this fir tree in my garden

[Hugo a Gogo]

If I was to chop off the lower branches of this thing, would it eventually get green needles again on the underside?
here's a pic of the 'inside'


it's either that or getting rid, it's just too big and bulbous, it annoys me

[Hugo a Gogo]

[Flintstone]

It's a yew and yes, it will bud back. If you're planning any heavy duty pruning that's best done mid-winter.


PS Don't eat the berries

[schmokin1]

these are pretty much unkillable, you could chop it right down to a bush and it wouold sprout back.

I took mine down from 12-14 feet tall to 5 feet and a year on you wouldnt know what a haircut it had had.

cheers
schmo

[Hugo a Gogo]

it's a yew tree?
never had any berries on it, we've been here since feb last year
so I can just lop low branches off and trim the rest with a hedge trimmer?

[Gnits]

As already said you will have problems killing it so don't worry about that but budding and growth UNDERNEATH the canopy may be a little slow unless the bark is getting a good amount of sun.

[Simpo Two]

I think yews are male and female; only one has berries.

Lovely trees albeit slowgroing.

[Hugo a Gogo]

mmm, mine must be male, it has had little flowery things

[Flintstone]

Hugo a Gogo said:

mmm, mine must be male, it has had little flowery things

snigger.

[5MUG]

It is male if you have never had any berries on it. We have just chopped 2 females down. My lab nearly died from eating the berries.

[treehack]

The berries are actually very tasty, it's the seeds that are poisonous. Pop a berry between your teeth and spit the pip out, very tasty

[An Oasis]

Yew toxins (highly poisonous) worth reading to dispel some of the urban myths http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxus_baccata

[5MUG]

treehack said:

The berries are actually very tasty, it's the seeds that are poisonous. Pop a berry between your teeth and spit the pip out, very tasty

Yes, in true lab fashion he had been eating stones as well and they had ground the yew pips in his stomach which then released the poison. They usually just pass right through, but not in his case! He was v v ill, fitting, couldn't walk, couldn't see etc. He's luck to be alive really - although it did affect his sight a bit. Here he is - Brodie