How to Remove a Yew Shrub

Removing a yew shrub is sometimes more difficult than cutting down a tree. The trunk of a yew, especially close to the ground, is extremely dense and difficult to cut even with the sharpest chainsaw (count on ruining the blade). And trying to remove it with the old chain-and-pickup-truck method is a recipe for disaster, as mature yews planted too close to a house commonly penetrate foundation walls.

The English Yew is a beautiful an ancient shrub of beauty used for centuries as hedges and trees. It’s been cultivated for thousands of years and was central to ancient Celtic religious ceremonies. Topping out at anywhere from 5-40 feet depending on the cultivar, full-grown yew shrubs are notoriously difficult to extract, due to their deep and hearty root structure.

Read the Yew’s plant tag before planting

The yew is one of America’s most popular plants, but it would seem that most homeowners never read the plant tag. Yew shrubs have a mature height of anywhere from 8-15 feet (and in some cases higher) with a 4-5 foot spread – it’s a seriously large plant when mature, and should be given a wide berth from foundation walls. Plant them at least 12 feet from the walls of any building to avoid damage to concrete foundations and to allow the plant plenty of room to spread.

Pruning a Yew is an art

Some homeowners attempt to restrain their yew shrubs with radical pruning every year, but this can leave them barren and misshapen. A professional should prune your yew, as they know how far back it can be taken each year without causing damage or stress which may lead to disease.

When pruned poorly, the woody growth of a yew becomes more visible than its foliage, which is a shame, because the yew’s foliage is quite beautiful. This is true especially when left to grow a little thick on top – the new foliage develops a light green color and sways gently in the breeze. For the humble homeowner, unaware of the monster he or she planted, pruning is usually a losing battle – the yew is eventually removed when it becomes a giant woody mess, grows over the sidewalk, or obscures the front picture window.

[su_quote cite=”Bellarmine University” url=”https://www.bellarmine.edu/faculty/drobinson/EnglishYew.asp”]”The history of the English Yew is a very interesting one. It was used for the longbows of English archers. It is still today used for making bows and cabinetwork. The oldest known wooden tool was a spear made of yew wood, dating back 50,000 years from Clacton-on-Sea, England.  Robin Hood used a bow of yew to win the Maid Marion, and they were wedded beneath the branches of a yew. Upon his death, he was laid to rest beneath a Yew plant.”[/su_quote]

Yew shrubs form a beautiful, natural hedge

Yews are absolutely beautiful when left to grow unpruned – the foliage is soft, remains green year round and is one heck of a windbreak. Yews planted the proper distance from each other (depending on cultivar) will grow together to make a perfect hedge, so dense that little can pass through it. Grown this way they’re virtually maintenance free (depending on your aesthetics), able to withstand hurricane winds, blizzards or drought. Birds and other wildlife love mature yew shrubs too as they provide dense cover for nesting, protection from predators, and winter shelter.

Why I removed my yew shrubs

Unfortunately, I rarely see yews planted a proper distance from sidewalks or home foundations. Lucky me, the previous owner of my home planted 6 yew shrubs around the foundation many years ago, each about three feet from the house. They had grown into monsters.

On my first couple of landscaping forays, I removed the smallest two, which were a challenge even at 4-feet. My son and I managed to get them out with brute force and shovels, removing even the deep, deep roots. We spent hours bending, twisting, digging, hacking, pushing, and pulling. When they finally came out, we collapsed on the lawn, completely spent. This spring, the remaining four shrubs varied in height from 5-10 feet. It definitely was time for power tools.

I decided to document my method for safely removing a yew shrub, since I’ve seen quite a lot of dangerous information about this online.

Do not try to remove a yew shrub with your pickup truck and a chain

Some ill-informed daredevils will tell you to back up a pickup truck to the yew, tie a chain to the truck, lash the other end of the chain around the plant, then put the truck into gear and pull it out. Don’t do it. The chain may snap, creating a serious hazard, or the pickup’s tires will spin in place and dig up your yard without ever pulling the shrub out. An additional hazard relayed to me by a landscaper is that yew roots are known to grow into a cement foundation, taking advantage of any small cracks. If this is the case and you yank the yew out with a truck and chain, a chunk of your foundation may come with it, which will make for a really, really bad day.

How to remove a yew shrub safely.

1. Use a lopper to cut off the top branches.

2. Dig around the yew with a shovel as deeply and as widely as possible.

Dig about 3 feet wide and as deep as possible so you have room to maneuver a chainsaw. Dirt and chainsaw blades are not compatible.

3. Use a pruning saw (small, angled, and sharp) to trim the smaller brush-type branches as close to the trunk as possible.

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4. Feel around the trunk of the yew and with the pruning saw sever all roots, large and small.

Removing the roots that run to the trunk is very important. Yew shrubs are notorious for growing back if you leave even one root intact. You can also do this at the tail end of the project.

5. With a chainsaw, cut the trunk of the yew as far below the soil’s surface as possible.

This is why you dug around it with a shovel. You’ll find the wood to be extremely dense and difficult to cut – the older it is, the more dense it is.

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6. Make as many additional cuts in the wood as possible.

Damaged wood will allow moisture, bacteria, fungi, and insects to enter and break down the stump and roots.

7. Once again, feel around the trunk for any additional roots and sever them with the pruning saw.

Do not use the chainsaw for this, as you’ll be cutting into the dirt, which may ruin the teeth on the chainsaw blade.

When you’re confident that all of the roots are severed, backfill the hole and cover the stump. Install a new plant in front of or aside the yew stump.

The cuttings from yew shrubs make a terrific mulch, by the way. Right now the branches are covering my unplanted raised garden beds. When I’m ready to plant, they’ll be shredded and moved to the compost pile.