I need some advice on this one.

[Mac McLennan]

I have a very good client who has asked me to turn a couple of Yews into their former glory (complete with squirrels)

 

 

Thing is, I am not sure if I should gradually nibble them back or cut them hard then train it from there.

 

The conifer on the left 'is not' to be touched for sentimental reasons, but the Laurel to the right can be pruned back meaning the Yew on the right will get more light than the one on the left, not ideal I know......but that's the brief.

 

Any advice would be appreciated.

[Ben Ballard]

hi i have removed a large yew top last week not what i wanted to do as looked fine as it was ,the estate owner likes them managed like that so grow back in to a nice ball we have been reducing the yews in the garden areas over the last 20 years and all seem to grow back fine best done when flowering april-may been told

[skyhuck]

Don't worry, you can hit Yew as hard as you like, IME, the always come back better than ever.

[Dean Lofthouse]

Try nibbling at it and trimming first, if it doesn't go back hit it hard. The bottom tier looks like it will just trim back nicely, second and top tier look a little worse for wear.

 

Yew in the shade shouldn't be a problem

[nepia]

Watched a 'lost garden' prog. a few years ago: an avenue of 9ft clipped yews hadn't been touched since the 1880s! The contractors felled the lot to 3ft (in late spring I believe). Three months later you could barely see the trunks for greenery. I'm no expert on tree physiology but my guess is that yew has a very high number of dormant buds.

My colleague and I were confident in telling a client a couple of years ago that although we couldn't completely remove there 30" trunk yew stump we could leave it 18" high for them to manage the regrowth as a bush: they're not far away and I think we would have heard if the thing had died. In your position I would be very confident about cutting those two.

[David Humphries]

Without wanting to get into the topping debate, this is Yew that I bare stick topped 3 years ago. It was one of a pair that were selected to make way for a car park extension

 

Left this one as a compromise, but partly as an experiment.

Slow but strong regrowth.

 

The point being that Yew can take a hard reduction.

.

[Dean Lofthouse]

I take it it has obviously been cleaned up at the bottom end David

[David Humphries]

I take it it has obviously been cleaned up at the bottom end David

 

Nope

 

 

 

 

.

[slack ma girdle]

Having Watched Chris Beardshaw cut the old yews at Aberglasney to about 2' high, i tried the same for an old customer. It died !!

However i tried the same a couple of years later, and it has grown back beautifully.

I would take some cuttings before you start, at least you will have some backup.

 

Good luck Slack ma girdle

I can spot a tree from 100 yards

[Dean Lofthouse]

Nope

 

 

 

 

.

 

You must have given it a stern talking to then, "you must only sprout at the top end otherwise it's curtains for you my laddo"