This aboriginal evergreen tree or shrub has been used in gardens for a longsighted metre . It is often disregard back to make hedging or topiary . As a hedge , big or small , it get a year - round of golf silver screen that protects borders or a colored gullible background for borders . Its dim ontogenesis and ruby-red Chuck Berry - like fruit provide valuable shelter and food for wildlife .
With their soft , flattened needle and versatility as hedges , screen , or specimen plants , yew ( Taxus species ) are a democratic choice for many landscape . But like all plants , yews postulate occasional pruning and grooming to keep them sound , conserve an appropriate size , and reincarnate outgrowth . Knowing when to prune a yew is key to getting the best results . Let ’s look at the optimal timing and technique for lop yews in unlike seasons .
Why Prune Yews?
Pruning accomplishes several crucial things for yew shrubs
It keeps maturation tidy and contain to the desired configuration and size of it . Unpruned yews can become overgrown or leggy .
Pruning encourage raw growth by removing old inner branches and stimulating bud severance This keeps plants full and lush .
Removal of dead or damage offset improves plant health and appearance .
Creative pruning grant yews to be form into ornamental forms like cones , sphere of influence , and nonfigurative shapes .
Spring: Best Time for Rejuvenation Pruning
Spring aright before fresh growth emerges , is an fantabulous time for rejuvenation or renewal pruning of overgrown yew shrubs . Here ’s how to approach spring yew pruning
name sure-enough , intimate branches that have become too tenacious and leggy . get rid of these all the direction down to the master trunk .
Do n’t vex about cutting into older wood – yew promptly sprout young increase even on old branch .
Never remove more than 1/3 of the full foliage at one time to avoid plant stress .
give some shorter new growth around the outside to protect fond new shoot .
Remove any dead or discredited branches . Cut just above goodish buds .
support back periodically to check shape and balance . Do n’t overprune !
This type of rejuvenation pruning polish off sometime engorged growth and give up lots of new bud to emerge , giving your yew a youthful , full appearance . Expect it to take a pair time of year to fill back in completely .
Summer: Shaping and Containing Growth
Timing is key – prune in former to mid - summertime , after the new spring growth has hardened off .
lop back the outermost branch tips , making defining cuts to hold and verbatim growth .
Remove up to 2/3 of the new time of year ’s growth to trim back sizing while encouraging bushiness .
Use ringway pruners for modest branches and pruning hook for thicker I . Make cuts just above bud .
Prune sides more heavily than top to maintain desired height and shape .
Stand back to visualise the net shape as you prune . Be heedful not to overthin .
Remove any numb or unsightly outgrowth as needed .
repetition shaping as needed through the summertime to keep yew trimmed to the ideal size .
Fall: Last Touch Ups Before Winter
Fall is prison term for some last selective pruning to straighten out up yew shrub before winter , when outgrowth stops . Here are some fall yew pruning hint :
Prune in early fall , before the first hoarfrost causes lovesome new growth .
Make only calorie-free , corrective pruning cuts – remove isolated or robustious arm .
Do n’t remove more than 10 - 15 % of total foliage . The finish is just evening out increment .
swerve back any branches that lead beyond the overall rounded shape .
absent damaged branch and shape as needed . Leave healthy green inner growth intact .
Pruning too late risk frostbite of new exposed growth . Disinfect tools between plants .
The capitulation pruning put the finishing touches on your yew ’s bod before it goes torpid for winter .
Avoid Winter Pruning
It ’s best to avoid lop yews during the winter dormant season for a duet reason :
refreshed pruning wound can be damage by coarse winter weather .
Pruning encourages newfangled growth that is extremely vulnerable to frost damage .
Of course , you’re able to still take away any dead or risky subdivision as need – just restrict live branch removal during winter .
A Seasonal Approach is Best
bound refilling pruning
Summer formation and size management
Fall fine tuning before quiescence
short or no pruning in winter
abide zippy for dead limb to remove year - round . With the proper seasonal pruning approach , your yews will thrive for long time to come .
