Since we have no idea where "here" is, it's a bit hard to say. But both are rated to zone 11, so should be able to withstand significant heat from time to time but neither is considered particularly drought tolerant. Both will grow to approximately the same size - 'ChinDo' has glossier leaves - 'Robustum's are more matte. Both produce clusters of white flowers that are described as 'fragrant' but with the laurustinus, that fragrance is a matter of opinion......some describe it as an aroma of old gym socks!!

Zone 9. Sacramento.

Is the Chindo upright and dense like the Robustum is said to be?

Another consideration - I've never seen a Chindo Viburnum but I understand it flowers in Spring. Viburnum tinus flowers in Winter, at least it does here.

The whole plant smells off. There is a hedge I walk past on my way to work and before I realised where the smell was coming from I checked the bottoms of my shoes a few times. I have never considered the flowers themselves to smell 'fragrant' at all. But then in Winter there's no warmth to bring out scents.

how i do it.. is convert to the latin name in google ... then flip to images .. see link below ... though i was a bit lazy on the latin this morning ...

do the other name.. and compare ...

i found out.. in the garden.. i am a collector ... i would probably get one of each.. and do my own experiment ... no shrub really stops growing at some magical height [size at maturity claims] .. and either one will.. eventually get tall enough for your purpose ... if it take one a year or two more.. so what ...

unless of course.. you are going large .. and then you can buy them any size you want ..

ken

https://www.google.com/search?q=Chindo+Sweet+Viburnum&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiE_--csNzNAhVIyj4KHXYrAg4Q_AUICSgC&biw=940&bih=745&dpr=0.9

V. awabuki 'Chindo' viburnum may need more moisture than the other you mentioned. Not sure. Chindo is not really known for its profuse blooming, but that probably varies in different climates. I have not noticed mine are foul smelling, but they are away from the house.

Chindo is not fully hardy here in zone 7a, but grows fast with moisture to a dense upright (and eventually suckering) pyramid. It can easily grow to 20 feet or more, if that is what you are after. It is quite robust and can take some shade and still be dense.

Just to be clear, It was the V tinus I was talking about when I described the smell. I've never seen or sniffed a Chindo.

I personally don't think viburnums are the right thing for a privacy screen. If you want something similar, fast growing, evergreen, flowers, and always of interest. Why not photinia x fraseri (redtip photinia)?

"I personally don't think viburnums are the right thing for a privacy screen." I'm wondering why this is? V tinus is quite similar to Photinia, shape-wise and equally dense. Having smaller leaves it also takes better to clipping.

"it looks similar to photinia" that's the point. Red tip Photinia is better for the job than viburnum due to its fast growing habit. The more you trim photinia the more red leaves you get (year of interest because you must keep it hedged). Viburnums have their place in the landscape and I don't think it is in a privacy screen even though some may disagree with me. before going with viburnums check out red tip photinia and see what you think.

Red tip photinia has some serous disease issues that makes it a much less desirable plant for use in many parts of the country than any viburnum. Photinia is very prone to a fungal leaf spot - Entomosporium maculatum - that causes repeated defoliation, seriously weakening the plant and often resulting in death. It is very prevalent in warm, summer-humid locations and those with mild and damp springs. Hedging exacerbates the problem due the proximity of similar plants (the disease is more easily spread) and the frequent shearing required. Heavily affected plants seldom, ever bloom. The disease is so prevalent that in many parts of the country (the midAtlantic area, the Gulf coast, most of the southern states and the Pacific Northwest), the shrub is no longer recommended or widely sold.

Viburnum tinus grow quite rapidly as well so I would eliminate that as any concern. And it tends to be a 4 season plant in that it is nearly always in some stage of flowering, either bud development (over several months beginning in late summer and continuing into winter), the actual flowers themselves, which also last months or subsequent berries. It is highly unusual to encounter a laurustinus that is just green leaves :-)

if it must be viburnum, what about Monrovia's Brandywine Viburnum? (not aware of the botanical name for this one)

Viburnum nudum (clearly labeled on the Monrovia website you linked to) is deciduous so less valuable a plant selection for any sort of privacy hedging. And the OP specifically wanted evergreen.

