Avoid pruning yews in the fall, as this will make them more vulnerable to winter weather.
You can cut these out at any point during the year.
Cutting off the protruding shoots will give the yew a shaped and clean-cut look.
Sometimes yews will lean outwards with the upper branches blocking the sunlight to the bottom ones. If this is the case, trim the upper branches so that the entire plant has access to light and air.
If the shrub is super deep, you can use long-handled pruners to snip off the branch. Wear gloves to protect your hands when pruning, if desired.
While yews are very tolerant of heavy cutting, make sure you don’t cut off more than 50 percent of the plant. Since this isn’t considered pruning for the health of the plant, you can shear yews at any point.
