I have abelias, which here in 7b north MS are semi-deciduous. They don't go completely bare, hold a fair amount of leaves. They are sort of fountain shaped. I have the Edward Groucher which are dark leaved and with small pink flowers, and the Frances mason which are more golden leaved and paler flowers. I also have yews which I planted less than a year, so can't report on those, but so far doing fine. I love mahonia which like shade. Lorapetalum is also evergreen, well not green, mine is purplish but there are some green ones. Pyracantha and weeping yaupon have berries.

Interesting. Up here the term evergreen has a different meaning, as we tend to talk about pines, firs and balsams. I have a fully mature one in front of my home.
{{gwi:640870}}
This is the tree that is mostly used a Christmas trees, and I love it because of the fabulous scent. It's taken this one 30 years to reach this size. They are apparently hardy as far south as West Virginia, where they are known as Canaan firs.

Probably no help to you, Tom, I felt like putting my 2c in!!

Nancy.

How about Ligustrum sinense 'Variegata'... Variegated Chinese Ligustrum?

My neighbor planted some along our fence line and I love the extra privacy it gives me. Hers has grown about 10 feet tall.

Here is a link that might be useful: Variegated Chinese Ligustrum

How about Otto Luyken laurels which have wonderful white blooms in the spring (mine would get at least 5 feet tall if I left them alone and didn't prune them), any of the wonderful yellow colored chamaecyparis (have a variety that is called a yellow mophead false cypress), and chindo viburnums which have red berries on them and can grow very tall. I second the weeping yaupon holly. I have one that is a monster and has berries the birds eat in the winter. What about the good old Nellie Steven hollies which have great red berries all winter long until the birds strip them off. I also second the regular glossy abelia that my neighbors have that stays green all winter and is a favorite of the butterflies all summer long. I have Abelia x grandiflora 'Sunrise' which has a mixed yellow and green leaf on the plant as well as flowers, although the neighbors standby glossy abelia tends to attract more butterflies than my variety does. There is a type of arborvitae which my neighbors have and that I had at a previous house but the name escapes me at the moment. The interesting thing about it is that it has limey colored foliage all growing season and in the winter it develops a golden coloration that is quite striking.

Thuja Green Giant makes a nice pyramidal shape, and Cryptomeria Japonica also makes a lovely evergreen screen.

I just purchased a few Foster Hollies. I got them for a steal and am hoping the winter damage is just on the tips. If they come back, they'll be used heavily along the gully.

I keep forgetting about abelia. I love it when I see it in bloom here. I do need to get some.

I have one arborvitae that I got in the same batch as the hollies. It's the Giant one, 70' tall, 20' wide. That's larger than my magnolias. Any ideas on how fast they really grow? Compared to Leylands?

Cryptomeria is another I've been looking at. I keep seeing damage from improper watering around here. At least it seems to be the cause.

I'll have to check into some of these varieties this year. I do the ordering, so... :)

I have lots of privet already, including a few one year old starts of the variegated variety. I like to let them grow natural, but I've discovered the seeds germinate at a rate of 120% or more. Seems I have more seedlings than seeds. Is the variegated the same way?

I love the chamaecyparis pisifera filiferas - they come in a pyramid shape and a globe shape, and some are silvery green and some are golden green. Both have soft threadlike leaves that trail gracefully from the branch tips. A strip center near me planted some about 10 years ago and they are wonderful.

Lorapetalums (sp) - they can be limbed up to be trees or just high shrubs - keeps leaves all year long and blooms many time through out the year incl mild winters.......

Lynne

Okay, the memory disfunction corrected itself and I finally thought of the arborvitae that changes color from a limey green to a golden brown color during the colder weather. It was Rheingold arborvitae or Thuja occidentalis 'Rheingold'

Here is a link that might be useful: Rheingold arborvitae

Token, I would suggest, if you are planning a garden property, not to include ligustrum = privit. Down here they seed like the dickens and are very hard to control. They will become tree-sized in a long matter of time. My neighbor have a tree sized privit only a small portion hangs over my property. I dig out hundreds, up towards a thousand of "babies" every year from the spot under the tree. The rest of my yard, I probably dig up the same amount from the seeds carried in the bird poop from other yards around here.
I really do not recommend any kind of privit in our climate. I think you will get frustrated. The variegated varieties will make seed, but not a variegated plant necessarily.
Leylands grow very quickly, but also have a very short lifespan at times - they can be subseptable to breakage during heavy snow and ice. My neighbor has them, and keeps his about 16' or so tall - as tall as his ladder will allow. He tops them off each spring, and that seems to really help keep them able to be stalkier and stronger and also helps him remove the dead parts and rejuvinate the plant.
I planted a Cryptomeria and it died. I think when it is planted, for the first year it may appreciate some shade and yes, some decent water. Neighbors have amazingly huge specimens that are gorgeous and in rather inhospitable locations but do have some shade.
Have you thought of adding blueish furs? I think you guys get more winter cold at times than we do (in a normal year) due to elevation? I could be wrong (I don't know where you live, in NC Token). That helps some of the pests that like to attack some blue furs.
There is a guy who used to own a plumbing company near here. He planted a bunch of really interesting conifers on his property (and nothing else, conifers and boulders!) and they are absolutely stunning. Some even weeping. I think some might work for you (but I don't know what they are!!!)

