Anglo-Japanese yew vs Arborvitae

Anglo-Japanese yew and Arborvitae are often considered for the same spot in the garden (hedge, screening, specimen). The data below shows where they differ: size, hardiness, care, toxicity and price.

Anglo-Japanese yew

Taxus × media 2.5 m × 1.5 m after 10 years

A dark green, dense evergreen and one of the best plants for a clipped hedge: it grows in sun and deep shade alike, copes well with city air and…

Hedge

Full sun

Part shade

Shade

from about PLN 84

Arborvitae

Thuja occidentalis 3.5 m × 1.2 m after 10 years

A dense evergreen with scale-like foliage, planted in its columnar and conical forms (such as fast Brabant or slim Columna) as a clipped hedge or…

Hedge

Full sun

Part shade

from about PLN 19

Key differences

Arborvitae: We do not recommend it for most Central European gardens. In Central Europe thuja hedges are dying on a large scale, for several reasons that reinforce each other. The plant comes from cool, humid sites and cannot cope with hot, dry summers without watering: shoot tips brown and whole branches die.
Anglo-Japanese yew is highly toxic to children, dogs and cats: even a small amount can be life-threatening. Do not plant it where small children, dogs or cats go. Apart from the flesh of the red aril, every part of the plant is highly poisonous, including needles, bark and seeds, even when dry.
Arborvitae grows taller, Anglo-Japanese yew spreads wider: 3.5 m × 1.2 m and 2.5 m × 1.5 m after ten years (an estimate: sources differ).
Anglo-Japanese yew tolerates drought better than Arborvitae.
Anglo-Japanese yew needs less water than Arborvitae.
Arborvitae also takes heavy clay, Anglo-Japanese yew needs a loose, free-draining soil.
Anglo-Japanese yew needs less care than Arborvitae.
Anglo-Japanese yew also grows in shade, Arborvitae does not.

Which one to choose?

Anglo-Japanese yew is the safer choice: we do not recommend planting Arborvitae in most gardens. Anglo-Japanese yew is highly toxic: plant it only where no small children, dogs or cats are about.

Watch out for

Anglo-Japanese yew

On wet, poorly drained soil it is killed by root rot, which is the most common cause of failure. In exposed sites winter sun and cold wind can scorch the needles. Twig and needle blight, scale insects, mealybugs and vine weevil are occasional problems.

Arborvitae

In Central Europe thuja hedges are dying on a large scale, for several reasons that reinforce each other. The plant comes from cool, humid sites and cannot cope with hot, dry summers without watering: shoot tips brown and whole branches die. Weakened plants are attacked by the juniper jewel beetle (Lamprodila festiva, also called Ovalisia festiva): its larvae eat the phloem under the bark, a branch or the whole plant suddenly turns red-brown and dies, and oval exit holes are left on the trunk. Nothing works against the larvae under the bark; infested parts can only be cut out and destroyed. Fungal shoot and scale-leaf blights and the thuja bark beetle add to the damage. For these reasons experts no longer advise planting new thuja hedges; yew, privet or a mixed hedge is a safer choice. The dwarf globe forms are the same species and suffer from drought and fungal browning just the same; the jewel beetle mainly goes for exposed, sun-warmed trunks, so it is less common on small globes branched to the ground, but nothing shows that they are immune. In winter frozen soil and wind can brown the foliage, and wet snow splays columnar forms apart.

The data side by side

Feature	Anglo-Japanese yew	Arborvitae
Group	Hedge	Hedge
Size after 10 years	2.5 m × 1.5 m	3.5 m × 1.2 m (uncertain)
Ultimate size	3–6 m × 2–4 m	0.5–20 m × 0.5–4.5 m (uncertain)
Growth rate	Slow	Medium (uncertain)
Light	Full sun, Part shade, Shade	Full sun, Part shade
Soil	Average garden soil, Sandy, Calcareous, Acidic	Average garden soil, Clay, Calcareous
Hardiness	down to -34 °C (USDA 4, RHS H7)	down to -40 °C (USDA 3, RHS H7)
Heat tolerance	Medium (uncertain)	Low
Foliage	Evergreen	Evergreen
Water need	Medium	High
Drought tolerance	Medium	Low
Maintenance	Low	Medium
Planted as a hedge	3 plants per running metre	2.5 plants per running metre
For dogs	Highly toxic	Toxic (uncertain)
For cats	Highly toxic	Toxic (uncertain)
For children	Highly toxic	Toxic
Typical price	about PLN 100 (60–100 cm)	approx. PLN 19

Prices are rounded, indicative values. Toxicity data is for information only. If your pet or child has eaten a plant, contact a vet or a doctor. Data updated: October 26, 2026

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