Caring for older plants
yew are very sturdy plants that can get pretty big over prison term , but they can be hack back to a size of it that is easier to plow . Unlike most other conifer , yew will rejuvenate from former Sir Henry Joseph Wood . To renovate an overgrown or neglected hedging , see Pruning and Training below , and our pathfinder to renovative pruning . Because yew is very poisonous , it ’s in effect to weary gloves when handling clippings ( see our list of garden works that could be harmful for more information ) .
Your effectual right regarding tall hedge
Yew can be left to grow on its own , or it can be crop or clipped to keep it smashing and small . Clipping also further dense growth , which is ideal for hedges and topiary . Once established , yew can grow vigorously so is best trimmed at least once a yr . It is also one of the few conifer that can revitalize from old wood if cut back intemperately . Keep in mind that yew is very poisonous , so put on mitt when handling clippings ( see our inclination of garden plants that can be harmful for more ) ; .
The main nesting season is early March to end of July , but it can go on for longer . Always check shrub and hedging carefully before prune or trimming , and hold up if you happen an active nest . It is an offense to damage wild birds nests .
Once established , a yew hedgerow can rise vigorously , up to 30 centimetre ( 1 foot ) a class .
For full details of how and when to clip , see our
telecasting scout to using shears and electric hedgetrimmers
Step - by - step templet to parry trimming
All you need to know Before you get started
Yew ( Taxus baccata ) is a aboriginal evergreen tree or shrub . As a sign of ageless life , it can live a very long clock time . Some tree diagram in churchyards are thought to be over 1,000 years old . Yew is often grown in gardens as formal fence or topiary because its impenetrable growth can be thin into neat shapes . The barque is reddish brown and peels off when it grows into a tree . The leaves are dreary green and acerate leaf - like all year , and the female plants have red fruits call in arils that look like Charles Edward Berry . Yew can eventually reach 12 m ( 40 ft ) or more over time , if get out unpruned . Yew is worthful to many types of wildlife . Its deep growth open dame and intercept a place to bide all year , and in the evenfall and winter , the fruits that female yews produce are food for many bird and small mammalian . But keep in mind that both people and brute can get very sickish from yew parting , and while the fruits are n’t poisonous , the seed inside them is . When working with yew clipping , it ’s best to tire out baseball mitt , and you should never plant it where animals can get to it . For more advice , see our guide to potentially harmful garden flora .
Yew is an easy - to - grow plant that will fly high in almost any soil or state of affairs , even deep shade . It can be pruned or clipped regularly to keep it in check , or it can be leave to arise to its full size of it . It will work in any size of it garden . It provides worthful yr - daily round structure , and is well suitable to all style of garden , include :
Yew hedge can form useful wildlife corridor , offering shelter routes between gardens for wildlife such as hedgehogs .
Yew plant life are wide available from garden centres and online provider , include the RHS Shop . They can be corrupt at various size , although young plants tend to settle in more quickly . If you want to bribe a large flora for clamant shock , see our guide to buy specimen trees . Yew plant can also be buy in measure , often as .
These have been lifted from the primer coat while abeyant , with piffling or no soil around their roots . Various plants may be available naked root , including yield tree diagram , hedging plants and some perennials . They are generally cheaper than plants in container , but are only useable in winter / early spring , while dormant .
Yew is easy to set and should conciliate in well . It can be plant in almost any soil , individually or as a hedgerow , or in large containers . To get it off to the safe starting , dig in a great deal of well - rotted garden compost or manure before you plant .
Yew can be planted in a broad range of garden preferences , including :
When yew is grown in pots , it is often cut into diminished topiary shapes like cones , Pyramid , or whorl . These shapes look great in courtly garden , modernistic setting , lowly spaces , and more . Containerised yews crop well as focal compass point or to add a formal feature to patios and doorway . Yew can be plant in most soils , include calcareous soil . Once established , it can make out with drought , but disfavor waterlogged consideration , which can have the beginning to rot . As yew is highly poisonous , never establish it within reach of grazing animals . For more advice , see our guide to potentially harmful garden plants .
If you want to get a hedge or a unmarried yew Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , the best times to plant it are in the fall ( late October to mid - December ) or spring ( March ) .
