I dont know if rhododendron would make a good "hedge".

Nandina, at least mine, are in almost all shade and only have growth on the tops. ( 4 feet tall, only the top 2 feet have leaves and shoots/blooms) so you would have empty space underneath.

Knock out roses would work good in my opinion but I dont know if they would grow tall enough to make a good hedge.

I suspect the camellia would take years and years to form a hedge

Some prospects.....Japanese or English Holly, the later having more "prickly" leaves and it is the more security minded hedge, boxwoods-which can be trimmed easily and would hedge out fairly quickly, or YEWS....I think a yew is about a classic hedge than any, can tolerate partial shade but grow slow.

You could make a nice hedge out of azaleas, and get the satisfaction and beauty out of them flowering.

Some others> mountain laurel, lilacs, forsynthia, rose of sharon!

All of these would make suitable hedges over time and plus they bloom.

Lyle

For the deciduous hedge, I'd choose some red twig dogwoods, cornus alba. They grow very large, have great foliage whilst in bloom and you can't beat the twigs for winter interest. Now, they wouldn't be so great at keeping people from walking through because they don't have thorns or anything, but they do grow fairly full. I don't know how big a problem you have with trespassers.

If you were doing a mix of plants, I like the sound of what you've listed. The only one I would add would be Mahonia Aquifolium, or Oregon Grape Holly. They look exactly like a holly in terms of leaf shape, enjoy the shade, but bloom yellow flowers in spring, have beries in fall and their leaves will turn bronzy-purplish in winter, but they are evergreen. Of course, the only ones I found online were tiny, tiny, tiny, and they've been slow to grow, at least in my garden. I planted them last Spring, and they were 18 inches then and now are only about 20 inches today. However, I also have pretty much ignored them because of the drought last year, so that could be the reason, they're still so small right now.

I'd say Pyracantha, Firethorn would be great for your purposes. They grow really large, have wonderful berries, are evergreen. They have huge thorns, that would absolutely keep anyone from traipsing through. They are poisonous though, so if you had young children who may be likely to eat the berries, I'd just keep an eye out. I know they'll do well in the sunnier parts, and I'm pretty sure they'd do okay in the dappled shade as well.

I love Camellias and they might take a while to grow, but I'm planting a row myself. I don't have a problem with people walking through my yard, so I can afford to be patient. Also, deer love azaleas and mountain laurels, so I don't know if you need to worry about them in your neck of the woods.

Keep us posted with what you decide. I'm always thinking about unusual plants for a hedge myself.

mmm Osmanthus fragrans in the fall. such a nice smell

We are trying to work out some privacy plantings too. We got some osmanthus goshiki this year and they have been virtually care free so far. I think I fell in love with the clethra as well but it is deciduous. The waxy deep green leaves of the camellia are beautiful and I enjoy it until it blooms. It can be kind of messy. If you pick blossoms right after they open and float them in a bowl of water they last quite a long time. On the bush it seems like after a day they begin looking raunchy. My large camellia grows like crazy but I had two babies(that I let my neighbor come dig up) which barely had any noticeable change over a season.

As far as security goes, I try to take the Panic Room message to heart. Anything that keeps people out keeps you in. I'm kind of paranoid though so I enjoy knowing I have escape routes from wild life or people. I don't anticipate ever needing them but I don't discount the possibilities. Maybe a type of holly or something like the goshiki that looks prickly but really isn't would work to deter people from passing through. Otherwise, if you really want to deter passing through plant a hedge row of barberry heh.

The Leylands got the canker and I didn't like them much anyway so I've been working on a similar mixed hedge in similar conditions (maybe a little more shade in some parts). So far I've planted three kinds of Osmanthus (Tea Olive), Lorepetalum, Indian Hawthorne and Viburnum. Also Calycanthus 'Venus' because I had to have it. I've been finding good sized Osmanthus at HD for a decent price, and they do look like they're going to make good hedge plants. The Osmanthus that's called False Holly is nice (can't remember the name, is it Goshiki?) - The leaves look like holly, but it has the fragrant Tea Olive blooms.

I'm glad to read osmanthus getting some love as a privacy hedge...I just don't see or hear that much. But it can work perfectly in that capacity: evergreen, interesting foliage (variegated on the Goshiki, bright red new growth on some others), gorgeously scented small white flowers in fall and/or spring, fairly fast growing, responds well to pruning, generally disease and pest-free, JBs don't really go for it, grows between 6-10' tall in general...what else could you ask for? Be careful when selecting the variety and cultivar, as some aren't hardy into zone 7 (but most are).

Wax Myrtle is used a lot around here...nice evergreen, fast growing....

Chindo Viburnum is lovely and fast growing.

Osmanthus fragrans is our favorite shrub. We also have three of the osmanthus 'Goshiki' for color, but they are slow growing and narrow compared to fragrans. Deer don't bother either of those anytime of year.

There are some that deer will eat in the winter and leave alone in the summer:

Cleyera are pretty for evergreens. I have one, but I have to protect it from deer in the winter.

Illicium is another pretty evergreen, but I also have to potect it from deer in the winter, too.

Lorepetelum is eaten by deer in the winter, so it needs protection then.

My oak leaf hollies are left alone by the deer, but I've seen them eat Nellie Stevens.

Ornamental grasses can also be used. There are some tall ones out there, but I do cut mine back in late winter. No deer damage.

I use a lot of buddleia. Also, cut those back. No deer damage.

Crape myrtle, while not evergreen, isn't bothered by deer. There are shrub sizes as well as tree sizes. They need full sun, though.

Cameron

These are great ideas and feedback, keep em coming!

Somebody mentioned something about mountain laurel and I ran across the link below today while looking up some other stuff..Apparently that is a native species to this area and what pretty blooms there are on this species...

Here is a link that might be useful: NC Native Plant Society - Mountain Laurel

I have that mountain laurel and I can votch for its beauty and drought tolerance. Adele