I second the nomination of osmanthus fragrans. My favorite evergreen, deer proof, fragrant shrub.

Cameron

Here is a link that might be useful: More info on my blog

I would suggest Wax myrtle - currently named Morella cerifera (previously Myrica cerifera and often still referred to by that name).

By the way, a mixed border is not a bad thing to consider. That way you don't have to choose just one kind of plant and you avoid potential issues with a single disease/pest/fungus wiping out the entire group.

I third the nomination of osmanthus fragrans. I planted two last spring. They've bloomed on and off all summer and fall. I've actually got a few blooms on one plant now. My only issue is that young, tender leaves will get burned by a sudden freeze like the 18 degree weather we had a week ago. But these plants can handle a hard pruning and bounce back pretty quick.

Another that was recommended to me, but I haven't tried, is Cherry Laurel. I didn't go that route because they can become invasive from what I've read.

In addition to other suggestions, you may want to consider any number of hollies. Also, Magnolia 'Little Gem' provides a nice screen over time. There are also any number of great conifers that would work: Thuja 'Green Giant' and Cupressus Arizonica 'Carolina Sapphire' are just two.

As mentioned, there are advantages to mixed screens. Here's a picture of a mixed screen we planted to screen the neighbors on one side. It's composed of two layers: evergreens in back, deciduous flowering shrubs staggered in front. The evergreens: Ilex 'Nellie R. Stevens', carolina cherry laurel, leatherleaf viburnum, and variegated chinese Ligustrum. Flowering shrubs: quince, bridalwreath spirea, vanhoutti spirea, viburnum burkwoodi, and doublefile viburnum.

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I don't think I would recommend carolina cherry laurel unless used in a mixed screen. We've found that young plants can have problems with borers. Eleagnus (russian olive) is on the invasive list for NC, so I would also not recommend using it.

A fourth for the osmanthus fragrans. Tough to find a better all around choice!

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've been real happy with Nellie Stevens Holly. I planted a row of about 14 about sevin years ago and they filled in very nice. I've never had to do a thing to them. They have a load of berries this year.

I second wax myrtle. It looks good year round, and it's native, so it doesn't require much nurturing. Plus it smells great, birds love the berries and if you look around, you can find it quite cheap.

I would again recommend the sweet olive. Just try it and see what happens. It's one of the toughest things in my yard (in Raleigh)...it's evergreen, plus those extremely fragrant blooms whenever it feels like putting them out. I barely amended the soil where I planted them. They get full midday sun, and they definitely get the northern winds in the winter, yet they are evergreen and I've never seen the first problem. They also grow relatively fast after the 2nd year.

In South Carolina, the native wax myrtle (_Myrica cerifera_) has been migrating inland from the coast for decades. While in high school in the late 1960's, I collected wax myrtle seedlings near Troy, SC, in Greenwood County and planted them along the roadway at our home in northern Anderson County. This wax myrtle hedge is planted on the highway right-of-way, which means that it is whacked a couple of times a year by the county road crew. The wax myrtle seems not to mind the occasional whacking. In fact, it may benefit from it. The plant seems to spread and colonize stoloniferously. It is planted on a roadbank that, thankfully, no longer requires any maintenance with a lawn mower. We overplanted the wax myrtles with a row of slash pines (_Pinus elliotti_) in 1975. Together, the slash pines and wax myrtle create a pleasing evergreen roadside border that requires no maintenance. The pines and wax myrtle glitter pleasingly in the winter sunlight. Through the years, I've planted camellia seeds among the wax myrtles and slash pines. The camellia seedlings are gaining size; but as anyone who works with camellias knows, it takes many years for a camellia seedling to be large and mature enough to flower. A few of the seedlings are large enough to set buds, mostly seedlings of 'Lady Vansittart', which tend to look like their Mommer in having candy-stripe, carmine streaks on a white semi-double blossom. Wax myrtle would be a superb choice for an open, exposed Piedmont location.

You might look into pyracanthus 'mohave', it has beautiful flowers in the spring, is evergreen, grows fast (up to 3' a year), is fire blight resistant and the thorns will discourage any unwelcome guests. As a plus it is very easy to propagate, so if you need more it will root very easily.

Yep, I second Brian's second: osmanthus fragrans. You could try osmanthus heterophyllus if you wanted to be safe; it's more cold-hardy than fragrans. But tea olive is surprisingly hardy, and the fragrance wafts yards away.

Wax myrtle is also an excellent shrub.