{"id":1386,"date":"2018-07-09T08:00:13","date_gmt":"2018-07-09T08:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/?p=1386"},"modified":"2020-05-19T17:12:51","modified_gmt":"2020-05-19T17:12:51","slug":"how-to-shear-boxwood-and-yew","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/how-to-shear-boxwood-and-yew\/","title":{"rendered":"How to shear boxwood and yew"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>People are always asking me about the best time to prune the shrubs they&#8217;ve installed or are maintaining. \u00a0For flowering shrubs the answer is easy &#8211; prune right after they\u2019re done blooming. Late pruning in this case is bad since you\u2019re removing the next season&#8217;s flower buds and most of your clients would not be happy about that.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"tve_image_frame\" style=\"width: 100%;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1520_683.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"tve_image wp-image-1395\" style=\"width: 100%;\" title=\"000_1520_683\" src=\"\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1520_683.jpg\" alt=\"Buxus ready for next shear\" width=\"683\" height=\"407\" data-id=\"1395\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1520_683.jpg 683w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1520_683-150x89.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1520_683-300x179.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1520_683-65x39.jpg 65w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1520_683-220x131.jpg 220w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1520_683-168x100.jpg 168w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1520_683-358x213.jpg 358w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1520_683-671x400.jpg 671w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Boxwood (Buxus) and yew (Taxus) are a little different as flowers are not necessary or desired. First and foremost, always use very sharp pruners or shears, to make the pruning easier and reduce damage to the plant. To maintain trimmed forms and hedges you ideally need to shear twice a year. Once in late May or early June after the initial foliar flush, and then a second time around August. This causes the formation of lateral buds which help maintain denser growth.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"tve_image_frame\" style=\"width: 100%;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1534_683.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"tve_image wp-image-1396\" style=\"width: 100%;\" title=\"000_1534_683\" src=\"\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1534_683.jpg\" alt=\"Sheared buxus\" width=\"683\" height=\"449\" data-id=\"1396\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1534_683.jpg 683w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1534_683-150x99.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1534_683-300x197.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1534_683-65x43.jpg 65w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1534_683-220x145.jpg 220w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1534_683-152x100.jpg 152w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1534_683-358x235.jpg 358w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1534_683-608x400.jpg 608w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Keep in mind that shearing a plant to the same exact size every year causes the outside of the plant to become very dense, leaving the interior bare. Allowing for a slight increase helps delay the need for an extreme renewal pruning or plant replacement. Try not to prune during a drought period, and to prevent foliar freezeback pruning should never occur in late fall or winter. If you\u2019re only going to shear once a year, try to do it around August.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"tve_image_frame\" style=\"width: 100%;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1544_683.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"tve_image wp-image-1398\" style=\"width: 100%;\" title=\"000_1544_683\" src=\"\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1544_683.jpg\" alt=\"taxus with tight shear\" width=\"683\" height=\"508\" data-id=\"1398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1544_683.jpg 683w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1544_683-150x112.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1544_683-300x223.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1544_683-65x48.jpg 65w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1544_683-220x164.jpg 220w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1544_683-134x100.jpg 134w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1544_683-358x266.jpg 358w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1544_683-538x400.jpg 538w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1544_683-605x450.jpg 605w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>When shearing hedges, taper them so that the top is narrower than the bottom, so all sides will be exposed to sunlight. This will give you a slightly pyramidal shape. Avoid at all cost the inverted pyramid look, as this even further screens sunlight and eventually kills the bottom.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"tve_image_frame\" style=\"width: 100%;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1541_683.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"tve_image wp-image-1397\" style=\"width: 100%;\" title=\"000_1541_683\" src=\"\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1541_683.jpg\" alt=\"Taxus hedge\" width=\"683\" height=\"494\" data-id=\"1397\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1541_683.jpg 683w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1541_683-150x108.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1541_683-300x217.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1541_683-65x47.jpg 65w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1541_683-220x159.jpg 220w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1541_683-138x100.jpg 138w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1541_683-358x259.jpg 358w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1541_683-553x400.jpg 553w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1541_683-622x450.jpg 622w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Both boxwood and yew are very tolerant of shearing and with proper technique will remain attractive and functional in the landscape for many years.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"tve_image_frame\" style=\"width: 100%;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1547_683.