This native evergreen tree or shrub has been used in gardens for a long time. It is often cut back to make hedging or topiary. As a hedge, big or small, it makes a year-round screen that protects borders or a dark green background for borders. Its dense growth and red berry-like fruits provide valuable shelter and food for wildlife.
With their soft, flattened needles and versatility as hedges, screens, or specimen plants, yews (Taxus species) are a popular choice for many landscapes. But like all plants, yews need occasional pruning and grooming to keep them healthy, maintain an appropriate size, and renew growth. Knowing when to prune a yew is key to getting the best results. Let’s look at the optimal timing and techniques for pruning yews in different seasons.
Why Prune Yews?
Pruning accomplishes several important things for yew shrubs
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It keeps growth tidy and contained to the desired shape and size. Unpruned yews can become overgrown or leggy.
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Pruning encourages new growth by removing old inner branches and stimulating bud break This keeps plants full and lush.
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Removal of dead or damaged branches improves plant health and appearance.
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Creative pruning allows yews to be shaped into decorative forms like cones, spheres, and abstract shapes.
Spring: Best Time for Rejuvenation Pruning
Spring right before new growth emerges, is an excellent time for rejuvenation or renewal pruning of overgrown yew shrubs. Here’s how to approach spring yew pruning
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Identify old, inner branches that have become overly long and leggy. Remove these all the way down to the main trunk.
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Don’t worry about cutting into older wood – yews readily sprout new growth even on old branches.
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Never remove more than 1/3 of the total foliage at one time to avoid plant stress.
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Leave some shorter new growth around the outside to protect tender new shoots.
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Remove any dead or damaged branches. Cut just above healthy buds.
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Stand back periodically to check shape and balance. Don’t overprune!
This type of rejuvenation pruning removes old congested growth and allows lots of new buds to emerge, giving your yew a youthful, full appearance. Expect it to take a couple seasons to fill back in completely.
Summer: Shaping and Containing Growth
Summer is prime time for shaping and containing yew growth. Follow these tips for summer yew pruning:
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Timing is key – prune in early to mid-summer, after the new spring growth has hardened off.
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Trim back the outermost branch tips, making shaping cuts to contain and direct growth.
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Remove up to 2/3 of the new season’s growth to reduce size while encouraging bushiness.
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Use bypass pruners for smaller branches and loppers for thicker ones. Make cuts just above buds.
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Prune sides more heavily than top to maintain desired height and shape.
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Stand back to visualize the final shape as you prune. Be careful not to overthin.
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Remove any dead or unsightly branches as needed.
Repeat shaping as needed through the summer to keep yews trimmed to the ideal size.
Fall: Last Touch Ups Before Winter
Fall is time for some final selective pruning to tidy up yew shrubs before winter, when growth stops. Here are some fall yew pruning tips:
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Prune in early fall, before the first frost causes tender new growth.
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Make only light, corrective pruning cuts – remove stray or unruly branches.
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Don’t remove more than 10-15% of total foliage. The goal is just evening out growth.
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Cut back any branches that extend beyond the overall rounded shape.
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Remove damaged branches and shape as needed. Leave healthy green inner growth intact.
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Pruning too late risks frostbite of new exposed growth. Disinfect tools between plants.
The fall pruning puts the finishing touches on your yew’s shape before it goes dormant for winter.
Avoid Winter Pruning
It’s best to avoid pruning yews during the winter dormant season for a couple reasons:
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Fresh pruning wounds can be damaged by harsh winter weather.
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Pruning encourages new growth that is highly vulnerable to frost damage.
Of course, you can still remove any dead or hazardous branches as needed – just limit live branch removal during winter.
A Seasonal Approach is Best
As you can see, pruning yew shrubs at the right time of year optimizes health and beauty. Follow this annual cycle:
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Spring renewal pruning
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Summer shaping and size management
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Fall fine tuning before dormancy
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Little or no pruning in winter
Stay alert for dead branches to remove year-round. With the proper seasonal pruning approach, your yews will thrive for years to come.
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Caring for older plants
Yews are very hardy plants that can get pretty big over time, but they can be cut back to a size that is easier to handle. Unlike most other conifers, yew will regenerate from old wood. To renovate an overgrown or neglected hedge, see Pruning and Training below, and our guide to renovative pruning. Because yew is very poisonous, it’s best to wear gloves when handling clippings (see our list of garden plants that could be harmful for more information).
