By Charnwood
Dublin,
Ireland 
Good evening all, I've got 2 questions, firstly I have these 3 yew trees in pots for about a year, I now want to plant them in containers at the front of my house, what should I do as regards their shape, should I cut them back or leave them as is for a while? Secondly I've this awful stull growing on a lovely Acer and what should I do with it? Many thanks
28 Apr, 2023
Answers
With the scale, you can dab them a cotton bud dipped in meths to kill them.
The hard shell is waterproof but meths shifts them
29 Apr, 2023
I would prune back by a quarter to encourage side shoots and make them bushy and eventually turn them into identical shrubs. Then prune lightly, little and often.
29 Apr, 2023
Previous question
« Could someone identify this shrub please..I do know it isn't Trachelospermum...
shaping the yew is a personal preference. if they grow and block the path etc then consider the shape you want.
as for the acer that is a serious scale insect infection. They need rubbing off or spraying with pesticide.
https://www.rhs.org.uk/biodiversity/scale-insects
28 Apr, 2023