Carpe Diem #1007 Yew The front of the home had a variety of shrubs. Dwarf spirea, Japanese maple, holly, barberry and yew were planted by the professional landscape folks. Maintenance of the shrubs was provided by the home owners. It was learned by the wife that to keep the larger shrubs in proper proportion deep pruning would need to be done over a period of three years. Start at the back and cut the shrub back to above the main branches. Remove about 1/3 of the plant each year. That method left the shrub enough greenery for photosynthesis to continue to nourish the plant. Done properly, this method allowed the plant to fill in areas thus allowing the severe pruning to be less noticeable. The method proved successful over the 21 years lived in the home. Except once when a lawn professional was treating the lawn for weeds a few days after the wife's pruning. He turned to the husband of the house and noted that it looked as if bugs had damaged the yews. Husband
