I grew the Silver Sheen Pittosporum in San Luis Obispo. It grew rapidly, was easily shaped, and was an all around, excellent plant. I would choose it hands down over privet, which as it ages become very woody and hard to manage; it really wants to be a tree. They are also producers of much allergen pollen.

RB

You might want to ask this on the Landscaping forum. There's three extremely talented professional landscapers from the SF Bay Area who regularly contribute, and they can give very detailed recommendations for plants (including specific varieties).

My Pittosoprum 'Silver Sheen' hedge is just 2 years old planted from 1 gallon pots and is already 6 ft. I started cutting it back a few months ago and it is getting pleasantly dense.

It seems to me like it needs frequent shearing to stay dense and not grow tree sized. Not sure if it ultimately will be bare at base or not. So far I am very pleased with it, because it is just 3 plants, so not a lot of work.

My Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Marjorie Channon' hedge is way longer and about 4 to 41/2 ft. tall also started 2 years ago (give or take a month or so) from one gallon pots. That seems like the more low maintenance one, in that it might stay dense with no or little shearing.

I am also very happy so far with Bambusa multiplex 'Alphonso-Karr', a clumping bamboo.

I have watered regularly while they are growing to desired height , but have begun to cut back on Silver Sheen to once or twice a month, here in SF Bay Area, El Sobrante.

Ceanothus is an extremely fast growing option(after the first few months of it sitting doing nothing), and much more water conserving option as well.

How dense do you want it. For fast dense privacy, you can't beat plain boring Ligustrum japonicum. It's common because it's reliable. It makes a nice dark background for more interesting plants.

Prunus caroliniana is pretty dense but you need to tip-prune it to get it really dense. It's pretty fast. They get really tall after a couple of decades.

Most of the Pitts tenuifoliums are not super dense. Monrovia has a new introduction called 'Tasman Ruffles' I think that is supposed to be much more dense. Pitts are pretty fast, but not as fast as Ligustrum if watered. They can be a little fussy, and aphids, scale can be a problem. Beautiful, though.

Thanks everyone, I don't think it needs to be too dense. I am worried about too much maintenance. I definitely don't want a tailored look, but I don't want it to go too "crazy" either.

A friend had recommended pittosporum tenuifolium 'variegata'. Silvery leaves contrasted with really nice dark colored bark. The regular pittosporum tenuifolium species or pittosporum eugeniodes would probably grow faster though.

Any suggestions on those?

The Pitt 'Silver Sheen' is a nice choice - it makes a lovely screen. You need to decide what color foliage and what size leaf - the Prunus lusitanica makes a great hedge, too, as does Myrica californica (needs more width) and both have green foliage as opposed to the lighter variegated 'Silver Sheen'. The problem with the Ligustrum (if you can stand the smell of the flowers, which I can't) is that you will have seedlings all over the place and they are vigorous and annoying. And as noted above, produce really annoying pollen.

Where in the SF Bay are you? I am in Sonoma County - if you are up here I can recommend some nurseries.

Sara

We have fern pine ( podocarpus) which is nice and an be sheared into any shape. The other suggestions are good too.

If you go with podocarpus, consider Icee Blue rather than gracilis if you want a screen rather than 60 foot tall trees or sculpted rectangles. I shear my Hedgezilla three times a year to keep it under control.

Icee Blue (Podocarpus elongatus 'Monmal') is gorgeous and is a clear blue in my Sonoma County garden. See link below to a photo, but it doesn't really do the color justice. It is mildly frost tender, but the damaged tips turn a mauvy-pink and are rather attractive. The new growth pushes quickly and so the bushes never look damaged. I have three of them as accent shrubs but a hedge would be gorgeous.

Here is a link that might be useful: Podocarpus e. 'Monmal' in landscape

The blue podocarpus sounds gorgeous (I'm always looking for interesting shrubs, LOL) but didn't the OP want something fast? Everything I googled called this plant "slow growing".

Here is a link that might be useful: Icee Blue (Podocarpus elongatus 'Monmal')

Yeah, good point. It's not glacial, but no one would call it fast-growing!

Thanks everyone. Here is a picture of the property line we are trying to gain privacy for. Do you think that the Pitt Silver Sheen or the other varieties need "excellent" drainage? I am worried about this hedge being up against the fence and gathering all the water that drains down onto it.

It does not look like you have a drainage problem. In fact, there seems to be a drop off between your property and the one below. I see no problem with using 'silver sheen'. It seems a perfect choice for the situation you picture.

RB