Leland Cypress will grow in the shade, but not very happily. We put seven up on the edge of one part of our property to form a screen. They get lots of sun, and in three years have grown from 2 feet to about 10-12 feet. We put two others in a "bullpen" to use in case any died. They are in a much shadier area and are not even half the size of the ones in the sun; they're not as healthy-looking either.

Have you considered white pine? They can handle a decent amount of shade (more than Leland Cypress, anyway), though they like sun as well. We've got a bunch recently planted (several years ago) along another part of property that is shaded, and they're growing rather quickly and are looking happy and healthy.

Hope this helps.

ThanQ. Now I'm really confused. We're looking for privacy.We are also higher than our neighbor so we need trees/bushes that grw fast. I guess the best thing to do before planting the Leyland Cypress is to first take down the Hemlocks and see how much sun we get.

Will White Pine trees form a screen

Yes, they will eventually form a wonderful screen for you. People tend to plant them too close together hoping to get a screen sooner rather than later, and then they get all spindly when they do get big. If you're impatient, put them close together but be willing to thin them out as they start to take off. Another possibility is douglas fir. We have some of them planted in another shady-ish part of our property. They do prefer sun, but will tolerate partial shade. They are more slow-growing than white pine.

How about Nellie Stevens holly? It will grow decently in shade and will get quite tall. The white pine screens I've seen eventually lose their lower branches and thus lose the bottom screen.