Pruning yew: when & how

Yew trees are a popular feature in English country gardens. One reason for this is that yews have a good pruning tolerance.

The common yew (Taxus baccata) is found all over Europe and not only in very ornate English gardens. In this article you will learn everything you need to know about pruning yew trees in your own garden.

When to prune yews?

While shaping and maintenance pruning is always allowed, it is forbidden to make major pruning cuts into the old wood from March to October. The reason for this is that many bird species breed in the trees and bushes at this time and should not be disturbed.
In principle, it is better for the plants to be pruned on cooler days. For a very neat shape, prune the shrubs once in March or April and again in summer. If you want to save yourself some work and do only one pruning per year, ideally in the summer after the Lammas growth in July.

Tip: Radical pruning, which exposes the trunk of the yew, is best carried out in winter to achieve optimal new tillering.

Pruning yews: how-to guide

Basically, pruning will not only give the hedge the desired shape. If this were the case, one could, strictly speaking, simply wait 5 years, let the yews grow and only then start pruning. In this case, however, the plants would not grow densely, but only weakly branched, perhaps even tree-like. Regular pruning creates the required basis for a dense hedge by stimulating branching and at the same time determines the shape.

Cutting yew hedge

It is important to use clean and sharp tools when pruning all woody plants. If loppers or hedge trimmers are used that are too blunt, the result will be bruised or frayed cuts, which are entry points for various diseases. Apart from that, working with sharp tools is much easier, more enjoyable and produces more beautiful results.

1. The rough shape of the hedge should be kept in mind from the beginning: For sufficient light, it is necessary to keep the crown of the hedge slightly narrower than the base.
2. The very first pruning is done at planting time, when all hedge plants are firmly in place.
3. In the first 2 to 3 years after planting the yews, it is important to prune the hedge twice a year to maintain a densely branched screen.
4. Thicker shoots can be trimmed with loppers, while larger areas with many small branches can be trimmed well with hedge shears. First you should cut the sides piece by piece with even movements from the very top to the very bottom, working along an imaginary line. It is better to go over it roughly first and then a second time before directly cutting bends, waves or dents the first time.
   In each subsequent year of pruning, the hedge is left slightly taller and possibly wider than in the previous year until you have reached the desired size.
5. Once the hedge has the desired dimensions, it is cut back to the old, recognisable cutting heights every year – otherwise the yew hedge would become wider and wider.

Tip: It is worth wearing protective goggles, especially when machine pruning taller hedges, as needle clippings are unpleasant on the eye and can cause irritation.

Pruning an Irish yew

Irish yews usually don’t need to be pruned that often, as they mostly grow in the shape you want for them in the garden. Only occasional corrections are necessary here if the yew tree becomes too wide. In the upper area, Irish yews often become somewhat overhanging, which is why you have to limit the width of the trees somewhat every few years, usually in summer. For this, it is best to remove whole branches with hand shears instead of using the hedge trimmer. It is important here that the transition downwards is cut smoothly and not too choppily in order to maintain the column shape.

Shaping and topiaries

Yews come in a wide variety of shapes, and the pruning can go in a very artistic direction. Proceed in a similar way to hedge trimming. The desired silhouette is worked out slowly and over several cuts over the first few years and then maintained by annual maintenance pruning. This also takes place between March and July. As yews have a good shaping capacity, shapes can also be cut from older trees. So you don’t have to worry that the yew won’t turn green again if you cut it down deep into the brown wood.

Pruning old yews

When massively pruning older yews, avoid the above-mentioned budding seasons just in case. In principle, old yews can be rejuvenated well by pruning, as the shrub will resprout well even from older shoots. For example, old hedges that are too wide can be renewed by severely cutting back the entire hedge with loppers and a saw, and the newly emerging shoots can be stimulated to branch out well again by pruning several times a year. Old, tree-shaped yews may also need pruning from time to time. As yews can become very old and large, larger branches often have to be removed so as not to damage buildings or the like. Pruning should be carried out in spring, before the birds breed, so that the cut can heal well by winter. To support new shoots after a major pruning, it also helps to fertilise the yew after the intervention.