When planting yew severally , merely follow our guide to planting trees and bush . For hedges , see below . If the soil is packed down , you should apprehend the domain up well before imbed to let the roots spread out . If the area is waterlogged , works on a agglomerate ( see Planting hedges , below ) .
Yew is a pop hedging plant , suitable for most soils and situations , imprint a dense evergreen screen . It is easy to plant – simply follow our guide to planting hedges . For hedges , it is near to choose unsheathed - radical yew flora that are no more than 60 cm ( 2 foot ) tall . These should be cheaper than pot - grown plants and will settle in cursorily and grow powerfully . After being planted , yew hedges should be cut to make certain they grow into a dumb , upright screen ( see our pathfinder on how to shave hedges for more information ) . Yew does n’t like soil that is too wet , but you’re able to still develop a yew hedgerow in blind drunk soil if you implant it on a ridge . Just make a long mound that is at least 15 cm ( 6 in ) in high spirits and about 1 1000 ( 3 ft ) wide . get the soil settle on top of the cumulation before planting along the top . Cover the roots with no more than 3 atomic number 96 ( 1¼in ) of soil . This keeps the fundament of the plants and some of the roots out of saturated undercoat .
Video guide to planting a yew hedge
Yew is a capital shrub for container because it can be trimmed to stay small and has evergreen foliage that look nice all year . See our template to planting in containers . on-going care .
Once it has get back in , yew need little tending . It is a robust and generally healthy plant life . Just reduce formal hedges and topiary to keep them in good shape . During the summer , water flora in containers every sidereal day .
Tips on recycling and collecting water
How to water efficiently
yew are robust plants and do n’t generally necessitate additional feeding . you could , however , use a general fertiliser like Growmore in late winter to accelerate up ontogeny by following the directions on the package . Plants in containers will benefit from steady feeding , as the nutrient in the compost will soon run out . See our scout to container criminal maintenance .
How and what to feast plants
A thick layer of mulch , like well - rot manure or garden compost , around the home will keep the soil moist and keep weeds away . hold it when the ground is moist , in spring or autumn . provide a 10 atomic number 96 ( 4 in ) col around the stem , to avoid any risk of rotting the bark . Top up annually .
Pruning Yews
FAQ
When should you cut back yew ?
Is it okay to reduce yew in the pin ?
How to regenerate prune yew ?
Can chocolate-brown yew recover ?
When to dress yew bushes ?
The first dubiousness when you are pruning yew bushes is when to pick up the pruners . crop at the wrong meter can have unpleasant consequence . It is safest to start cut back yews when they are dormant . later wintertime is perhaps the ideal prison term to begin pruning a yew shrub . The type of pruning gash to use depend on the outcome you desire .
Do yew trees need to be pruned ?
Yew trees ( Taxus spp . ) are modest evergreen plant conifers with soft , vapid needles . Some specie resemble small tree while others are prostrate shrubs . These are often used in hedges . Unlike some conifers , yews usually respond well to pruning . If you require to see about pruning yew George Bush , including how to prune an overgrown yew , take on .
How many Yew shrubs should be pruned ?
A general rule of thumb is to hit no more than one - third of the shrub ’s leaf in a single pruning session . count the Plant ’s Natural shape : Take into report the natural ontogeny habit of yew shrub when shaping them . Avoid fleece them into unnatural shapes , as this can lead to weakened emergence and an unattractive appearing .
How do you rationalize a yew bush ?
When should you cut back yews ?
“ For stock garden hedges , trim once a year in late summertime or early autumn , whilst honest-to-god plants generally react to rationalize in recent spring . ” Hard cutting back should also be carry out in leaping . When you are keeping yew in very pissed control , you might clip several times over the spring and summertime .
When should you trim a fastigiate yew ?
Once your fastigiate yew has reached the desired height , clip the top yearly in summertime or early autumn to prevent it bring forth any taller . , as it forms slow growth and copes well with regular clipping . Plants can be bought ready - train or you may apply a metal fabric to guide you when trimming .
