Don't know others but for what it's worth I have two 'Monloo' and I think that they are lovely.

Sara

Unless you are specifically looking for irregular spread and green, the nice golden compact Taxus cuspidata 'Nana Aurescens' may be OK.

Taxus baccata 'Repandens' is an excellent option.. or is that too borderline for you?

-Sam

How about Taxus canadensis? It fits all of those requirements...

i dont think i have any taxus in my z5 MI ... i think i did try them.. somewhere in the way back machine ...

good luck with your quest ...

ken

Taxus cuspidata 'Nana Aurescens' is a perfect candidate....I just couldn't think of any particular cultivars off hand.

Jimbo, do you know of any low spreading forms of Taxus canadensis?

Sam, I actually wrote Taxus baccata off but 'Repandens' is apparently one of the most hardy selections of English yew.

Sara, I have a 'Monloo' as well and its quite nice with its subtle yellow glow. Nice evergreen selection for shade. Tsuga just doesn't do too well with my sandy soil apparently.

Taxus cuspidata 'Prostrata' is also a good one for your zone 5.
But I don't know if it will be availlable were you're...

Low growing means it would be protected by snow, though that is not always reliable. I've had T. baccata 'Standishii' for 4-5 years now. Being tall and narrow it sticks out of the snow with out issue, albeit we've had moderate winters in that span.

tj

Taxus canadensis, by nature, is low-spreading. I've got some here in Central Indiana that are content to keep creeping along the ground. They supposedly only get 3-6 feet tall at maturity; I've never seen them over 1-2 feet tall here in the wild.

When I first laid eyes on the "Monloo" cultivar many years back, I found it looked rather like a Tsuga, superficially anyway. I still like these things.

+oM