Your legal rights regarding tall hedges
Yew can be left to grow on its own, or it can be pruned or clipped to keep it neat and small. Clipping also encourages dense growth, which is ideal for hedges and topiary. Once established, yew can grow vigorously so is best trimmed at least once a year. It is also one of the few conifers that can regenerate from old wood if cut back hard. Keep in mind that yew is very poisonous, so put on gloves when handling clippings (see our list of garden plants that can be harmful for more); .
The main nesting season is early March to end of July, but it can go on for longer. Always check shrubs and hedges carefully before pruning or trimming, and delay if you find an active nest. It is an offence to damage wild birds nests.
Once established, a yew hedge can grow vigorously, up to 30cm (1ft) a year.
- A yew hedge should only be trimmed once a year, in the summer or early fall. This will keep it neat and the right size.
- During the summer, you can cut back formal hedges twice or even three times to keep them really neat.
- Regular trimming encourages a dense, smooth surface
For full details of how and when to clip, see our
Video guide to using shears and electric hedgetrimmers
Step-by-step guide to hedge trimming
All you need to know Before you get started
Yew (Taxus baccata) is a native evergreen tree or shrub. As a sign of eternal life, it can live a very long time. Some trees in churchyards are thought to be over 1,000 years old. Yew is often grown in gardens as formal fencing or topiary because its dense growth can be cut into neat shapes. The bark is reddish brown and peels off when it grows into a tree. The leaves are dark green and needle-like all year, and the female plants have red fruits called arils that look like berries. Yew can eventually reach 12m (40ft) or more over time, if left unpruned. Yew is valuable to many types of wildlife. Its thick growth gives birds and bugs a place to stay all year, and in the fall and winter, the fruits that female yews produce are food for many birds and small mammals. But keep in mind that both people and animals can get very sick from yew leaves, and while the fruits aren’t poisonous, the seed inside them is. When working with yew clippings, it’s best to wear gloves, and you should never plant it where animals can get to it. For more advice, see our guide to potentially harmful garden plants.
Yew is an easy-to-grow plant that will thrive in almost any soil or situation, even deep shade. It can be pruned or clipped regularly to keep it in check, or it can be left to grow to its full size. It will work in any size garden. It provides valuable year-round structure, and is well suited to all styles of garden, including:
- formal gardens, when neatly clipped as hedging or topiary
- container shapes, whether they are used in a modern or traditional setting
- Hedging, whether it’s formal or informal, can provide dense year-round screening or a background for borders.
- wildlife gardens because it provides shelter all year and female plants bear fruit.
- as majestic specimen trees
Yew hedges can form useful wildlife corridors, offering sheltered routes between gardens for wildlife such as hedgehogs.
Yew plants are widely available from garden centres and online suppliers, including the RHS Shop. They can be bought at various sizes, although younger plants tend to settle in more quickly. If you want to buy a large plant for instant impact, see our guide to buying specimen trees. Yew plants can also be bought in quantity, often as.
These have been lifted from the ground while dormant, with little or no soil around their roots. Various plants may be available bare root, including fruit trees, hedging plants and some perennials. They are generally cheaper than plants in containers, but are only available in winter/early spring, while dormant.
Yew is easy to plant and should settle in well. It can be planted in almost any soil, individually or as a hedge, or in large containers. To get it off to the best start, dig in a lot of well-rotted garden compost or manure before you plant.
Yew can be planted in a wide range of garden settings, including:
- borders and containers, especially with formal topiary shapes that are clipped, to add structure all year.
- Informal and wildlife-friendly gardens, left unclipped to fruit freely
- As hedging along the edges of a property or in a garden to separate or screen off different areas
When yew is grown in pots, it is often cut into small topiary shapes like cones, pyramids, or spirals. These shapes look great in formal gardens, modern settings, small spaces, and more. Containerised yews work well as focal points or to add a formal feature to patios and doorways. Yew can be planted in most soils, including chalky soil. Once established, it can cope with drought, but dislikes waterlogged conditions, which can cause the roots to rot. As yew is highly poisonous, never plant it within reach of grazing animals. For more advice, see our guide to potentially harmful garden plants.
If you want to grow a hedge or a single yew tree, the best times to plant it are in the fall (late October to mid-December) or spring (March).
