Spot on - top one in a cordyline australis- they do grow standard - like a tree fern - the bottom leaves die back each year forming a woody stem. Very common in N Ireland particularly. Bottom is of course the horribly invasive Rhody of "lets go Rhody bashing" fameESpy said:Cordyline and rhodedendron?
Actually, scratch cordyline - all the pics I can find show it as the leaves growing from the ground. Unless someone has created a standard cordyline?