Hello Dwayne,

Thank you for reaching out to the UVM Extension Master Gardener Helpline about your yews. Yews are known for yellowing quickly and dying in wet or water-logged soils -- given the rainy season last year and the information you provided about your poorly drained soils, I bet this is the culprit for their decline. They like consistent moisture -- not too much but also not too little, especially during their first year of growth while they are establishing.

They can also be damaged by winter conditions (too cold but also changeable weather--warm then quick freeze, etc.). The application of road salt can also damage yews as can animals and disease. 

Here are some resources that identify common problems with yews:

• https://soillab.tennessee.edu/whats-wrong-with-my-yew/
• https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/article/2006/5-17/yew.html
• https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/visual-guides/yew-problems

Since I suspect the issue might be "wet feet", improving drainage is important. Hopefully, we won't have a repeat of last summer! It is difficult to tell from the photo but it looks like the yews have been planted on a berm and that there is a slope? These are helpful for drainage and this extensive resource provides additional suggestions: https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/addressing-drainage-issues-in-the-urban-landscape.html

You might also consider investing in a professional landscaper to come take a look, especially since you have already invested funds into the planting and are concerned about losing more yews. The Vermont Nursery and Landscape Association maintains a searchable database of their members -- here's a link to members in Windham County: https://vnlavt.org/members-in/windham/. 

Good luck -- yews can be a long-lived wonderful shrub given the right conditions. 

You are welcome, Dwayne! I hope your planting survives and thrives this season.

Reach back out if other questions come up for you this year.