Not following your posting at all. So, are you saying that you intend to replace the GGA along the driveway? Are they dying in the near record August heat and drought having been recently transplanted? Did the deer eat them already (they jus' love GGA to death, btw.) You don't want to prune GGA but want to replace with a fast growing shrub (that does not get too big?) You are going to have to be more specific, maybe time to make peace with the neighbors in the meantime.

You might also want to post your gardening zone (especially as you are inquiring about evergreens.., this is a relatively small state but still a lot of different zones.) Now is not the time to be transplanting anything but cacti in the meantime.

PS., I live in NJ, with deer, lots of trees/shrubs/flowers/hedges, etc., so doable if you do your homework (i.e., research before planting anything).

Hi and thank you! I'm in NJ too. Yes, I am actually removing (before they take root) the GGA. They are just going to get too massive for the small space I have. I would have stayed on top of pruning but I suspect that would not help with what will certainly become an enormous trunk.

So .. I want to plant something that will grow to a minimum 10 to 12 foot high - FAST growing shrub/plant - (preferable something that will maintain the privacy screen through the NJ winters. It needs to be deer resistant and can take a half day or more of sun and probably heat as they will be located directly along the asphalt driveway.

One of the nurseries I called suggest common and/or American boxwood but every boxwood I have grows like molasses.

Box are now having problems with boxwood blight in many areas. If you are still interested in using conifers try the Garden Web Conifers forum.

Boxwood is one of the plants that I do use. Yes, it IS deer proof; Yes, it does grow slowly (have not seen any evidence of boxwood blight in my yard). I have tried different varieties; my favorite is the Dwarf English, so, yes, slow. I understand that asphalt situation (I have an oversized parking area of blacktop), On one of these strips I have planted Schipps Laurel alternating with taller ornamental grasses (there is also a fence). You could also use one of Holly (there are lots of varieties; Inkberry, China Girl/Boy, and Japanese---Blue Holies are less heat tolerant though). I use a variety of broad-leaved and coniferous evergreen trees and shrubs but limited my suggestions to those that will tolerate your particular microclimate and size specification. Among the conifers though, Cephalotaxus is nice and puts up with heat and deer. Not sure about other more modest growing growing conifers that are deer resistant though (I personally like conifers but find the more modest-growing ones used as hedges to be boring.) Btw, I did try once GGA..., eaten by deer w.i. one season. Same year, I decided to replace my Yews (another deer fav). My advice is plant deer resistant, all the deer resistant sprays you see are a waste.

Good luck, and welcome to NJ!

P.S., Embothrium, I just read up on the blight issue and possible means of prevention. It sounds like it is encouraged by hot/humid weather and lack of air circulation (like a lot of problems). This summer's weather pattern does not seem conducive for it though. It's always gonna be something..., I also garden with Eastern Hemlocks (one of my larger privacy islands)..., glad to report, I see no adelgids at all this year.

Subtropix ... thank you. I'm very surprised about the GGA NOT being deer resistant. One of the other main reasons I bought them (aside from the main reason of their being fast growing) was that they were marked - and touted - as being deer resistant. Otherwise I would have planted more Emerald Greens. The emerald greens would be perfect for this spot but that is one evergreen I HAVE seen all chewed up by deer. So far I've only put them where I have a fence.

As for holly ... aren't they super slow growing as well? I have one and it seems like it took many many years to get to its now 4 x 4 height/width.

Have you any knowledge of the "Common" and/or "American" Boxwood? One of my local nurseries claimed they were a fairly fast growing boxwood and could get to the 10 foot (minimum) height I need.

Not clear how wide you can let the shrubs get. If you can let them get 12 feet, then use Viburnum pragense (Prague viburnum), evergreen, deer resistant and hardy to at least zone 6. Very narrow, deer resistant and grows fast but very expensive is Juniperus virginianus 'Taylor'. I don't know why this cultivar of the common juniper is so expensive, but it is, and as far as I no, only one nursery sells it retail mail order--Sooner Plant Farm in Oklahoma.

Also, you don't say how long a row you need. If very long, then you must vary the plants or else you risk a disease taking one, and then all of them.

Not familiar with other boxwood varieties. My Dwarf English were doing fine, liked the well-manicured look so stuck with them (but those, I don't need for privacy hedges). Viburnums are deer resistant as noted by Laceyvail (if you can get the evergreen species). Texas Privet is also evergreen and on the no eat list (not sure of its growth rate). It is also true that holly grows relatively slowly. As I said, the Blue Holly plants will not be loving that hot asphalt condition, they can take midday hot sun but seem to do better with some shading from the hottest sun. I do use clumping bamboo for privacy, but that hot location would probably be an issue for the most common genus used here in NJ (Fargesia)..., as will take a few years to get a tall hedge of it anyway. The barberries are also deer proof but I hate the thorns and ripped up the hedges of it that were planted by former owners. Sure you will get other suggestions here but try to indicate width parameters as mentioned above. Good luck!