Mix hedging is great.

Just remember that when winter comes along many of the regular plants will shed their leaves and so all you will see are their bare branches.

So materials to consider:

Shrub Roses
Dogwood cream and cracker
Beech
Korean Lilac, Miss Kim
Rhododendrons
Limelight hydrangeas
fruit trees like pears, apples or cherries which have been pleached or cordoned.

And just in case you wish to include evergreens

cedars
yews
hollies

I know it's been 2 years but did you plant your privacy hedge? Did you incorporate evergreens? Ianna-do you have any suggestions for the hedge plan? Thanks so much

Hiccups.

Just saw this. Did you mean hedge plans.. or plants?

If you have to create a long privacy fence, I would suggest a mix of hedging materials to just break up the monotony of green. That is you can incorporate evergreen such as: emerald cedar, yews and hollies. You may even consider adding beech to the group because they do not shed their leaves until spring. They do hang on to their brown leaves when they go into winter dormancy which creates a visual interest in winter.

For planning: You need to do some research before investing in so many plants because these plants are probably going to grow to a couple of feet above the fence. Does that provide the privacy you need? Also consider that the further away the fence is, the shorter the plants will be - hence privacy is still compromised. At this point, you may need to review your plans to see if a single or a couple tree or shrub situated carefully to block the view would suffice.

Now, if you have a small tiny space and need privacy, do what I did. I looked for my vantage point of views. Look to where I'm visible to the neighbors, then plant a tree to block their view. I even created a trellis by deck so even if my neighbors are so near, they won't be able to see me. It's simply a case of blocking views.

Thanks Ianna,
Currently we have a deciduous hedge of unknown variety. It doesn't provide enough privacy even in summer because the previous owners didn't maintain it so it is very bare in the lower/middle area. The area is actually in our front yard south facing/clayish soil. It is 35' on 3 sides; one side parallel to our driveway and the other parallel to neighbours driveway and the last is roadside. I would like at least 6' of solid privacy year round. I am still not sure to go with a mixed or one species hedging material. What do you think?

Have you contacted me privately before about your front yard? I was just asked this very question over the weekend but then that garden is approx. 150 x 50 feet.

In anycase, I'm guessing you want to get rid of the hedges and that's a tall job. Removing anything old and established is a seriously heavy duty job. If it bothers you that much - then of course go ahead with it.

Evergreen trees like the emerald cedars can certainly provide the dense privacy you wanted. However do consider the following. It can cast certain parts of your property in shadows. Where there are deep shadows, grass won't grow. Plus these aren't cheap trees and they can grow very tall and would require clipping. Because these are tall trees - they may give you the feeling of being boxed it. It may also give you and your neighbor a blind spot while backing out of the driveway.

Instead, I would recommend choosing a lower hedge of an evergreen variety like Hick's yew and then with some carefully placed Emerald cedars or boxwoods you can effectively block the view of your neighbors from looking into your yard. It's a form of layering effect- providing some privacy but not entirely boxing you in. Both hedging materials are not cheap if purchased in large sizes. and they take long to grow. So it's an investment of money and time either way. I have a long hedge of yews myself which I had purchased small and was patient enough to wait til it grew larger.

or you can put in Emerald cedars just besides the house and halfway down continuye with yews. The cedars would be tall enough to provide you with privacy from your driveway neighbor. The view from the road may be blocked by a trellis or a small tree like a dwarf birch. (stay away from crabapples or pears which are mildew prone).

or perhaps you can consider a creative style of trellis fencing combined with evergreens to provide you with that privacy. It might turn out to be less expensive.

Before you begin with anything, do plot every you would want to do on paper. Take photos, print it out, draw directly on it. Try to envision what it would look like if you have those tall pencil like trees adjacent to your property. Try to envision where you feel most exposed and see what you can place to block off the view of your neighbors.

p.s. Clay soil can be fixed easily. It just requires breaking up and adding triple mixes.

Lattice form of privacy fencing: http://www.finegardening.com/item/10769/privacy-trellis-and-arbour-entrance-to-back-garden

Stagger/layer plants for privacy but not cause you to feel boxed in.
http://www.finegardening.com/design/articles/four-ideas-for-screening-yard.aspx

Here is a link that might be useful: row of emerald cedars. Note they will need to be pruned once they reached idea height.