Oh! They look just like the giant round yews I used to have on the corners of my house. One yew in the yard was removed after we moved in by my very useful DH and I hemmed and hawed and thought about what to do with the others since I didn't want to see DH destroy his back. Well, I finally decided that I didn't want huge bare spots next to the house and have to put something else there anyway. So I went with the major trimming and I really like the result. HERE'S WHAT I DID: I would NOT recommend cutting them back to 2 feet even though eventually they will grow back. The trimming can be done in stages so you are not left with a bare stump. 1) You can cut back the bush hard all over as far as the green goes to leave some green showing. I did this first. Yours look much too tall like mine were. 2) Then, if you look inside the yews, you can see that there is basically a trunk with radiating branches and the green is mostly on the ends of the branches. What I did was to trim off all the lower radiating branches and leave the top of the bush green. The result will be a vase shaped bush. I wanted to make mine narrower to keep off the house siding and because they were blocking the path. The trunk and branches are actually quite attractive and the top can be rounded or shaped naturally or done like topiary if you want. This left a lot of room underneath the bush where I can plant bulbs or anything else. The yew roots don't seem like they are too thick or shallow for other plants. This will let you keep the shrubs, make them smaller, trim them away from the house, and plant more plants in front of them. If you would like a photo, email me and I'll see if I can figure it out. I just dropped in on this forum for a minute, but had to respond. Susan

First, Happy Birthday, Deanne, V and Ei! Hi, friends. Were finally back on-line! We lost internet and phone service on Sat. during a storm and have had several false starts getting reconnected. The good thing is that we werent distracted from our projects and got a lot done outside. Then yesterday I was forced inside by rain another good thing. So I decided to look for things to wear during my friends visit next week and wound up culling out all the worn, out of style and larger sizes that no longer fit (yeah), and reorganizing and refreshing whats left. While its not done, at least I can see whats there! Oh dear. V and Ei are having bad storms which usually means its coming our way. Waaaaaa. We just got our services restored. Hope we dont get zapped again. And I wanna get back outside again! We had horrible news this am. Our neighbors only son, 25, was found dead in the early morning hours in his car near a downtown university. The door was open and car was running. No other details. Its every parents nightmare. Our hearts just break for them. Thanks, Deanne, for that article. Your timing was perfect. My Brugs are in the garage in front of the window. Charles Grimaldi is blooming its head off. Both are on my huge to-do-for-fall list. Taryn, Hope your PI is drying up. That stuff is just miserable! We have tons of PI and PO behind the garden and I have to be ever vigilant to make sure I have gloves on when Im walking the garden. I can never resist reaching down and pulling whatever doesnt belong. Michelle, good luck on finding the perfect dress. My advice is to ask the bride what colors she would prefer that you look for (usually neutral beige, dove grey, pale rose or blue) and find one that you feel you look good in and is comfortable. Youll probably be walked down the aisle to be seated after the MOB, so your supporting role is important, too. Brenda, Im so glad your ordeal with DS is behind you. We know the stubborn as a mule well and the know it allattitude. After our DD moved to an apt., she was picked up in early am for a DUI and taken to jail. She phoned Dad in tears and asked him to bail her out. However, the local police wouldnt let us. In retrospect, a night in jail was good for her. When she was released in the am, we told her that was her one and only. Then at court, we saw the other dregs and told her if that was the company she chose to keep, she was on her own. However, the smug/smirk wasnt completely gone. She was sentenced to a yrs. probation and if she missed any appts., shed go directly to lock-up. While at the time we thot that was harsh, it was the best thing for her. She, herself, didnt want to be identified with the dregs that had to report to a PO. And it was a costly drive and a pain to go every 2 wks. to check in and be tested. Some kids are just hard-headed. Luckily, the system got her by the tail and wouldnt let go before she hurt herself. My advice just hang in there, Mom. This, too, shall pass. Congratulations, Sue. I couldnt imagine Steve Silk not loving your garden. Oh, and now you could be famous, too! I second what Mary said. Your gardens, Les and Moniques as well as Deannes are probably among the best in the NE. WAY TO GO, you guys. Deanne, Sue, Michelle, I, too, have a heck of a time convincing my friends that my internet friends arent ax murderers! I always get these skeptical looks like I have truly lost my mind! The latter may be true, but you guys are the best! Hi Jerri! Sounds like youre very, very busy with those foster kids. Glad you stopped by to say hello. ((((((Saucy))))))). Please turn to us. We love you. You cant possibly be going thru anything that one of us hasnt had to face at one time or another. With one failed-miserably marriage under my belt, followed by 29 yrs. with DH, I can say that it does take work. E-mail me and well exchange phone numbers. Id love to chat and I have free, unlimited long-distance. I also agree that you should visit your Dr. Hormones really distort ones mind. Welcome, Kathy!!! Great to have you join us! Yep, you sound like one of us already, were all mostly Type "As" and generally do most things with gusto. This is a wonderful group and Im sure youll really enjoy becoming part of it. Hello, Chelone. What wonderful words of wisdom from you. Taryn and T, great jobs on the curvy beds! Martie, congrats on your DH getting his teeth fixed. It will be an unpleasant ordeal but hell feel so much better when its behind him. As for the confessions", we all have foibles and I often suffer from foot-in-mouth disease. Whats so wonderful about this group is that we all seem to seek out the best of each other and overlook the unimportant slips that sometimes happen. Marian, Im with Sue. Id have to move if there was even the most remote chance of a snake in the house! Im freakin b/c of a mouse in the upstairs vanity! Sorry I havent commented to everyone. Just outta time. I promise to be a better idyller after I catch up on all the goings on here. Ill try to pop back in later w/pix of the front project. Thinking of everyone. TTYL, Honey

