Hard pruning of yew

[Ayayron123]

Hi there,
Just started bonsai, I’ve bought a small yew tree from the local nursery. Hoping to teach myself the basics.
Unsure which branches to keep and which to chopping off to get the bonsai style/shape. Was thinking of cutting at the red line but unsure what to do next. Any suggestions/advice would be great! Cheers

 

[WimA]

I find yew quite easy to work on and quite forgiving. They bud back very easily, even on old wood (trunk). In my experience, it is best to keep them in a shade for a few weeks after any major work on either branches or roots.

 

[Eckhoffw]

I agree with @WimA, give great aftercare if going to go hard on it. This is a Japanese yew I prune back hard and then croaked.
Some shade and misting may have helped this pull through.

 

[RoadManDenDron]

I keep mine in shade most of the time it gets a little sun in the morning

I thought yew were always better in shade I still get lots of back budding too

 

[Eckhoffw]

I believe yew to be adaptive growers. More sun will give tighter growth, but they will tolerate shade.