Page 67 - Ebook cây cảnh Art of Bonsai

67

European yew

Taxus baccata

The dramatic contrast between live and dead wood is
what makes the European yew so eye-catching. You can
even enhance the effect by whitening the deadwood.
It is a perfect tree for bonsai cultivation, especially
17in / 42cm tall
if you start with a collected specimen like
Courtesy of John Pitt
this one. Careful pruning and pinching
off the new growth encourages
the back budding you need to
create the tree’s fabulously
dense pads of foliage. Looking closer
Top and center: A swollen live
vein growing around deadwood
and the live trunk alongside the
dead one give a sense of the
A foliage pad on this tree’s powers of endurance.
side helps to stop
the tree from Below: The leaves are small and
appearing to the foliage is compact but you
fall over in should control excessively dense
its pot areas with careful pruning.

Whitened deadwood
adds texture, and
gives a sense of
nature at work The live vein splits and Directional clip and grow
leads the eye upward techniques keep foliage
toward the canopy at the optimal density

Key features
A thin live
vein runs up ∙Taxus grow throughout the US
the side of the and can withstand a wide range
dead trunk of environments, but they prefer
a little shade in midsummer.
∙The fleshy roots are vulnerable,
so be sure to protect them from
freezing in winter.
∙Start by wiring to achieve the
basic shape, then pinch off new
growth to promote adventitious
buds. Afterward, use directional
pruning to direct new growth.