are the others). Deciduous plants such as Beech and Hawthorn have the benefit of not having leaves on them when they are lifted and replanted in the winter season, therefore they don’t lose valuable water through transpiration after they are planted – just at the time when the roots are trying to establish. These plants won’t usually start to sprout new leaves until the roots are growing actively.

Evergreen bare root plants like Yew and Laurel are different, they will lose water through the leaves from the moment they are planted. In ‘kind’ weather conditions (damp, rainy, cloudy, overcast, windless) this is not a problem, the relative humidity is quite high, so the amount of water lost by the plants is quite small.

In drying weather conditions with low relative humidity (windy, dry, sunny) the amount of water lost through transpiration increases considerably. If the plants lose water through the leaves faster than the newly planted root system can replace it – the plants will become water stressed. The water saving survival mechanism is usually for the plants to either moult leaves, or for parts of the plant to die back.

The longer the dry spell – then the more water stressed the plants will become. And if that water loss is not countered, then it becomes increasingly likely that many plants (that were perfectly healthy) will be lost as they dry out completely and turn crisp. And in a dry/breezy/sunny spring it’s not unusual for many weeks to pass without rainfall. In our increasingly changeable climate, extreme rainfall events and protracted dry spells/droughts are both becoming much more common, and so the risk of your bare root yew plants being lost is very significant and real.

All is not lost though. It is perfectly possible to put the odds in your favour and reap the benefit of a successful new yew hedge grown from the beautiful, economical bare roots that we supply.

Here are the ten things you need to know….

