English Yew Cone Topiary Pair - Vela & Spira

Two hand-matched cones — each a clipped evergreen taper, clothed in foliage from the pot to a fine point — in nursery pots sized to the plant. Decorative pots are not included: the charcoal planters in our photographs are there for styling, and your pair arrives in its nursery pots, ready for planters of your choosing, or for planting straight into the ground in spring (March to April) or autumn (September to mid-October). Before dispatch you receive the pair's quality-control certificate; with the cones come a digital twins' certificate and grower-written care guidance for the species. The pair travels upright on its own pallet — no boxing, no bending — with free kerbside delivery to UK mainland addresses. The Scottish Highlands, islands and some remote postcodes carry a surcharge, calculated at checkout, and we can't deliver to Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland. Plan how you'll move two well-grown cones from the kerb to their spot before the pallet lands.

To the tip, and without the pot. Every height on these listings is the cone itself, measured from the compost surface to the point — so add your planter's height to see where the tip will finally sit. Japanese holly comes in 70–90cm and 90–110cm; English yew in 70–90, 110–130, 150–170 and 170–200cm. The base, always the widest part of the cone, is roughly 35–55cm across on the holly and 35–75cm on the yew, in proportion to the height you choose.

By hand, side by side. Your two are selected for height, taper, base width and finish — leaf density on Japanese holly, needle tone on English yew — and compared until their silhouettes rise at the same angle to the same point. Heights are guaranteed to differ by no more than 10cm, measured from the soil line to the apex. Before your pallet is built you receive your pair's quality-control certificate — origins, dimensions and six photographs of your actual two cones — with 24 hours to review before dispatch. If the pair that arrives still isn't right, email hello@topiarytwins.co.uk within 7 days of delivery with the subject “Matching Guarantee Claim – [order number]” and a photograph of the two together. Claims are resolved within 24 hours: a replacement pair as standard, or a full refund on request.

It depends on the species. English yew takes one clip a year, in late May. Japanese holly takes two, in late May and early August. After mid-August, put the shears away for both; if you miss the May clip, a catch-up in June or July is fine. Use hand shears and start at the top: set the point directly over the centre of the base and finish it by hand with the tips of the shears, then work the taper down and round the plant so no flat faces form, keeping the base the widest part. Any harder cut belongs in late May too, after a scratch test in late March, and regrowth from old wood takes 8–12 weeks — yew is unusual among conifers in regrowing from old wood at all. The cones chapter of our pruning and trimming guide has the full method.

Size the container to the cone: a 60–80cm plant needs a 40–50cm container, 80–120cm a 50–60cm one, 120–160cm a 60–70cm one, and anything over 160cm a container of 70cm or more, or plant it in the ground. A pot at least a third of the plant's height is an absolute minimum, not a target, and because yew and Japanese holly grow slowly, they can jump two pot sizes when you repot. Fill with John Innes No. 3, keep the rootball 3–5cm below the rim, and rely on the drainage holes rather than a layer of crocks, which only holds water above it; in containers of 70cm and over, a thin 3–5cm layer of expanded clay is fine. Water 2–3 times weekly through summer, for life; give one spring application of slow-release feed; replace the top 5–8cm of compost every spring; and repot every 5 to 10 years — 10 to 15 for yew — in March or April, led by the signs: roots through the drainage holes, water running straight through, growth stalling. Choose a pot heavy enough not to tip in the wind. The container care and repotting guide has the full table.

It depends where you live. English yew is hardy to −20°C and Japanese holly to −15 to −18°C, but roots in a pot are more exposed than roots in the ground. In northern England and Scotland, wrap every pot every winter, yew and holly included; in the Midlands and the south, yew and holly in good pots rarely need it. Through winter, check the pots weekly and water only if the compost is dry at 5cm — usually every 10 to 14 days. Snow needs nothing from you: a cone sheds it on its own, so leave it be. If a hard frost does scorch the foliage, wait — assess it in late March with a scratch test, and cut out dead material from late April into the May clip. The winter protection guide has the detail.

Allow 14–21 working days from order, or 21–28 working days in peak season (February to May) — the pair is being selected, photographed and documented during that window, not sitting in a warehouse. Before dispatch you receive the quality-control certificate — a record of origins and dimensions, with six photographs of your actual cones — and 24 hours to review it; if we don't hear from you, the pallet is built and dispatched. There's no tracking portal: you get a dispatch email with an estimated delivery date, we can give you a delivery window on request, and the driver phones about an hour before arrival. One tip: don't book a landscaper or contractor until the cones have actually arrived, because dates can move and we can't cover contractor costs if they do. The full terms are on our delivery and returns page.