Yew maintenance - Ask Extension
We have large older Yews. How and when can we cut them back so we can see out of our windows again?
Do they need to be fed? If so when and what?
Knowledgebase
Yew maintenance #926733
Asked March 25, 2026, 1:03 PM EDT
We have large older Yews. How and when can we cut them back so we can see out of our windows again?
Do they need to be fed? If so when and what?
Baltimore City County Maryland
Expert Response
Most needled evergreens cannot be severely pruned back and regrow afterwards, but fortunately Yews are tolerant of this approach. Spring (March-April in this case) is fine for pruning to rejuvenate a plant that has become overgrown. Prune them back as far down as you need to in order to restore the view you need clear and to account for any regrowth making the plants taller again by the end of this year (or after a few years of regrowth). Yews grow fairly slowly, so they likely will grow less than a foot this first year after being pruned.
That said, if the plants are just going to keep getting too tall for their location, it's better for all involved to move them to a more suitable site where their size is less of a problem. Pruning triggers growth, so even if you cut them very short every few years and wait for them to get too tall again, that approach isn't really healthy for the plant, even if it's well-tolerated. Stress from having to regrow most of its foliage every few years could make the shrubs more vulnerable to other problems, like pests, diseases, or drought. With very few exceptions for rarer cultivars, Yews are not short-growing plants; they mature 10-plus feet tall if left to their own devices, so if you need them to stay under a window around 3 feet or so off the ground, that's going to be a lot of recurring maintenance for the life of the shrubs. If that doesn't bother you, then you can keep pruning them back hard as needed every few years or so, in spring. (Don't do the hard pruning in autumn.) Monitor them for watering needs, both because we're still in a drought and because expanding new foliage requires a consistent and ample supply of root moisture. (Yews hate to have constantly-wet roots, though, so be sure not to over-water them by irrigating when the soil isn't dry.)
They should not need fertilizer, especially if their growth has looked normal so far (not a yellower-green, for instance) and if you don't want to encourage even more growth that you'll just have to cut back later. Fertilizer would only be called for if a soil nutrient deficiency exists, which can be measured by a laboratory soil test; if the plants look fine, a deficiency is not likely present or causing any problems.
Miri
That said, if the plants are just going to keep getting too tall for their location, it's better for all involved to move them to a more suitable site where their size is less of a problem. Pruning triggers growth, so even if you cut them very short every few years and wait for them to get too tall again, that approach isn't really healthy for the plant, even if it's well-tolerated. Stress from having to regrow most of its foliage every few years could make the shrubs more vulnerable to other problems, like pests, diseases, or drought. With very few exceptions for rarer cultivars, Yews are not short-growing plants; they mature 10-plus feet tall if left to their own devices, so if you need them to stay under a window around 3 feet or so off the ground, that's going to be a lot of recurring maintenance for the life of the shrubs. If that doesn't bother you, then you can keep pruning them back hard as needed every few years or so, in spring. (Don't do the hard pruning in autumn.) Monitor them for watering needs, both because we're still in a drought and because expanding new foliage requires a consistent and ample supply of root moisture. (Yews hate to have constantly-wet roots, though, so be sure not to over-water them by irrigating when the soil isn't dry.)
They should not need fertilizer, especially if their growth has looked normal so far (not a yellower-green, for instance) and if you don't want to encourage even more growth that you'll just have to cut back later. Fertilizer would only be called for if a soil nutrient deficiency exists, which can be measured by a laboratory soil test; if the plants look fine, a deficiency is not likely present or causing any problems.
Miri
