I would like to suggest Osmanthus fragrans (Tea Olive): evergreen, glossy leaves, sun/shade/drought tolerant, about 10' tall when mature but can be trimmed, and a heavenly scent when it flowers.

Susan

Thank you, for the quick response, Susan. I will take a look at those right now.

Veronica

Oh... and I just thought of another question, is this a fast or slow growing plant?

Osmanthus was my first choice as well, although I wouldn't hedge them; it reduces blooms and takes away from the shrubs natural good looks. There is a new, dwarf cultivar on the market now - 'Fodingzhu', which supposedly blooms so heavily for so long that it has very little energy left for growth. I was a sucker and bought one, so I'll get back with you on it!

Banana shrub is also one of my favorites (michelia figo). Very heavy bloomer in spring and sporadically throughout summer. The fragrance is absolutely intoxicating!

Both are good-looking shrubs that, for me, have a medium growth rate (except for 'Fodingzhu', of course).

Good luck choosing!

Nelson

Thanks, for the info, Nelson. I look forward to finding out more about your experience with the Fodingzhu. I will also poke around to see if the banana shrub will be something that the hubby would tolerate. ;)

Veronica

I would not hedge the banana shrub. I can't imagine my banana shrub would respond well to that treatment since it is almost tree-like with the lowest branches removed. I cut down an osmanthus that grew taller than the roof of my house but I recall that there was a hedge of them at a rental house where I lived after moving to auburn years ago. it was beneath the bedroom windows and seemed to do fine.

I will recommend dwarf wax myrtle instead. it is evergreen though not too dense, takes pruning well, valuable wildlife plant, native, suckers gently to form a thicket but can be managed easily. won't do well in too much shade but can tolerate some. aromatic foliage that is not browsed by deer. fast-growing, tolerant of dry or wet soils and salt spray.

dwarf wax myrtle

You might try youpon holly ,native, birds love the berries.

Thank you, Jeff and Josephene. I will do some research on the youpon holly and the dwarf wax myrtle. I have ducks and geese, and will soon be getting a couple of calves. I just want to make sure that everything is going to be happy, in the end. :)

If you're not opposed to an appearance with various heights, I would do a mixture of plants for more interesting textures, colors, bloom times, and as insurance against some kind of pest ruining a monoculture.

There is a great nursery down there (can't think of the name at the moment) that is one of the few that sells wax myrtles labeled as to which are "male" and "female." This is nice, since you need at least one of each of this kind of shrub to get a lot of the berries the birds really like to eat. If you go with some wax myrtles, it would be nice to mix a few of known sex for this purpose. There are other good hollies, but coupon as mentioned is a good one.

Ted is it Dodds? Found a yellow/orange azalea at the Wmart on Airport

Blvd some yrs ago. You have so many to choose from why not make a mixed hedge?

Jo