Yew Tree Relocation

Q: In mid December we moved a 40 year old topiary Yew Tree to a better place in the garden as we are having building work done and the builders could help move it. I made sure to keep as many of the big stabilising roots and as many of the fibrous feeding roots as possible. Digging out went easier than I expected and the moves seems to have gone OK.

I have kept it watered even though it has rained for weeks! I think it will not start into growth until around April/May, but I wonder if there is anything else I could be doing to ensure it survives? Feeding perhaps? if so what with? Thanks!

Our answer:

Thanks for your query about your fine yew topiary. I was going to suggest cutting it right back, until I saw the photo. Yew really hates wet roots, so I would suggest not watering it anymore. Some fertiliser in Spring, like blood fish and bone would help it establish, when new growth appears. I do hope you succeed, as it’s a fine plant, but if it does start to look like death, you could cut it by half, or not.

Reply:

Thanks for your advice. That was quick!

The bed it is in is raised so it should suit it better in the long run. It was in the most awkward place – it was a small bush when we moved in in 1993  and I cut it to one single stem and within 10 years I had clipped it into a pretty good layered shape. It was in between the garage, an underground brick water chamber and under tarmac and the downpipe off the garage poured out onto the trunk.

We replanted it with its ‘good side’ to the north in the hope that the bad side which now faces S towards the house regrows better (It was ‘bad’ because it was wrapped round the corner of the garage and faced N – it has a garage shaped notch out of the lower layers).

I will feed it as you suggest and haven’t ruled out giving it a severe trim – I was thinking about making each layer smaller in diameter rather than chopping it halfway up. My new problem will be how to clip the top layers – I used to put a ladder up against the garage…