We use a combination of Nickel Plus and K-Phite. It's working great. We spray with both, using a sticker-spreader we got at Tractor Supply. We also add their blue dye now, because it helps us see where we have missed a spot. It isn't very easy to see through goggles, with sweat pouring down in your eyes. Just avoid spraying any blossoms, unless you are really desperate for a blue daylily. We were advised to spray once a week for 3 weeks, then wait 3 weeks before spraying again. I've only sprayed once this fall, since it has been raining off and on ever since. Occasionally, I will have a plant that shows sign of rust, but nothing like it was before I started using the nickel. I wouldn't use anything else. Well, let me take that back. I am going to try some Actinovate on just a few isolated and unimportant plants to see how it works. The only thing I don't like is having to don all that protective gear, but I wouldn't have it otherwise. I'm very cautious. We use goggles, a special pesticide mask we bought at Lowes, chemical gloves (also at Lowe's), rubber boots and a yellow rain slicker. My hubby and our yardman refuse to put on a garbage bag drawstring skirt, but if I'm doing the spraying, I wear that, too. I'll have to get my hubby to take a picture of me in that fancy outfit so everyone can get a good laugh. When the weather is warm, we get very sweaty in all that garb! We start very early in the morning while it is still cool. We have a big tank sprayer on wheels we pull behind our riding lawn mower. It runs on the lawn mower battery. We got an extra length of hose so we can cover more territory. One of us drives the lawn mower while the other sprays. I could do it by myself, but it takes longer to have to keep stopping to move the mower ahead. We wash the tank out thoroughly after spraying and run clear water through the wand when we have finished. Aren't you cold climate people lucky??? Nancy

@EliGray Hi Eli, When I sprayed the scales they loosened their grip (I'm assuming die) and fall off or you can spray them off with the hose. You're correct, it's been 2-3 yrs. since I started spraying WD-40. The scales came back in less numbers last summer and I sprayed them again. I sprayed conservatively because too much will dry out and split the bark. The following summer (this summer) I have been unable to find any scales. The tree is growing very well. It's about 12ft now and grows full. No more black drops of scale honeydew (secretion) on my patio and no more wasps. I'm very happy. My only problem now is how to control the growth. The tree is getting too big. I'm not familiar with pruning a magnolia. I'll have to do some research. Like I've said before, I understand the hesitation and environmental concern of some here in this forum when it comes to using WD-40. However, I was at the end of my rope with the scales and wasps. I don't claim to know what WD-40's active ingredient is. All I can tell you is that it worked for me. Try a test patch and see for yourself. Of course the choice is yours. Best of luck which ever way you decide to go.