Hicks Yew Hedge - From One-Gallon Pots to Year Seven - August 2026
Seven years ago, I planted a hedge. Or, what was (hopefully) something that was going to grow INTO a hedge. Of Hicks (upright) Yews. I bought 15 (fifteen) very small, one-gallon pots of the evergreen columnar shrub and planted them on about 30" centers across the back of our yard . When I say "very small", I mean "very small". The last time that I looked at this hedge was in January, when everything in the garden was dormant and the green needles of the Yews stood out . Below are a few photos showing the current state of this hedge. Is it a hedge, yet? Well...not quite. But, we're getting close. They're filling in the gaps (not totally) and growing up (in an uneven fashion). The inspiration for using these (well...) yews was an undulating hedge that I found on Instagram . I also found " Wirtz hedges " that are sort-of cloud-pruned. So, that means that the 'uneven-ness' isn't a bug. It is (pot...