Yew tree help!

alexcpack

We’re in need of some expertise, the below Yew Trees were planted in May this year to surround a parking area and since the early Autumn they’ve been turning brown. I don’t think this is normal so any insight as to what might be going wrong and what can be done to save them would be hugely appreciated. 

Many thanks in advance. 

nutcutlet

Were they well watered through the hot dry summer? They are quite large plants and would need a good drink regularly. It can take a while before an evergreen shows obvious signs of stress and the damage is done before you know

JennyJ

It might be due to the hot, dry summer.  New plants that size need a lot more water than most people think, and the bed looks very narrow.  The grass on the other side will also have been competing for water.

alexcpack

Thanks for the feedback. They weren’t very well watered, we had a lot of new plantings which were well watered but were given what seems the wrong guidance that the Yews thrive on little watering, even in a hot summer. Are they recoverable do you think? Or should we expect further deterioration/ lose the plants altogether? Thanks

JennyJ

Established yews might not need much water, but new plants do.  TBH I've no idea whether they'll recover, but I would wait until spring and see what happens.  Any that are still alive should start to put on new green growth in the spring, possibly from low down. The needles that have turned brown won't go green again.  If they're alive you might need to cut them back hard to get rid of the dead parts and encourage new growth - probably not what you wanted to hear, having gone to the trouble of planting fairly big plants for your hedge.

If that advice about watering (or rather, not watering) was from the people you bought them from, it might be worth sending them your pictures and asking for their advice.

alexcpack

Thanks for feedback. We’ll see what happens in the spring I guess and go from there! 

Dovefromabove

Let us know how they get on