how about some pix and comment on the result of the hard pruning you did do ... i like to be proved wrong ... see if you can pull up the old post..

another plant i would get rid of.. man its out there ... not really a place i would want a rejuvenation project ...

but if you insist ... get the very expensive applicator at the link ... some non diluted round up or generic or vine and stump killer ... remove one product.. insert other ...

the key. is if you tip this over ... it wont spill out very fast ... and it can be closed.. do not store near deli products.. lol ..

them go all commando.. get you your belly.. find, snip and drip the vines.. at the ground ...

leave them in the bush until they brown ... note and work on any that are still green ...

let the vine desiccate in situ ... that will make pulling it out easier ....

once a month.. get back on belly ... and see if any are resprouting ...

ken

https://www.google.com/search?q=plochmans+mustard&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=XQTcUYCCC_OFyQGCg4DAAg&biw=1154&bih=805&sei=XwTcUbmZHZK4yAHD0oDYDw

Thanks guys for your advice!

I picked up some Triclopyr yesterday and plan on working on the vines this weekend.. Definitely like the concept of leaving them on (until they're brown) to make sure I got them all.

Ken, I think you might be right.. it may be better to fully remove the hedge & put something new in due to how close it is to the street.

is triclopyr labeled as a stump killer??? .. the RU group is ....

im not real sure its kosher if i say one thing.. and you go use another ... that ends up not for said use ... i will leave it to you to do the research ....

dont forget.. its not a spray thing .. ken

Triclopyr is the classic "brush killer", although I would not use that term. But yes, it is.

I don't see it worth saving. Why not plant something less bland? I suggest loropetalum 'purple diamond' if it is hardy in your area.

Sorry but loropetalum is not going to survive a zone 6!!

what about forsythia? it is hardy to zone 5!

When not in flower Forsythis is pretty dull, not particularly shapely and it is deciduous. On that corner it would need constant pruning unless planted well back from the path. Not a practical suggestion imo.

and yews aren't dull? there are many shrubs that would do well in that spot that have more interest than yew

Thank you everyone for your suggestions.. I actually planned on doing a lot of relandscaping once I cut my Yews to a more manageable size. Since it's looking more and more likely that I will be removing this one entirely, I was actually thinking it would be cool to completely redo this part of my flowerbed anyway.. (see pics)

I was actually planning on possibly using small boxwoods along the path to the front door, as well as some ornamental grasses and some smaller plants like hostas within the larger part of the bed.. (nothing is set in stone though)

Landscape Pics · More Info

Landscape Pics · More Info

Please excuse the butchered barberry (this thing grows crazy fast!) & general unmaintained look of the flower beds. Weeding is my big project this weekend along with poisoning the vines & Edging the sidewalk.

I would far rather look at a well kept Yew than a leafless Forsythia. I do not regard them as dull.

I think the yew provides a good anchor for the rest of your boxwood scheme. Consider it a headstart.

why not put some christmas lights on forsythia, after all it is Christmas time when it doesn't have leaves!

Not all parts of the garden need bedazzling, yew is a solid form and great structure to set off other plantings. You will just have to add the "other plantings" to set them off.

You're off to a good start with the mulch and first trimming and you have good advice on killing off the vine. Go from there.

The barberry is another story though. It's easy to restore with a trim down to stubs (you could probably do it now and it would still survive) but those thorns.... I don't even want to think of all the thorns I've had to dig out of fingers and feet, and if it's trimmed every couple weeks for a formal shape the ground around it becomes a minefield for bare feet and ungloved weeding hands.

*yawn* I would pass on a forsythia thicket at my front door.