GGG, I've read a lot of similar posts, but never had that problem. From what I've read on Floridata it appears
Ligustrum lucidum is the real offender along with Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense).

We've had ligustrums Japanese privet (Ligustrum japonicum)in our yard since the day we bought the house in 1981. At one time they formed a hedge along the southern property line. I hated it when dh would get out there and prune every spring. It looked like a big green bus. Over the years we removed about half of the plants to allow more sun into the yard and the other half has been limbed up into trees. I love them! They provide additional privacy above the fence line along with cover and nesting areas for birds. Have never found a single baby in all these years. The same goes for the neighbor's variegated privet. I called it Chinese, but I think it's actually golden ligustrum.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ligustrum x vicaryi (golden ligustrum)

GGG, I'm at the same elevation as Charlotte, but we're usually warmer because of all the stone in the ground around here. The hills help protect us a bit too. It's only a couple degrees.

I do want a few bluish conifers. I've sown seeds collected from Balsam fir and Frasier firs. I have no idea how they will handle the heat in summer though. I plan to do the same with my leylands. I don't want the 40-60' tall monsters. And I know they have a short life span so they'll be replaced over the years, but they grow so fast, I want to use them now just to get the privacy I want.

As for privet, I have the green stuff all over already. And I mean everywhere. The Japanese varieties are better at not reseeding everywhere, but they still can. I'm trying to remove as much of the Chinese privet as possible and keep them from setting seed by shearing them back just after they bloom. So I'll be replacing those as I go as well.

I like the idea of conifers and boulders, with splashes of color from my flowers in between. I need some more muscle around here.

Token, have you looked at Southern Wax Myrtle? (Myrica cerifera). It is very fast growing and makes a lovely loose screen, not too dense, pretty leaves and some berries in winter that birds love. I'm growing a line of them as a screen and think they are a beautiful backdrop.

Slower growing, but good for shade, Illicium floridanum and Illicium parviflorum. I like the leaf shape and floridanum has pretty red flowers in spring (parviflorum has yellow flowers that are less conspicuous).

Also for shade, I have several Fatsia japonica that I really love -- the leaf shape is great, very prehistoric looking. Mine have grown quite quickly and have survived the recent freezes very well.

Agarista populifolia is good for shade too, and there is one with reddish leaves.

Also rhodies and gardenias...

For sun, Viburnum tinus Spring Bouquet is pretty, but slow growing. My abelias get a bit scraggy, but I have several as evergreens that flower in full sun are hard to find. I like Lorapetalums a lot for full sun.

Can you grow Ceanothus impressus e.g. Puget Sound in your area?

I'd suggest the leatherleaf viburnum for its interesting leaf texture. It also is quite adaptable to sun or shade. For a pyramidical conifer, how about Cryptomeria 'Ben Franklin', Thuja 'Green Giant', or Chamaecyparis pisifera aurea (which has great texture and color)? Many hollies would also work: Ilex 'Savannaeh', foster hollies, Ilex 'Nellie R. Stevens'. Also, you might consider the native sweet bay magnolia (one of my favorite all around plants).

I was going to suggest winter honeysuckle and went looking for a link. Stumbled on this blog. You're probably familiar with it. I see he's linked yours. ;)

Here is a link that might be useful: Evergreens to get you through winter

Just a list of evergreens

hollies
japanese boxwood
yews
bay tree (will it survive your zone)
eunomynous (not a tree but can be trained)

So many choices. You guys are great. I've got to do some research and see if I can locate some of these.

Natal, I believe, but could be wrong, that there is a winter honeysuckle in the woods here. It was once part of the garden, but time has taken its toll. I don't recall it blooming last year, but the year before there was a shrub-like plant that had the most fragrant blooms. I should have marked it. I'm hoping to smell it again soon.

You should be smelling it now Token. Both my lonicera fragrantissima and purpussi having been blooming off and on for several weeks. Of course, if it is in a shady spot, it might not have hit its stride yet.

Yeah, mine's been blooming since early January. I noticed lots of new growth on it the other day.

Thanks to Tom for starting this thread and Spazzycat for the suggestions!

I may be in the market for a fast-growing evergreen later this year. Have a Camellia japonica that for years thrived under a pine canopy. When Hurricane Gustav passed through in September 2008 the pines took a major hit and had to come out. I knew the camellia was stressed last summer, but today it's looking the worst ever. I plan on doing some heavy pruning later this week, but if things don't improve by the end of summer I'll be looking for a replacement. Right now the holly Ilex 'Nellie R. Stevens is a top contender.

What I remember of the winter honeysuckle was smelling it in late March. It's in the woods, completely shaded. I need to get down there and see if I can find it.

The good news, some of my quince are likely to start blooming soon. They're getting some sun now that a tree is gone.