As much as I like tea olive (_Osmanthus fragrans_), I would not recommend its use as a privacy screen in a full-sun, exposed location in Western North Carolina, halfway between Asheville and Charlotte. In recent years, we've had comparatively warm winters in this part of the Southeast; but there's bound to be a future winter in which _Osmanthus fragrans_ will be badly burned or killed to the ground by cold temperatures. It is, indeed, a fine plant and one to be enjoyed in a sheltered location; but at some point it will prove unreliable in a harsh, unforgiving exposed Piedmont location. Don't consider using it as a hedge unless you want to see it decimated. If you take a look at _The Southern Living Garden Book_ or similar books, you will find that there are several _Osmanthus_ varieties that are much hardier than _Osmanthus fragrans_. Like _Osmanthus fragrans_, they are evergreen with fragrant fall/winter flowers. These hardier strains of _Osmanthus_ would be more likely to have longterm success in a Western North Carolina landscape than the more tender _Osmanthus fragrans_. However, one wants his/her _Osmanthus fragrans_ to be near a frequenty trodden pathway or near a window where its fragrance can be enjoyed. Planting tea olive out in a hedge along the roadside would be a waste of its many attributes. Leyland cypress is an abomination. Avoid it like the plague. _Eleagnus pungens_ or _Eleagnus pungens fruitlandii_ would be a superb choice, requiring no maintenance and providing food for our songbirds. These species of _Eleagnus_ are not the Russian olive you're thinking about. A spectacular choice would be golden bamboo or black bamboo. I have a grove of golden bamboo on one side of my house and a grove of black bamboo on the other side. They provide a lush, evergreen, Oriental appearance and an abundance of privacy. Your roadway would serve as a "bamboo containment wall" on one side. Just let the bamboo colonize freely on the other side, creating a natural effect.

I could buy bigger plants but I have an acre to do that has nothing on it, or nothing I want, plus retaining walls to build. I'm going broke! My demanding birds will just have to remain unimpressed. I am trying specifically to create a wildlife corridor. It's about 25'x 180', filtered sun with little direct sun. Still, the filtered sun is a decent amount. Wooded with mixed hardwoods, pine. The soil is good, acid side but that's good for what I want. The canopy is good, but I pulled miles of honeysuckle out of it so expect it to grow. The honeysuckle killed the middle layer and forest floor so it needs rebuilding. It's not dry but not moist enough for anise. It may dry out more since again, the vines totally blocked the sun. I intend to plant mahonia (NOT NOT NOT bealei!) in the deeper shade, a couple southern wax myrtles in the sunnier spots and several deciduous berry happy viburnums. What I lack is evergreen. Summer with all the viburnum will be fine but in winter I only have two spots of evergreens. There is no wildlife coverage on this property. I am not a native purist but I am a non invasive purist. I need that perfect, instant growing, shade loving, dense shrub that's non-invasive to boot. I don't ask much. If all else fails I will use Cleyera japonica (Ternstroemia) which as far as I can see has no invasive status. Grew it before (inherited) with no problems and something was always nesting in it. Maybe leatherleaf viburnum but I am not good with leatherleaf - ordered Dirrs book for help. If you have any alternative thoughts I'd be happy to hear them. I have planted two yaupons and a few other hollies, but in a sunnier spot. Love hollies. Common I know but dang, they are perfect. No suckers, grows anywhere, needs no pruning and is a wildlife bonanza. Let native hollies be common I say! Pick them over bradford pears any day for mass subdivision, office park plantings.

My favorite shrubs for hedges are the hollies. There are many of them available and some get quite tall while others remain more compact. Their tiny flowers (so small you hardly notice them) are amazingly fragrant, and the birds love the berries, although they generally don't eat the berries until later in winter. Hollies are amazingly heat-tolerant, drought-tolerant and wind-tolerant once established. Dwarf Burford holly makes a really nice privacy screen along a fence line with the proper spacing, particularly if you let them reach their natural pyramidal shape and don't prune them. The use of the word "dwarf" is deceptive because they are dwarf only in comparison to regular Burford holly which is a huge monster. The dwarf Burford hollies we planted about 10 years ago are about 10 feet tall and each plant's spread covers 6' to 8' feet in width. We spaced them pretty far apart so they could reach their mature size without crowding one another. Another lovely shrub that is underused is Abelia. These are semi-evergreen, small-leaved shrubs that flower in spring. Their growth is quite dense and they are very drought-tolerant once established. I have a chaste tree in the backyard butterfly garden and the wildlife love it, and so do I, but it is deciduous and won't provide much privacy in winter. I've linked the website of Sooner Plant Farm for you because their website is amazingly informative. It has detailed into on many of the types of plants mentioned here, and photos for many of them, as well as many, many others. After you spend a little while looking at all the plants on their website, you'll have all kinds of ideas about what you could plant for a privacy screen. I second the idea that a mixed hedgerow is healthier because one disease can wipe out a monoculture of one plant variety. Also, diversity attracts more wildlife like birds and butterflies, for example. Dawn Here is a link that might be useful: Sooner Plant Farm

Deer LOVE loquats (at least the leaves). Deer WILL nibble on Photinia if there is not much else green in your (or your neighbor's) Winter landscape. I purchased some Ligustrum japonicum 'Texanum' because have read that they are deer resistant but they are not in the ground yet, so not sure. Osmanthus 'Goshiki' (forgot the species name on it), is deer proof but not sure it is a fast grower. Magnolia grandiflora is deer proof BUT, they DEER LOVE THEM during the rut and will mark them if they can get close (and they are much taller than your height requirement). 'English' Laurel and Bay Laurel are also highly resistant, as is Boxwood. My Holly (including; Nellie Stevens, Inkberry, Japanese), Fargesia bamboo, and rhododendrons are completely ignored. Butterfly bush too, which should be evergreen for you, (it is largely evergreen here). Others? Consider,Yuccas or Ornamental grasses too. These have worked for me, but not sure all are reliable in your area. Good luck!