1. First things first – Yews of all root types will not grow in wet soil, its simply non-negotiable, the drainage MUST be good. So, if there are any doubts concerning the drainage where your new hedge is to be planted then our advice is to either add effective drainage before you prepare the soil for planting Yews, or plant something different from our range of hedges that will enjoy the moisture. (If you aren’t sure about the drainage – dig a small 30x30x30cm hole in winter where your hedge is going to be. Leave it for half an hour, if there’s water in the bottom of the hole when you return then its almost certainly too wet)
2. If you need instant effect, then its important that you know before you buy, that bare root plants aren’t going to provide it (especially when you consider point 6). If immediate impact is needed, we would respectfully suggest you consider root ball Yews instead as they are older, denser and bushier. Larger pot grown specimens also give a good impact and of course the instant hedging troughs are ideal.
3. Bare root yews will almost certainly take a year to settle in, and while they settle in, they probably aren’t going to provide a show garden look. As we say on this website, they can grow at a good rate for a species that is reputedly slow growing (30cm or more each year is realistic once established). But in year one, its pretty unlikely they will grow more than a centimetre or two at best. During their first summer they can look as if they are sulking and are unhealthy, they often change colour to a variety of brown, yellow (even orange) shades of green. Provided that the drainage in our first tip is ok then you can pretty much guarantee they will improve massively and ‘come back’ in year two. But if you want a manicured look, or growth right from the beginning then opt for potted plants or troughs that have no root disturbance, they might not give you the full 30cm in year one, but they will almost certainly grow a good deal more than bare roots in that first season.
4. Bare root yews often ‘moult’ a lot of foliage if the weather is dry (it usually turns yellow first) rather like a Christmas tree next to a radiator you will see it on the ground with a plant skeleton above. Sometimes the tips of the branches or the top of the plant turn brown and die back a little, or a lot. These are stress responses when the amount of water being lost through the foliage is greater than the newly establishing roots can replenish and the plant is at risk of drying out completely. It is a survival mechanism, just a phase that the plants will grow through, and a hundred times better than the whole plant simply turning crisp and dying! Clearly this isn’t the best look though, and whether it happens or not is to some degree at least, dependent on how kind the spring weather is to the plants. In a dry, windy spring its much more likely, in a damp and wet spring – far less likely. If you want to improve the chances of it not happening, we recommend following the remaining points below
5. Use Rootgrow when you plant, buy one of the gel packs (that is any except for the 150gram pack) and follow the instructions on the back. Obviously we like to sell the stuff….but it’s not just sales hype, there are numerous studies and trials proving it really works to re-establish the root system as quickly as possible and will give your plants the best start.
6. Trim the side branches of your bare root plants back by between 30-50% after planting. (It’s the first thing we do when we re-plant them on the nursery). This may sound odd when we sell bushy plants and then tell you to chop half of it off, and yes they might well look a bit skinny and odd after you give them the chop….but bear with us. The skinnier and odder they look – the less water they are going to lose and the better it is for the plants – so go as far as you are comfortable with. The reasoning is that by reducing the surface area of foliage you will significantly cut down the water lost through transpiration, just when the plant is at its most vulnerable before the roots re-establish. The temporary loss of foliage cover will be compensated for with improved establishment and denser, bushier plants by the end of year two. (Yes, you did read that right – in year two – they will look skinny for quite a while, but it’s worth it).
7. Don’t choose bare root yews for windy and exposed planting sites. Yews are very tough and hardy plants; in well-drained soil they will grow beautifully in harsh and windy conditions. But if you are considering planting bare roots on an exposed site with constant wind and gales – in all honesty you would be better buying potted ones, they will almost certainly fare much better.
8. Bare root yews are very susceptible to wind rock; the winter winds and gales can rock them from one side to the other quietly opening an increasingly large and often undetected hole around the stem at soil level as the plants move. This gives opportunity either for winter rainfall to accumulate in the hole, or for the roots to be dislodged and exposed to the elements. Both are very likely to be fatal to at least some of the plants. It is vitally important that the bare roots are planted firmly and checked weekly to ensure they haven’t been dislodged by the wind. Larger bare roots (60/80cm and larger) will almost certainly need firm supports to keep them in place. They are beautiful, big, bushy plants – but they catch the wind like kites and need anchoring to keep them completely stable while the roots establish. Trimming the branches back as in point 6 also helps.
9. Be prepared for some serious planting effort, the root systems can be very large. Bare roots are significantly cheaper than other options of the same height, but they need a greater investment of your time to plant them well. Bare root yews can have a LOT of roots on them. After all, the bare root yew plants we sell can be up to 5 years old (they are the oldest bare roots that we sell). The bigger sizes (60/80cm and larger) need very thorough preparation to ensure that the roots are suitable planted at the correct depth. (Bare root plants have a visible ‘nursery mark’ where the soil level was when they were growing in the nursery field – they should always be planted back at the same depth. (All too often we see photos of failed plants with the first 10cm of roots exposed where they weren’t planted deeply enough and is a certain cause of them dying in a dry spring after planting).
10. Its important to provide the right amount of water in the first season after planting. If you have light, sandy soil then by all means add a mulch after you plant to retain moisture. If you have heavy clay, then adding a mulch risk keeping the soil too wet and is better avoided. But in either case, when the spring weather tuns dry it is very important to monitor the soil around plants regularly and water them thoroughly with a good soak once a week if it is dry a few centimetres under the surface. (As a rough guide – a two-gallon bucket is enough to share between 3 or 4 bare root plants, once a week, not leaving a sprinkler running next to them for hours and drowning them). It is hard to over emphasise the importance of monitoring your plants regularly – by the time they show signs of significant stress, it is often too late. Make the time for it – its only for the first season.
11. Like all bare root plants – order a few extras to gap up any that might fail. Bare root plants offer great savings compared to other root types, but it is a fact that 2-5% of them are likely to fail, expecting 100% success is unrealistic. Even with the very best plants like ours, and the very best aftercare by you, in the act of lifting and replanting, some of them don’t make it. It’s the same with all species including Beech, Hawthorn, Hornbeam, Box and more. The saving compared to potted plants is huge so please invest in one or two extras. Plant them in the veg patch or flower bed, by the following autumn you can see if there are gaps in your new hedge and transfer them from the substitutes bench.

I truly hope after all this information that I haven’t put you off! Growing a yew hedge from bare roots really isn’t difficult, it’s just like so many simple things in life where the devil is in the detail. Follow our points and massively improve your odds of success….or give some potted or root ball plants a try instead if you aren’t confident.

Happy planting!

About the Author

Morris Hankinson is the founder and MD of Hopes Grove Nurseries, the largest grower-retailer of hedging plants in the country. He started the business in July 1992, the day after completing his last exam of a BSc. Horticulture course at Writtle College in Essex. Morris has had a fascination and love of growing things since childhood when he was a keen exhibitor at his local Horticultural Society. Over the years the nursery has developed from a one person operation to an employer of 25 staff and so his interest is put to very good use, keeping an experienced eye on all operations across the 125 acres of nursery production.

Read more articles by Morris