Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Repandens Yew (Taxus baccata 'Repandens')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Spreading English Yew, Repandens Yew.

More about repandens yew

About Repandens Yew

Taxus baccata 'Repandens' · also called Spreading English Yew, Repandens Yew · flowering

Repandens Yew is a low, wide-spreading form of English yew with gracefully arching, weeping branch tips and dark blue-green needles. It works as evergreen groundcover, bank cover or low foundation planting. Shade-tolerant and drought-hardy once set, it needs sharp drainage. All parts except the red aril are highly toxic to pets and people.

Cold limit: USDA 5-7 (outdoor landscape shrub) · RHS H6 (-23 to 30°C)

Watch for — Winter burn: Browning of exposed foliage after dry, cold winters. Provide some wind shelter and water before the ground freezes.

What repandens yew's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — repandens yew is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H6 and USDA 5-7 (outdoor landscape shrub), it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. Its RHS rating of H6 means: Hardy throughout the UK and northern Europe. On the US scale that maps to USDA 5-7 (outdoor landscape shrub) — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about −20 to −15 °C. Repandens Yew is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for repandens yew as it gets too cold:

It tolerates winter lows to about −20 to −15 °C once established.
Below its rated zone, the visible damage is browned or blackened top growth and, in the worst case, a killed crown or root.
First-year, newly planted, or container-grown specimens are noticeably less hardy than established garden plants — the roots are exposed.

Can repandens yew go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 5-7 (outdoor landscape shrub) and it overwinters with little or no help.
It does not want to come indoors — a warm winter room actually weakens a hardy plant by denying it dormancy.
The real risks in its range are waterlogging, wind-rock on young plants, and a late hard frost on new growth — not ordinary winter cold.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when repandens yew can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H6 figure above.

Repandens Yew hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is repandens yew cold hardy?

Yes — repandens yew is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H6 and USDA 5-7 (outdoor landscape shrub), it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Repandens Yew is hardy across USDA 5-7 (outdoor landscape shrub); it belongs in the ground or a frost-proof container, not on a windowsill, and many types actively need a cold winter to perform.

What is the minimum temperature repandens yew can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about −20 to −15 °C. Repandens Yew is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

What hardiness zone is repandens yew?

Repandens Yew is rated USDA 5-7 (outdoor landscape shrub) and RHS H6 — Hardy throughout the UK and northern Europe.

Can repandens yew survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 5-7 (outdoor landscape shrub) and it overwinters with little or no help. It does not want to come indoors — a warm winter room actually weakens a hardy plant by denying it dormancy. The real risks in its range are waterlogging, wind-rock on young plants, and a late hard frost on new growth — not ordinary winter cold.

What happens to repandens yew below its minimum temperature?

It tolerates winter lows to about −20 to −15 °C once established. Below its rated zone, the visible damage is browned or blackened top growth and, in the worst case, a killed crown or root. First-year, newly planted, or container-grown specimens are noticeably less hardy than established garden plants — the roots are exposed.