Hi, I am in need of a privacy hedge on one side of my house. I am opposed to a fence because it will shade one of the sunniest spots of my yard. My neighbor hates all animals (and maybe some humans too?) and I want to block the sight of my chickens and block the looks of disapproval.

I tried planting blueberries and gardenia in a row in the sunny area last fall. The blueberries are doing pretty well, they have filled out some and grown taller. I think next year they will starting to do the job.

The gardenias (august beauty) look really miserable. It's been a hard year and I didn't know how finicky they would be! Most of them have gotten thinner and thinner instead of filling out. One only has 2 stems left. I may have exacerbated their problems by giving them a mulch with too much carbon-not enough nitrogen. I have learned from my mistake.

Anyway, I am looking to replace several of them with something that will grow a little faster and if it provides fruit that would be a great bonus. I had in mind something that will reach 6 feet tall or a little more. I might just plant blueberries down the whole row but I am concerned about making a monoculture...

Thanks for your thoughts/suggestions.