Why is the Privet spotty and dieing? Is there too much shade for it or is the soil compacted and neglected? We need to know how much sun and shade you get on each section of the proposed hedge areas, and is it morning or afternoon sun/shade. If you know the compass directions that each hedge would be facing that would be helpful as well. Are they close enough to the road to have to worry about road salt?

BTW, Burning Bush is a non-native invasive plant that is illegal to sell in MA and not recommended to plant.

Steve

We just moved in, so I'm not really sure why the privet is dying (or even 100% sure that it is privet). Here's a photo of the current hedge. We had a landscaping company come out to give us a quote on yard cleanup and mowing, and they thought we should pull it out, and that it was unlikely to come back.

In general, it seems like we get a fair amount of sun in the area and there aren't a lot of tall buildings / etc. blocking the light.

And thanks for the info re: burning bush -- sounds like that's not the right option for us!

Also re: closeness to road, yes, I think it is close enough to worry about road salt. There's a sidewalk on the side in the photo, but no sidewalk on the other side, so quite close to edge of road. Thanks!

Thanks for the picture. Notice how sparse the privet is in the part of your picture that is in shade. I'm guessing you need something that will grow in part sun/part shade. I'm going to link you to a list of different hedge materials. You could go with traditional material like Taxus (yew), Boxwood or Juniper. These are all evergreen. http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/07208.html

Personally if this were my property I would consider a hedge of Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight'. It's not evergreen so you would just have the branches sticking up in the winter. It's 8 feet tall and as wide. But it will take sun and shade. You would only have to prune it once a year in the Spring and it's easy to do. I've seen this done and in bloom it looks outstanding. Not a typical choice, but it's the one I would make.

Steve

I like rhododendron and holly. Both are evergreen and cheap. Holly has red berries, takes well to pruning, and is somewhat salt tolerant. Rhododendron has big flowers.

If you want to be Earth Friendly and are willing to put more work in, you could choose native Mountain Laurel, Diablo Ninebark, witchazel, or beach plum. Diablo Ninebark and sand cherry have a similar look to burning bush. Beach Plum is very salt tolerant.

Please don't plant burning bush...it's invasive.

I don't like hydrange for this application...they are rather ugly in the winter.

Rugosa Rose is a decent suggestion...those thorns will keep the neighbors out!

There are also rosa rugosas that are yellow though it's name is escaping me. I'm a hydrangea fantastic, but I think rugosa is a better option from what you've described. Also (depending on how much space), Bridal Wreath Spirea makes a beautiful hedge and is easily pruned. If you want evergreen options, I like Green Spire Euonymous, Spartan Juniper, and Golden Hinocki Cypress, juniper being the fastest grower of the 3, at about 1.5'/yr.

I wouldn't plant roses next to a sidewalk, but that's just a personal thing.

The absolute first thing you need to do is get some better diagnostics about the soil and the problem with the existing hedge. Maybe the soil is fine and these were just neglected - but a site where privet doesn't thrive (to the point of being a nuisance, really) is a site with some serious problems for gardeners. Privet is tough as can be - it takes shade, drought ... anything you can throw at it. I've been trying to eradicate it from my yard, where it pops up all over, but at the same time I'm wishing I'd 'settled for' privet along a back border where I really need better privacy from neighbors.

Welcome to the forum, and to the world of gardening! Keep us posted on your progress!

Hi there.

I am in Newton, too. I wonder if you would consider a songbird hedge, which consists of a variety of evergreens and deciduous shrubs which flower at different times, some having good fall color and some with winter berries. It's a four season show, you'd have great texture year-round, you'd attract birds (songbird populations are dropping rapidly due to habitat depletion), and you wouldn't be subject to blights or insects that might decimate a single species hedge.

Here's some more information about the concept:

Audobon's Songbird Hedge recommendations

With this type of planting, you can also accommodate varying amounts of sun. You will, though, need to understand your soil conditions and what happened to your previous hedge first.

Good luck and have fun!

Hollies, rhodies, and hydrangea are good options I've seen listed above.

My personal choice would be hollies. Be sure to get at least one male plant in there, (get the rest female) and you'll have a hedge full of red berries :)