Joanie

Giving your zone as Ireland is fine for now. Someone may come along and tell us what zone Ireland is, but we're okay for the moment, especially if this is your only tree and it lives indoors.

It's hard for a tree to live indoors without some special conditions. Light from a window may not be enough for it, because even though our eyes see the light as being bright, it may or may not be bright enough for the tree. Sometimes people use "indoor growing lights" just above their trees. Another consideration is humidity. If it's dry, trees like the Chinese Yew may suffer. And it's hard to keep the area just around the tree humid. Some people put a "humidity tray" with water and pebbles under the tree, making sure that the pot is not sitting in the water. Another consideration is watering. What I just read about Chinese Yew says that they are prone to root rot. Root rot is when the roots stay wet too long. That is very likely your problem, perhaps augmented by lack of humidity and/or poor lighting. If it's root rot you probably aren't going to be able to pull the tree through it. Oftentimes when someone buys a "bonsai" from a big dealer it isn't planted well, or in good draining soil, or in the best health anyway. It may have been pulled from the ground and plopped into the pot just before you received it. It may have been trimmed, root pruned, etc. and just still looked healthy. It's hard to say. Anyway, unless you want to read up on keeping indoor trees and maybe go to a little more expense and trouble, the best way to do bonsai is to learn what trees will survive in your area and grow them outside. They grow better and give you much pleasure.

Can someone else chime in with some help, too? Maybe some links?

Joanie

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