When planting yews individually, simply follow our guide to planting trees and shrubs. For hedges, see below. If the soil is packed down, you should dig the area up well before planting to let the roots spread out. If the area is waterlogged, plant on a mound (see Planting hedges, below).
Yew is a popular hedging plant, suitable for most soils and situations, forming a dense evergreen screen. It is easy to plant – simply follow our guide to planting hedges. For hedges, it is best to choose bare-root yew plants that are no more than 60cm (2ft) tall. These should be cheaper than pot-grown plants and will settle in quickly and grow strongly. After being planted, yew hedges should be pruned to make sure they grow into a dense, upright screen (see our guide on how to trim hedges for more information). Yew doesn’t like soil that is too wet, but you can still grow a yew hedge in wet soil if you plant it on a ridge. Just make a long mound that is at least 15 cm (6 in) high and about 1 m (3 ft) wide. Let the soil settle on top of the mound before planting along the top. Cover the roots with no more than 3cm (1¼in) of soil. This keeps the base of the plants and some of the roots out of saturated ground.
Video guide to planting a yew hedge
Yew is a great shrub for containers because it can be trimmed to stay small and has evergreen leaves that look nice all year. See our guide to planting in containers. Ongoing care.
Once it has settled in, yew needs little attention. It is a robust and generally healthy plant. Just trim formal hedges and topiary to keep them in good shape. During the summer, water plants in containers every day.
- When you plant yews for the first time, you should water them often for at least a year, until their roots have spread out into the soil.
- Bigger plants need more water for longer because they need more time to settle in after being planted.
- Once established, yews shouldn’t need additional watering.
- Plants in pots need to be watered regularly because they can’t get to water anywhere else. Make sure the compost doesn’t get too dry in the summer or too wet in the winter.
Tips on recycling and collecting water
How to water efficiently
Yews are robust plants and don’t generally need additional feeding. You can, however, use a general fertilizer like Growmore in late winter to speed up growth by following the directions on the package. Plants in containers will benefit from regular feeding, as the nutrients in the compost will soon run out. See our guide to container maintenance.
How and what to feed plants
A thick layer of mulch, like well-rotted manure or garden compost, around the base will keep the soil moist and keep weeds away. Apply it when the ground is damp, in spring or autumn. Leave a 10cm (4in) gap around the stem, to avoid any risk of rotting the bark. Top up annually.
Pruning Yews
FAQ
When should you cut back yew?
Is it okay to trim yews in the fall?
How to rejuvenate prune yews?
Can brown yew recover?
When to prune yew bushes?
The first question when you are pruning yew bushes is when to pick up the pruners. Clipping at the wrong time can have unpleasant consequences. It is safest to start cutting back yews when they are dormant. Late winter is perhaps the ideal time to start pruning a yew shrub. The types of pruning cuts to use depend on the outcome you desire.
Do yew trees need to be pruned?
Yew trees (Taxus spp.) are small evergreen conifers with soft, flat needles. Some species resemble small trees while others are prostrate shrubs. These are often used in hedges. Unlike some conifers, yews usually respond well to pruning. If you want to learn about pruning yew bushes, including how to prune an overgrown yew, read on.
How many Yew shrubs should be pruned?
A general rule of thumb is to remove no more than one-third of the shrub’s foliage in a single pruning session. Consider the Plant’s Natural Form: Take into account the natural growth habit of yew shrubs when shaping them. Avoid shearing them into unnatural shapes, as this can lead to weakened growth and an unattractive appearance.
How do you prune a yew shrub?
Follow these step-by-step instructions to prune your yew shrubs effectively: Inspect the Shrub: Begin by closely examining your yew shrub, identifying any dead, damaged, or diseased branches. Also, take note of any areas that need thinning or shaping.
When should you cut back yews?
“For standard garden hedges, trim once a year in late summer or early autumn, whilst old plants generally respond to pruning in late spring.” Hard cutting back should also be carried out in spring. When you are keeping yew in very tight control, you might prune several times over the spring and summer.
When should you trim a fastigiate yew?
Once your fastigiate yew has reached the desired height, trim the top annually in summer or early autumn to prevent it getting any taller. , as it forms dense growth and copes well with regular trimming. Plants can be bought ready-trained or you can use a metal framework to guide you when trimming.