It should have been done about six weeks ago. Yes, they'll survive, but it will probably take a season longer before they fill back out.

Yes, I've cut yews to within a foot of the ground fairly late in the season with OK results. You'll see green within a couple of weeks, IMHO, especially if there's some rain.

It really helps that you don't especially care if they recover, but don't set your hopes on their demise because, frankly, it's really unlikely that they'll die.

So that brings up another question - why not take this opportunity to get them out of there and move them somewhere else? They do make a nice screen along a property line.

Thanks, Kids,

Yes, diggingthedirt, I could just cut them back and transplant them to a different location. We have done that with a few of them already. About three years ago, we pulled out three and just took them to the dump...so strange that I feel not even a pang of guilt about that... I would very much like a new look for the front of the house but for now, just getting them cut back and more under controll will satisfy me.

Thanks, Kids.

sooey

i was in the same frame of mind on Mother's Day weekend after backing up my husband's car and scratching the heck out of the side of it on overgrown yews that were making the driveway more and more narrow.

We went at them with a lopper ($30 from Home Depot). I cut up all the branches fairly small. I could fit one bush into 2 lawn bags once I cut the branches into smallish pieces. I dumped 5 bushes at the town compost pile.

My plan was to plant hostas in between to mostly disguise the stumps till they grew in. But we decided to heck with it, and we dug up all the stumps too. It was not hard, but I should add that my husband and I are avid weightlifters, so perhaps we are outside the norm in thinking this was easy. We decided to go for it since the neighbors had a dumpster and said we could put anything in it - so there went the stumps!

In future summers I'd like to do the same thing to all the yews in front of my house. At the very least, I have to do a lot of trimming now, because they are getting really big. Same logic - if they survive some heavy pruning, great. If not, then next year look into new shrubs.

Yes, FroofyCat, we are of like mind. Yesterday I cut down...way, way down 3 of the 5 Yews. they were so large and woody in the center that a 'trim' was way out of the question. I was able to leave some green on each one but did not do much with shape...I just went small and low. I took pics, before and after, so it will be interesting to watch their progress. These were three very large Yews but we were able to get all the cuttings into the back of the truck and, off to the tree & shrub compost at our wonderful town dump. We will do the last two Yews this morning and call it a job well done. At that point I will be able to step back, take a look and see what comes next. FroofyCat, I like the idea of Hosta as a fill in for now. Fun to think of all the options I now have.

Thanks, Kids.

sooey

Yes, FroofyCat, we are of like mind. Yesterday I cut down...way, way down 3 of the 5 Yews. they were so large and woody in the center that a 'trim' was way out of the question. I was able to leave some green on each one but did not do much with shape...I just went small and low. I took pics, before and after, so it will be interesting to watch their progress. These were three very large Yews but we were able to get all the cuttings into the back of the truck and, off to the tree & shrub compost at our wonderful town dump. We will do the last two Yews this morning and call it a job well done. At that point I will be able to step back, take a look and see what comes next. FroofyCat, I like the idea of Hosta as a fill in for now. Fun to think of all the options I now have.

Thanks, Kids.

sooey

Hi Sooey, I have some rather strong opinions about foundation plantings as well as shearing Yews - so take it for what it's worth. I don't think any plant with the potential to grow large should be planted next to the house (or driveway/sidewalk edge, etc). Not only is it bad for the structure, but after a few years, or decades, the shrub/trees get huge, and the homeowner is then locked into a never-ending battle cutting back plants that are trying to engulf the house.

Yews are very slow growing - so a logical choice for foundation plant. But it will be years before your Yews look half-way decent. Personally I would remove them and redesign using perennials, bulbs, and compact shrubbery only near the house.

Also I rarely see Yews that are sheared into an attractive form. Usually these ugly meatballs, meat loaves, etc. I've got three Taxus cuspidata on my lot that the previous owner allowed to grow in a tree form. They are beautiful!

i agree that yews pruned into shapes can often look awful. When I see them in large, open lots where they are allowed to get big with a natural, irregular shape, I think they are pretty.

Mine have been cut across the top, to keep at window height for some 30+ years. They look like wide, flat, green pancakes. I went at them in the front yesterday. I trimmed down as small as I could with still some green on them. But whatever... I'm not opposed to pulling them out completely next spring and looking into smaller plantings.