When to plant and prune Yew
Yew flowers from mid March to early April and the dates below cover planting, flowering and the pruning window.
Planting, flowering and pruning by region
Yew is grown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the same dates apply across the whole UK and every region below reads the same. Where a plant’s timings do follow the frost, Plot shifts them from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Plant | In flower | Prune |
|---|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | late October to mid December | mid March to early April | late June to late September |
| South Coast and Channel | late October to mid December | mid March to early April | late June to late September |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | late October to mid December | mid March to early April | late June to late September |
| South East and Home Counties | late October to mid December | mid March to early April | late June to late September |
| East Anglia | late October to mid December | mid March to early April | late June to late September |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | late October to mid December | mid March to early April | late June to late September |
| Wales and West Coast | late October to mid December | mid March to early April | late June to late September |
| Northern England | late October to mid December | mid March to early April | late June to late September |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | late October to mid December | mid March to early April | late June to late September |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | late October to mid December | mid March to early April | late June to late September |
| Northern Ireland | late October to mid December | mid March to early April | late June to late September |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | late October to mid December | mid March to early April | late June to late September |
Growing notes
The classic British formal hedge: slow at roughly 30cm a year but dense, long-lived and, unlike most conifers, able to regrow from old wood, so it can be renovated. Bare-root or root-balled plants are much cheaper than containerised ones and establish well. Untrimmed it becomes a 12m tree.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 50 cm between plants
- Eventual height
- 200 cm
- Eventual spread
- 80 cm
- Hardiness
- H7
- Sun
- Shade tolerant
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 40 litres or more
- Balcony rating
- 3 out of 5
Feeding
Apply a general fertiliser such as Growmore in late winter if growth is slow; established hedges seldom need it.
Pruning: what to avoid
Wear gloves and clear the clippings: yew foliage, seed and wood are highly poisonous. Renovate an overgrown hedge gradually over three years in mid-spring rather than in one go. Do not cut hedges between March and August without checking first: under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 it is an offence to damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while it is in use or being built, and the main UK nesting season runs from about early March to August.
Pruning group
Trim once a year in summer or early autumn; formal hedges two or three times over the summer
Bare-root season
Bare-root stock is lifted and sold while dormant, from early November to late February. Container-grown plants can go in at other times of year, but bare-root is cheaper and establishes well.
What usually goes wrong
- root rot in waterlogged soil
- slow establishment if allowed to dry out
- toxic to livestock and pets
- browning patches where drainage is poor
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for yew.