The yew hedge is on the north side of our house, and there is currently just a carpet of nice moss growing at the foot of it.

The yew hedge borders the entire length of the front porch, and grows on top of an abrupt slope that descends to the road. The slope is covered with the moss carpet at the top, which then blends into traditional lawn grass, which is mowed.

I think the yew is an imported Taxus baccata, but I'm not positive. The yew seems to love its environment, and is quite healthy and robust.

I'm thinking a 1-2 foot border plant, and then a 6 to 8 inch plant in front of that. Would like planting that looks old fashioned and Welsh/Irish/British garden-ish. Nothing too stark or modern. The house is from the 1880s, and is red brick.

I've read that yews acidify the soil they grow in (this yew seems to have been growing in its spot a very long time), but I haven't tested the soil PH yet. Eastern sun falls over the yew area for a brief time in the morning, and then western sun falls over the area for a brief time in the afternoon.

Will anything grow beneath or in front of a yew hedge in these northern exposure conditions? North America, Zone 6a.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

And, is there any chance of a picture?

tj

Would we be better off planting one or two smaller, ground-cover type conifers in the border in front of the yew hedge, instead of perennial plants? Since the giant yew hedge borders the entire front porch of our house, it might look rather messy in the fall and winter to have any perennials dying back in front of the continuously green yew ...

Also: Deer are not so much of a problem around our house, but there are many hungry groundhogs ...

thanks!

The yew hedge is about 3 feet high right now, and about 24 feet long. It's flanked by two larger yews at each end, which extend from the east and west sides of the porch. These flanking yews are about 6 feet high, and 6 feet long. So in total, the yew hedge is about 36 feet/12 yards long. A lot of yew! I don't have a photo right now but can try to upload one in a few days.

Since it's such a large area to cover, I was thinking of starting the additional planting at the ends and the center of the hedge, and then gradually moving inward, in case I can't get the whole 36 feet covered this year.

I like the idea of hostas and heucheras. I was thinking of "Obsidian" and "Green Spice" heucheras mixed with some hosta, but wasn't sure if they would grow in the yew area.

tj

spent to many years of my youth being forced to trim the parents over sized.. poorly sited ... foundation plants .... once or twice a year ...

i suspect.. that you are not going to be pleased with what is going to happen to your plants.. as you let them return to wild or natural form .... after years of shearing ...

you might want to start thinking about separating emotionally from them.. and start planning on what you are going to do with them when they are really bugging you ....

you can not prune a conifer.. like a shrub ... there is no such thing as rejuvenation pruning where you remove 1/3 per year.. and end up with a 'new' shrub when you are done ...

others can tell you how you might be able to trim a yew.. since i shovel pruned all of dads years ago ... pruning to enhance a return to a natural form ...

what you might want to consider.. is planting replacements in front of those existing.. so that in a few years.. when the new starts to get to some nice size.. you can just chainsaw the old mis-shapened ones in the back.. and be done with them ... i wouldnt worry about digging them out since the new will just cover the old stumps ...

a picture would sure make speculating easier ...

good luck

whatever you decide ...

ken

Thanks for pointing out that the yew will go through a sort of "awkward stage" as it grows out. I'm not too freaked out about that. Right now the yew looks sort of like a three-foot tall British punk rocker with spiky hair. I actually prefer the "spiky" look to the "flat-top" look it had last year after being clipped.

However, I appreciate your thoughts on "shovel-pruning" ... that is a possibility if I don't end up planting a border.

The yew hedge is perched on the top of a 10 foot high slope, so there is only about a foot and a half of available planting space in front of the yew before the ground plunges at a 45 degree angle down to the road. So I have the feeling planting another row of yews would not really be an option. But thank you for the suggestion regardless.

I think I'll try a mix of Hosta, Coral Bells/Heuchera, and maybe some Liriope spicata/Turf Lily in small areas starting from the ends of the yew hedge and see how they do.

Thanks to everyone for your help!

Sounds like a very cool hedge. I think your concerns about messing it up with dying perennials is well-founded. I wouldn't underestimate the charm of leaving things as they are, with yews and moss. True, you don't get much variety through the year... but is it variety you want, or just an additional element in there?

If the latter, have you considered any hardscape? Rocks, a brick or granite edging, or even a stepping stone pathway across/down the slope?

If you want plants, I'd go with a combination of rhodos and ferns. Yes, I know this is the conifers forum, and conifers can do a bit in those conditions, but not much. There are some cool dwarf hemlocks, for instance - I love my Tsuga canadensis 'Curly". But overall I'd put in a variety of ferns, maybe some hostas, a couple of hellebores, which I think would be fine in those conditions, and ferns. If you wanted to keep the look formal you could get the big ferns and give them some room - Royal fern, cinnamon fern, interrupted fern... would have to check hardiness on those... or the bigger spreading ones if you want a lower look - tassel fern, for instance. Some fern fronds are evergreen, but they get tatty and you can cut them off any time you like. Ferns and moss? Swoon!

I can't stand growing heucheras for a variety of reasons - one is the ascending crown of the plant - and I don't think they'd do well there.

KarinL

the problem with historically sheared shrubs.. is that their internal structure has developed in regard to a sheared form ...

when you allow it to go back natural ... and add 2 or 4 or 6 feet on top of it all ... the previous structure may not be able to handle it.. so in the future.. MAYBE ... your plants collapse ... or become susceptible to snow load ... or begin to have other problems ... it may not be as simple as just ignoring them .. or maybe it will .. lol ..

when i moved to my first house.. i too wanted to keep all the plants for the history of it all ... the happiest day of my life in that house.. in regard to the garden.. was when i got rid of the last problem plant that the prior owners planted ....

you can plant new yews .. and still have yews ... its all about dealing with a problem that the prior owner created.. on the basis of preserving the history of the problem maker ...

but.. the bottom line is always.. WHATEVER PLEASES YOU.. is fine with me ...

BTW.. planting on a slope is not a problem .. if you ever get to that point..there are a few tricks .... give us a post ...

good luck

ken

Do you think it would be safer to continue to shear the top of the hedge? Also, how potentially harmful to the yew do you think it would be to shear the top of the hedge but cease shearing the front? I would think too much additional growth on the top could be more of a problem then allowing additional girth on the sides, but what do you think?

I would love any "planting on a slope" tips. I am a bit concerned about any new planting toppling over frontwards once the plant gets taller and pulling up its own roots in the back.

thanks!