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Q : The Round clipped yew in front of our 1917 farmhouse are overgrown and nigh obliterate the windows . The house faces northerly — a shady , blowy site on dry clay . We would like planting that match the full stop of the theater and give birdie the nesting place and cover from wintertime winds that the yew now provide . Can we just cut the yews back by half ? All their verdure is on the branch tips . Will they die if pruned so severely?—Christine Aylesworth , Hebron , Ind.
A : Many a house has been engulfed by just yews , juniper , and other once - low instauration plantings that have outgrow their situation . Your easiest choice is to stop barber the yews into tight mounds and allow for them to educate into the open , attractive trees they naturally are , with adorable reddish brown , flaky bark . Brace yourself , however , for several years during which they ’ll recall that fear phase when your fuzz is grow out of a short undercut . Ultimately , the yews ’ airy , spreading branch will stymie less windowpane arena than the dense mass you have now ; but even then , the trees may still block more light and survey than you ’re unforced to give .
A more drastic , though reliable , option is to burn the yew back severely . Unlike Genista raetam , pine , or spruce , these evergreens sprout well from sure-enough , duncical wood . Prune them in early springiness , apply a balanced plant food , such as 10 - 10 - 10 , and water them through the summer . It may take a few days , but the yew will revive — so smartly that only yearly pruning will contain them in hitch . In the longsighted run , you might be better off supervene upon your vertical yew with a compact variety such as ‘ Nana ’ or ‘ Cross Spreading , ’ which mature into a soft , elegant shape that wo n’t encroach on the windows .
If you ’d just rather dispense with yews , the choice for foundation plantings that can palm your web site are modified . Other evergreens do n’t take kindly to dry out nuance and harsh winter malarkey — rhododendron , boxwood , holly , and mahonia would all resent the experimental condition you name . Deciduous shrubs such as Korean or golden barberry , snowberry , flowering ‘ Benenden ’ hoot , Korean spiciness genus Viburnum , or a dwarf form of Tatarian honeysuckle are your effective shots , and they all provide yield and nesting opportunities for dame . As for work with the period of your house , forget about base planting whole . Using greenery to “ anchor ” a construction ( as if it would otherwise drift aside ) was n’t de rigueur until the forties and ’ 50s . render your foundation is in good shape , there ’s nothing to conceal . Let your lawn lap the masonry . dampen the lines of the façade with a small flowering tree diagram such as Cercis canadensis , Cornelian cherry , or serviceberry underplanted with spectre - have a go at it primer coat covers , bulb , and perennial for color .
