So...I read all these lovely posts (here and elsewhere) about how YES - yews can be pruned back to bare, woody branches and YES - they'll grow back. It wasn't until after I took the plunge that I came across so many "maybes."

There are 14 yews planted around my front porch. They're almost 30 years old. They'd been trimmed a couple times every year, but still had crept up taller and wider.

I like having something evergreen around the porch, digging them out would be a pain, and replacing them would be costly. I decided I was willing to try pruning them and put up with ugly for a while. I didn't think about or decide to do this until early May or so, which I realize is later than ideal.

I cut them down a lot, but left the green front, thinking they might be OK as far as depth if I just did the normal annual pruning. Plus, this way they look marginally OK from the street.

But looking at them now, reality says I'm going to have to cut the fronts back at some point in the next few years, so why do ugly all over again (if they live)?

I'm seeing a few dormant buds starting to show a little green, but most of the bare wood is still bare. Will it weaken the shrubs to cut off the parts that are still growing "normally"? Would I be better to wait until late winter to do this? (If it's not a definite, huge difference, I'd just as soon do it now while the blooming hydrangeas and full hostas will be a distraction, and hope they get at least a start on some growth this year.)

The yews are on the east side of the house and in part shade. Thanks for any insights you can offer!