Chindo viburnum can certainly be used for a screen or extremely tall hedge. It's evergreen.

Why would someone choose a screen plant that's deciduous?

The OP will have to decide which is more appropriate for climate. Here are some untrimmed Chindos.

Ternstroemia might work as well. But really, there are so many choices in zone 9.

Thanks all.

No photinia. That's the generic cookie cutter suggestion. It's all over the place here, so I'm assuming we don't have much of the leaf spot issue, however I'm tired of looking at it. Furthermore the backside of the fence is a big row of photinia, so if that gets diseased, it would wipe out that row and our row, if we were to choose Photinia. That would leave us with nothing at all.

How tall whatever we choose is not the issue, I just want 12ft as a minimum. It can be taller.

I do want the width to be 8 feet or less, or something that tolerates pruning to keep it contained.

Ternstroemia looks interesting. Going to have to look that one up more. Does it tolerate full sun? It's weird that it never came up in any of my extensive searches. And I don't think I've seen it at the nursery.

Zone 9 has lots of options? Then I must be looking in all the wrong places. 12'tallminimum x 8-ish', full sun, on drip irrigation. Our list included (from memory, so forgive me if I forget one or two):

photinia

purple hopseed

black stem pittosporum

elaeagnus olive martini

pineapple guava (really that didn't make he list because of its width)

shiny xylosema

privet

sweet bay

ceanothus Ray Hartman

mock orange

and viburnum robustum

well and the Chindo viburnum even though I haven't seen that one in person

Wish it was the season that I could smell the robustum variety just to see. Does it grow kind of pyramidal like the Chindo?

If there are other options that I haven't mentioned please let me know. But as of right now our choice is the viburnum, just not sure which one.

Oh and I forgot to say...

Caldwell, it must be evergreen for the year round screening. That's non-negotiable.

Viburnum tinus has a rounded habit, not pyramidal. Most of the shrubs on your long list are also rounded. Regarding 'mock orange' at least 3 species go by this common name. Do you know which one you were meaning?

You might also give these a look, if they are hardy -- these seem to be well adapted to dry heat of North CA:

Calistemon citrinus (Lemon bottle brush)

Dodonaea viscosa 'Purpurea' (Purple hop bush)

Carpenteria californica (may be too small?)

Laurus nobilis

Acacia species

Arbutus 'Marina'

Grevillea species

Ilex vomitoria (Yaupon holly)

Ligustrum japonicum 'Texanum'

Loropetalum cultivars (like Zhuzhou Fuschi).

Myrica californica

Nerium (oleander)

Osmanthus heterophyllus

Osmanthus x fortunei

Tibouchina urvilleana (if hardy)

whatever you do, NOT PRIVET!! mock orange would look nice, I also like elaegnus umbellata (autumn olive), and dave has a good idea with loropetalum.

FWIW, waxleaf privet (Ligustrum japonicum 'Texanum'), is not an issue in SoCal and is frequently selected for evergreen hedging. In this context, "mock orange" would typically refer to Pittosporum tobira, however its ultimate height may be insufficient for the OP's needs. Another excellent choice would be toyon, Heteromeles arbutifolia. A CA native too, so extremely well suited to the climate and very drought tolerant, which may be an important consideration. Again the minimum height desired by the OP might be an issue.

Way to go, Caldwell Home & Garden!! Yet another invasive species recommendation! In this case, autumn olive (elaegnus umbrellata) listed as a Severe Threat in North Carolina and cited by you yourself as "invading things" within the last few days. You are rapidly becoming the Typhoid Mary of horticulture.

Calistemon citrinus (Lemon bottle brush) - Too big...and from what I understand from the nursery, extremely bee-attractive. I did briefly consider the Slim, except I'm sure it's also bee-attractive. I don't mind a few bees, but from what the lady at the nursery was telling me is that sometimes Bottlebrush buzzes from having so many bees.

