Pruning Yew? : Grows on You

East Yorkshire, United Kingdom

Pruning Yew?

I have a self sown yew about 20yrs old standing 5-6ft high. it has never been formally pruned, I've only ever trimmed any bits that got in my way.

how far can i cut into a branch so that i still get new growth. OH is happy to take the hedge trimmer to it but he gets a bit gungo ho if he isnt given clear directions. His garden philosophy 'if it lives it lives, if it dies tough!'

The final effect I am after isnt exactly topiary just a neatly trimmed shape as this border is being re worked as I have to have 2 dead crab apples, 1 dead deutzia and 7 3yr old self sown sycamores and 5 3yr old self sown ash removed.

Any advice please, thanks in advance.

On plant Taxus baccata

8 Nov, 2012

Answers

Andrewr

Yew is pretty forgiving and can be pruned right back to the main trunk if necessary. But I wouldn't do that now, I'd wait until spring and give it a good feed at the same time

8 Nov, 2012

Andy_jeavons

As above, you can prune Yew as hard as you like....we've just reduced a 20 foot specimen to a 2 foot stump and it's growing back.

We trim all our yews in summer...around mid august using very sharp shears or hedge trimmers. We cut back the big brute in March

9 Nov, 2012

Seaburngirl

Thanks gentelmen. My husband will be overjoyed that he can give it a good trim. It will be in the spring as it is full of berries.

9 Nov, 2012

Spritzhenry

I saw the NT gardeners at one of their properties last year - they'd cut the back half of a Yew hedge right to the old wood, and they said it would look great again by this year, when they'd tackle the othe side. 'Trim' was certainly not the word! A very large 'prune' or even a controlled 'hack'! lol.

9 Nov, 2012

Hywel

There's an old yew in a carpark near here. They seem to have hacked it back a lot, probably while constructing the car park. It's growing back from the old trunk - lots of nice new shoots :o)

9 Nov, 2012

Anchorman

As others have said yew can be pruned as hard as you like. One of my customers hard pruned a yew to the point where I though he'd gone nuts but within a few weeks it re-sprouted from very old bare stems

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31559373@N00/8127486867/

9 Nov, 2012

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