"Tony" wrote in message
om...
I have a row of large, old (best estimate if 50 years) yews in my
backyard that I would like to try and revitalize. They were not
tended well for quite some time before I bought the house and they now
are nothing more than a thin green crown and all wood underneath.
There's almost no green on the sides.

What I'm wondering is if they would survive an almost complete cutback
and break wood. Or, if it's even worth the time to try. I would
still like to have a hedge there to screen my neighbor's yard.

I saw a thing on TOH that I'm going to try on a few of my overgrown
foundation plantings. It takes 3 growing seasons where you open the plant
by pruning off internal branches (a third every season) to let light in for
interior growth. Untimately you will have pruned back to a smaller,
healthier plant.
Frank