Yews need to be kept evenly moist. They aren't very drought tolerant. When they get in trouble, it is almost always due to soil that is too wet. Yews are interesting plants for several reasons. Not only have they been cultivated for thousands of years, they are among the oldest living trees.
Yews are dioecious, meaning they have separate male and female plants.
All parts of the plant including the bark, the leaves and the seeds, whether fresh or dried, are very poisonous to people and pets. Strangly enough, the flesh of the fruit is not poisonous, though the seed inside the flesh is. And even more frustrating, deer seem to enjoy nibbling on yew and seem to be unaffected. Birds often eat the fruits unharmed, since the seed passes through them intact. There are many types of yews, but very few of them are suitable for our climate.