We had a gardenia hedge 125 feet long. It got to 7 feet tall before we cut it back. The only thing about gardenias is that they attract sooty mold (from white flies) and a scale pest. They will require periodic maintenance, but if you take care of them, they will reward you with blooms and people from 2 streets away will be able to smell their fragrance on a calm night. If you wash off the black thrips (who will eventually find the flowers), they make great give away flowers for the bank tellers and office.

Bamboo makes a good fast-growing screen. Our neighbor planted some about 2 years ago. It was probably 2-3' when she planted it, and it is now at least 30'. You can find different species that will grow to different heights, but check to see if it is clumping or running. The runners will take over pretty quickly from what I hear.

If you are still looking, a good dense to 10' tall hedge choice would be Mockorange "Murraya paniculata". It is a dark green solid hedge with highly fragrant white flowers.Knowing how small lots are here it's upright growth habit will take up less space. It also doesn't have much in the way of pest problems like hibiscus and Gardenia. Panax is another good choice for a linear dense hedge but can be a bit bare at the bottom as it matures.

ilima

What about palms as a hedge. Clumping varieties make good screens.

Arecca palms are awesome screens.

I live mauka, very wet. hedge will be in a dark place (very little sun) - any suggestions