Dark green color and fine-textured needles make yews a softer, often hardier, replacement for other evergreens in the landscape. The tall, stately English yews are must-haves for garden history buffs in temperate climates. Otherwise, the intermediate hybrids and Japanese yews offer plush texture for hedges, screens, groundcovers, and topiaries. Yews grow in fertile well-drained soil, either alkaline or acidic, from sunny to heavily shaded sites.