For those of you that don’t know, I currently hold a “day job” at Rosie’s Garden on College Avenue in Carmel, Indiana. It has been a fun way to get to know my new city while doing something I love and meeting the people that I love to be around while getting my R&D firm off the ground. And in this case, and post, it’s the perfect avenue to set up a landscaping ideas for fun and trial without commitment.
The concept
I needed to move 16 Hicksii yews, 8 Wardii yews, and 8 Densiformis yews from the back of the lot to the front of the lot. I decided instead of straight up blocks to play with a landscaping idea that could be used along a roadside berm as a privacy fence. What I created was this:
From the top (in a graphical representation) it would look like this at maturity:
Where this concept would work
This would work well along a western facing side of a house to block prying eyes from the road as well as the hot afternoon sun. Soil conditions would be average, meaning evenly moist and well drained, but no need to be extra dry or extra wet.
Why this works
Hicksii yews are a dense hedge plant that can grow up to 15 feet tall over the course of it’s life and 6 feet wide at the widest point at the top (mature height listed as ~12ft). Since they require full to partial sun for the best growth, they are perfect for not only blocking out traffic, but also blocking out the burning rays of the hot afternoon sun protecting plants on the yard side of the display.
Wardii yews are beautiful mounding shrubs that are 3 feet high by 6 feet wide at their mature height. In this shape I created a diamond for show, but you can literally use this as a way to separate areas with just a dot of greenery between play or relaxing zones of your yard. Since they require less sun and thrive in partial shade to full sun, they will do quite well when a tall Hicksii yew blocks the bulk of the afternoon sun.
Densiformis yews are dense spreaders that are good for creating a background display for flowers or other brightly coloured tchtchkes that may surround a focal species as well as creating another barrier to a private area of the yard. They grow up to 4 feet tall and 4 feet wide (listed as 3×4, but I’ve seen them bigger). These species do well in partial to full sun, so they will enjoy being under the focal tree for for show.
A note about yews: All yews can do well in partial shade to full sun, and more importantly, all yews have a hardiness zone level of 4 – 7, while some species claim to do well even in hardiness zone 8. No yew flowers, but they all have red berries in the late fall that stay around in the first part of the winter.
Focal species
Close up of the Villa Taranto Japanese maple leaves in their fall colours.
While the yews were used to create a private space in your yard, everyone likes a focal tree to give a bit of wow factor as well as provide shade to sit under. For this display I used a Villa Taranto Japanese maple without it’s fall colours of soft orange-red because I liked it’s delicate fern-like leaves from all the other trees in the back of the lot I had to choose from. However, you can choose any smaller tree that would do well in partial shade or prefers morning sun and wilts in hot, afternoon sun. After all, that’s why we put the Hicksii yew there!
How I see this in a real world setting
I see this as part of an English landscaping areas where you use the shrubs to create a private area that you could entertain guests with a late brunch or afternoon tea. Simply put a patio set between the Hicksii hedge row and the Densiformis yew half circle between the diamonds for an all natural screened in area to entertain guests.
This landscaping idea can be completed or changed up in so many different ways from changing the focal species to leaving out several of the yews for a cleaner look. How would you change it and make it your own? Share your twist in the comments.
