Beginner Gardening: Pruning Hicks Yew?, 1 by HD28Cat

HD28Cat wrote:
Thanks for the responses. Each of these hicks yews has maybe 15 or so shoots coming up from the base. All the shoots are tall and skinny and dont really have any substantial branches. The centers of these seems somewhat bare. If I cut several of the taller shoots back about half way to the base will multiple new shoots come off of them below the cut and therefore thicken up the center of the plant?

WeeNel, Here is a picture but its not really from the best angle. In the picture you can see the yews between the black fence and the stone wall (this is near a pool which is why the fence is there) You can kind of see from the picture that the yews are somewhat thin. See how you can see the wall throught them? Anyway I would like for them to grow up to about 6 feet and have the tops of them grown together to make one long hedge along the top of the fence. BUT, I want to cut away the folage under that so that the trunks are exposed and the wall can be seen down low, does that make sense?