Taxus baccata 'Fastigata' - Irish Yew

The classic yew of Filoli Gardens and of the formal landscape gardens. Extremely formal, growing slowly to 30-50' by 10-15' wide. Discovered long ago in Ireland, it became known as the Irish Yew. These are pruned yearly as you might expect, while the ones in the next picture are at an arboretum and show the more natural habit. 

Leaves are evergreen, linear to narrowly lanceolate, 1" long, 1/8" wide, dark green with a distinct midrib and a pointed tip, generally arched and not flat like many other yews. Lower surface is lighter green with 2 bands of stomates. Most of the foliage is spreading around the stem and the stems are upright. On stems that may be less upright the leaves may be 2 ranked.

Of course the foliage and almost all parts of yew are toxic. Interestingly, the cancer drug Taxol is produced from yew trees, originally the wester yew bark, but research found that the hybrids produced higher concentration in the foliage.

Stems are ridged, bright green. You can see the 2 bands of stomates on the lower surface.

The "fruit" is a succulent cone … the red part is called an aril, and is the only edible part of a yew. The naked seed (its a gymnosperm) is located inside the aril. Aril is about 1/2" long. 

Here is the aril squished showing the seed. The aril is sticky but edible and reported to be sweet tasting, but I have no first hand experience. 

This is a picture of the trunk and roots of a very old T. baccata in England. I think it was at Painshill Park on the Sublime walk.

Misidentification:

Hick's yew is a cultivar of the hybrid species T. x media (T. baccata X T. cuspidata) and has characteristics of both parents, not that telling the species apart is easy. The best way to tell them apart is hope that the specimens are mature, as the Hicks yew is narrower, though there are several "clones" of the Irish yew floating around so stick with the width but could be wrong. There is at least one gold cultivar as well.

Location:
Aptos
525 Baltusrol Dr.
762 Rio Del Mar Blvd.

Santa Cruz
848 Walnut Ave - really nice ones

Carpinus betulus 'Fastigiata' - Columnar Hornbeam

The columnar hornbeam is narrow upright deciduous tree 30' by about 15' but not really "columnar" in shape. Shape is usually more upright oval being much wider at the base but still pretty narrow and good for parking lots and other areas with limited head space. Develops a short trunk with multiple leaders. Fall color is a pretty yellow.

Leaves are ovate to oblong 2-5" long. Margins are doubly serrated and the tip is sharply pointed. Leaf has a quilted look with the veins impressed into the leaf.

Buds are long brown and appressed against the stems.

Male flowers overwinter in catkins, 1-1.5". Female develop large conspicuous bracts that are easily seen when the plant is in fruit.

This is what they look like in mass on the tree. 

Fruit in a small nut inside the large brown bracts.

Misidentification: other hornbeams maybe.

Location:

Aptos

Cabrillo College has a row or two along left side the Library.

Santa Cruz 

701 Pacific Ave, Just off Pacific across from CVS and Trader Joes is a small alley next to a parking lot. Follow the alley. Some of the nicest ones around.