How hard can I trim these hedges back and when is the best time to do it? I would really like to cut them close to the ground and start over but I don't think they would come back. Can I cut the top half off of them though? The biggest is maybe 5" around.
We've chopped off stuff like that. They look a little weird at first but they rallied. We've got a Red Burning bush at the end of our house that we've got to hack off at least 1/2 of it's height. It's 12' tall.
Miracle Grow makes stuff for acidic type plants/trees. After you trim maybe you could do a one time hit of the roots. Might help with new growth around the cuts. Don't know if it's the right time of year... gotta be better than the cold season. Either way, I'd bet they'll be OK after trimming. Then again, all I usually leave is a stump...
Are those yews? If so... Yews thrive in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 to 7 and in warmer zones where summer temperatures are not extreme, and can be maintained by shearing -- continually clipping off a few inches of new growth to create a formal shape. Improper shearing can cause the shrub to drop shaded lower foliage. Even when sheared correctly, after several years the yew can become too tall and wide for its site. This is where renovation pruning comes in, and yews are one of the few conifers that respond well to its drastic measures. Prune yews in early spring before new growth emerges.
They were here when I moved in so I am not sure what they are. I don't like them much but they do offer some privacy in the front of the house.
Almost positive it's a yew of whatever variety. http://homeguides.sfgate.com/prune-overgrown-yew-shrub-41252.html
Yews are tougher than Kroger meat. Doubt you could kill them if you cut them to the ground in the heat. If you wait till late winter, early spring you will have less risk of shock or death. If you want them to die, cut em to the ground, and paint the fresh stumps with undiluted 2,4d. Or yank em out of the ground with a truck/bobcat.
If you cut them close to the ground to grow back, they will come back. I have cut 5 foot bushes to two feet, they grew a foot by the next year. I if you cut them in the spring, they will have all summer to green back up, then you can keep them trimmed and shaped every year. Twice a year with hedge trimmers will keep them in check. Trick--if you keep the outside full, it won't look so god-awful while the top and inside is bare.
You can cut them hard they won't die , they are a tree that wants to be 60+ feet tall turned in to a hedge
Yews are dam near impossible to kill without chemicals or heavy equipment. Take them down as low as you want. Don't worry about fertilizing.....your just making the roots angry...you aren't hurting them. Edit..just reread and realized they are hemlocks as pointed out by Will. You can still prune those pretty hard unless you are in the middle of a crazy drought.
I had about 120 ft of hemlock hedge. If you cut the sides back past the green, that part won't come back. Anything green is ok. My hemlocks are getting way too much for me. I finally had half the hedge removed. They really want to be a tree and will keep fighting to be one. My hedge is about 30 years old. It was beautiful for years. Now too much for me to handle. Last trimming I did standing on the tailgate of my pick up. I recked my shoulder for 6 months. I got an estimate of $400 to trim it. Not planning to lay out that kind of money every year. I'll put up a rail fence and line it with Hosta. Easy care with that. Now there is some new bug making its way here that has been destroying hemlocks. Glad I didn't spend the money, but I shouldn't have tried to trim them. My wife said no, but I was too bull headed to listen.
Thanks for starting this thread because I have what I'm pretty sure are yews ( they don't have any berries so maybe they are male plants not sure ) I need to cut back drastically I will get some pictures later