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"tve_image wp-image-1399\" style=\"width: 100%;\" title=\"000_1547_683\" src=\"\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1547_683.jpg\" alt=\"sheared taxus\" width=\"683\" height=\"455\" data-id=\"1399\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1547_683.jpg 683w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1547_683-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1547_683-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1547_683-65x43.jpg 65w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1547_683-220x147.jpg 220w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1547_683-358x238.jpg 358w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1547_683-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1547_683-675x450.jpg 675w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/a><\/span><span class=\"tve_image_frame\" style=\"width: 100%;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/teneyck.png\" rel=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"tve_image wp-image-397\" style=\"width: 100%;\" title=\"teneyck\" src=\"\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/teneyck.png\" alt=\"Bill Ten Eyck\" width=\"600\" height=\"175\" data-id=\"397\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/teneyck.png 600w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/teneyck-150x44.png 150w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/teneyck-300x88.png 300w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/teneyck-65x19.png 65w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/teneyck-220x64.png 220w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/teneyck-250x73.png 250w, https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/teneyck-358x104.png 358w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>People are always asking me about the best time to prune the shrubs they&#8217;ve installed or are maintaining. \u00a0For flowering shrubs the answer is easy &#8211; prune right after they\u2019re done blooming. Late pruning in this case is bad since you\u2019re removing the next season&#8217;s flower buds and most of your clients would not be [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1400,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","tve_updated_post":"<div class=\"thrv_wrapper thrv_text_element tve_empty_dropzone\"><p>People are always asking me about the best time to prune the shrubs they've installed or are maintaining. &nbsp;For flowering shrubs the answer is easy - prune right after they\u2019re done blooming. Late pruning in this case is bad since you\u2019re removing the next season's flower buds and most of your clients would not be happy about that.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"thrv_wrapper tve_image_caption\" data-css=\"tve-u-1645c514d93\"><span class=\"tve_image_frame\" style=\"width: 100%;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1520_683.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img class=\"tve_image wp-image-1395\" alt=\"Buxus ready for next shear\" width=\"683\" height=\"407\" title=\"000_1520_683\" data-id=\"1395\" src=\"\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1520_683.jpg\" style=\"width: 100%;\"><\/a><\/span><\/div><div class=\"thrv_wrapper thrv_text_element tve_empty_dropzone\"><p>Boxwood (Buxus) and yew (Taxus) are a little different as flowers are not necessary or desired. First and foremost, always use very sharp pruners or shears, to make the pruning easier and reduce damage to the plant. To maintain trimmed forms and hedges you ideally need to shear twice a year. Once in late May or early June after the initial foliar flush, and then a second time around August. This causes the formation of lateral buds which help maintain denser growth.&nbsp;<\/p><\/div><div class=\"thrv_wrapper tve_image_caption\" data-css=\"tve-u-1645c50f0fe\"><span class=\"tve_image_frame\" style=\"width: 100%;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1534_683.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img class=\"tve_image wp-image-1396\" alt=\"Sheared buxus\" width=\"683\" height=\"449\" title=\"000_1534_683\" data-id=\"1396\" src=\"\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1534_683.jpg\" style=\"width: 100%;\"><\/a><\/span><\/div><div class=\"thrv_wrapper thrv_text_element tve_empty_dropzone\"><p>Keep in mind that shearing a plant to the same exact size every year causes the outside of the plant to become very dense, leaving the interior bare. Allowing for a slight increase helps delay the need for an extreme renewal pruning or plant replacement. Try not to prune during a drought period, and to prevent foliar freezeback pruning should never occur in late fall or winter. If you\u2019re only going to shear once a year, try to do it around August.&nbsp;<\/p><\/div><div class=\"thrv_wrapper tve_image_caption\" data-css=\"tve-u-1645c51b1e0\"><span class=\"tve_image_frame\" style=\"width: 100%;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1544_683.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img class=\"tve_image wp-image-1398\" alt=\"taxus with tight shear\" width=\"683\" height=\"508\" title=\"000_1544_683\" data-id=\"1398\" src=\"\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1544_683.jpg\" style=\"width: 100%;\"><\/a><\/span><\/div><div class=\"thrv_wrapper thrv_text_element tve_empty_dropzone\"><p>When shearing hedges, taper them so that the top is narrower than the bottom, so all sides will be exposed to sunlight. This will give you a slightly pyramidal shape. Avoid at all cost the inverted pyramid look, as this even further screens sunlight and eventually kills the bottom.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"thrv_wrapper tve_image_caption\" data-css=\"tve-u-1645c51e22a\"><span class=\"tve_image_frame\" style=\"width: 100%;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1541_683.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img class=\"tve_image wp-image-1397\" alt=\"Taxus hedge\" width=\"683\" height=\"494\" title=\"000_1541_683\" data-id=\"1397\" src=\"\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1541_683.jpg\" style=\"width: 100%;\"><\/a><\/span><\/div><div class=\"thrv_wrapper thrv_text_element tve_empty_dropzone\"><p>Both boxwood and yew are very tolerant of shearing and with proper technique will remain attractive and functional in the landscape for many years.&nbsp;<\/p><\/div><div class=\"thrv_wrapper tve_image_caption\" data-css=\"tve-u-1645c522c3d\"><span class=\"tve_image_frame\" style=\"width: 100%;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1547_683.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img class=\"tve_image wp-image-1399\" alt=\"sheared taxus\" width=\"683\" height=\"455\" title=\"000_1547_683\" data-id=\"1399\" src=\"\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/000_1547_683.jpg\" style=\"width: 100%;\"><\/a><\/span><\/div><div class=\"thrv_wrapper tve_image_caption\" data-css=\"tve-u-1644cfe6043\"><span class=\"tve_image_frame\" style=\"width: 100%;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/teneyck.png\" rel=\"\"><img class=\"tve_image wp-image-397\" alt=\"Bill Ten Eyck\" width=\"600\" height=\"175\" title=\"teneyck\" data-id=\"397\" src=\"\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/teneyck.png\" style=\"width: 100%;\"><\/a><\/span><\/div>","tve_custom_css":"@media (min-width: 300px){[data-css=\"tve-u-1645c522c3d\"] { width: 683px; margin-top: 0px !important; }[data-css=\"tve-u-1645c51e22a\"] { width: 683px; margin-top: 0px !important; }[data-css=\"tve-u-1645c51b1e0\"] { width: 683px; margin-top: 0px !important; }[data-css=\"tve-u-1645c514d93\"] { width: 683px; margin-top: 0px !important; }[data-css=\"tve-u-1645c50f0fe\"] { width: 683px; margin-top: 0px !important; }[data-css=\"tve-u-1644cfe6043\"] { width: 600px; }}","tve_user_custom_css":"","tve_globals":{"e":"1","font_cls":[]},"tcb2_ready":1,"tcb_editor_enabled":1,"tve_landing_page":"","_tve_header":"","_tve_footer":""},"categories":[87,10,22,9,6],"tags":[36],"class_list":["post-1386","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-87","category-how-tos","category-landscaping","category-plant-care","category-plants","tag-bill-ten-eyck"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1386","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1386"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1386\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1410,"href":"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1386\/revisions\/1410"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}