It will grow back..........larger yews cut down to stubs (almost ground level) will grow back. But it doesn't happen very quickly. In fact, regrowth is rather slow. Just make sure the hedge has enough water and it will eventually start sprouting.

Thanks for the supporting reply. I just thought that there would be some growth by now, I will wait!

Not sure what sort of wild life you have, but deer around my way are known to go for new growth on yews, keep any eye out that it's not being nibbled off.

No wild life, this is in the center of town.........

the problem with gals comment ... is she has an 8 months growing season in the PNW ... where we in z5.. maybe half ... and she still says it wont happen fast ....

meaning.. it can take twice as long ... do.. twice as long as forever ...

you base problem with the question is.. you asked IF they will ... you werent asking.. how many years or decades to recover ...

frankly.. i couldnt look at that ... and would fear retribution from the neighbors ...

i would remove it all .. and start over.. especially if its out in front of your house ...

IMHO ... give them until fall ... and then make the fatal decision ... unless they come at you with pitchforks ... you know.. peasants revolting ...

good luck.. just trying to make you look outside the box you are in ....

ken

ps: and when i say start over.. i .. personally .. would not replant a hedge i had to shear once or twice a year .. i have better things to do with my time ...

The dormant buds will take two or three years to wake up and then it will be another year or two for the growth to fill in. If you are fussy, Bob, it may be a painful few years.

tj

Actually since I started this post the last 2 days over a hundred buds popped out! It got very hot here, near 90, plus I watered a lot, and the buds just showed up overnight. If this keeps up my regrowth may not take long at all.

In the early spring of 2014, we cut our yews way down. By fall, they had filled in really well.

can we see pix of yours reflushing .... bob???

I have many spots along the hedge with buds sprouting like this, photo taken on 5-31-15.

Obviously the hedge has a long way to go before it looks green, but life if there, and hopefully it will fill in within a year or so. We have been getting a lot of rain recently and the temps are in the 80's so that will help.

I'm also wondering was it a good idea to leave the top portion of the hedge green and not cut everything back down to the roots? The way I understand shrub biology is that the branch end terminal bud secretes a hormone to stop the development of lateral buds to form along the branch, once the terminal bud is cut off the hormone isn't produced anymore and the buds now develop along the branch. So with that theory, all the branches that come up from the ground to the top of the hedge won't produce buds along the direct roots-to-top branches unless I cut off the top green portion also. Maybe some of those bud stopping hormones from the uncut branches make their way to the cut back branches and slow down my regrowth???