Dodonaea viscosa 'Purpurea' (Purple hop bush) - We're using this too.

Carpenteria californica (may be too small?) - Too small.

Laurus nobilis - This is on my list. Sweet bay. Didn't like the color next to Hopseed.

Acacia species - meh

Arbutus 'Marina' - Marina is too big, the Compacta too small.

Grevillea species

Ilex vomitoria (Yaupon holly) - Oh ya I considered this too.

Ligustrum japonicum 'Texanum' - Not tall enough.

Loropetalum cultivars (like Zhuzhou Fuschi). - Not tall enough. Monrovia lists it as 6-8ft tall.

Myrica californica - Like it but afraid it's too wide. I read 10-20 feet. I'm ok with pruning to keep to the size I need, but this sounds like I'd be forever constantly pruning it.

Nerium (oleander) - Toxic. No way.

Osmanthus heterophyllus - It's ok.

Osmanthus x fortune - 15-20 feet wide

Tibouchina urvilleana (if hardy) - I really like this one, but according to some people at the nursery, we're a mix of zone 9 and 8. I just read that this one dies back to the ground in zone 8. Don't think I want to chance it.

I appreciate ALL the suggestions, it definitely had me looking at things I hadn't considered before.

At this point I think the one we still like best is the Viburnum. Guess I just need to choose between the 2.

I understand elaeagnus is invasive, I just don't really think you can do much about the problem which started in 1830. btw, it was brought on by the US forest service thereselves. may I also suggest something many will hate, but a plant I find rather interesting: elaeagnus commutata. I also want to stress the idea of loropetalum, this shrub has MANY uses, hedging, informal plantings, foundation plantings,etc. you can't go wrong with this shrub and it has nearly any problems from my experience.

Tell me which Lorepetalum gets 12 feet tall or more and I'll take a look. So far I haven't found one more than 8.

This makes me think that the Robustum will work out fine. They aren't going to be next to the house after all...

"Here is another point that you need to know about their care: If you walk by the plant when it’s in bloom and your nose picks up a smell like dirty rags, it’s the decaying leaves that have fallen to the ground. So simply rake up the leaves and add them to your compost or send them away in the recycle bin."

The potential of smelly sock scent is making me worry that the Viburnum isn't going to be the right choice. Especially with a bunch of them back there (5-7 of the Laurestinum if they're 6 feet wide).

What about Escallonia bifida? Haven't seen this in person...I'm concerned about how it would look next to Purple Hopseed without seeing it first (some greens don't look quite right with the lime-green-y color of the Purple Hopseed in my opinion). Any pros/cons to Escallonia? I found it in the Sunset Western book I checked out from the library yesterday.

may I suggest american holly? I wrote an article about privacy screens if you are interested. I thought 8ft tall would be enough, thought you were trying to block your neighbors not a highway overpass. Not sure about Escallonia bifida, never heard of it.

No, need 12 feet. The fence is already 8. Need to screen out the neighbors balconies.

ok, I think the best native would be american holly.

Ok you give some really odd suggestions sometimes. Native? Not here. And I definitely don't need 50'x35'.

Prunus lusitanica. They are glossy-leaved and lovely and the flowers are attractive and beloved by all the pollinators. Can be trimmed or sheared if desired. Self-sows but not problematically.

I also wouldn't rule out Osmanthus heterophyllus. Flowers have an incredible scent and shrub is very attractive. I use a combination of this and P. Lusitanica to block our view of the fence that our next door neighbor made out of (multicolored) used garage doors....

Oh and one more thing - i'm in 9b and my Dodonea viscosa froze to the ground in Dec 2013 when we were mid20s at night for a week. They were over 10' tall...:-(

So still trying to decide between the two Viburnums I originally posted about... waiting to hear from the supplier about what they have anyways...maybe that will decide for me.

Wish I could smell the Tinus...is there a certain time they have an adverse-to-some smell?? Just when they're flowering? Or...???

The scent thing is making me lean toward Chindo...except I've read some places where they say they get MASSIVE...

*sigh* Why does choosing plants have to be so difficult???

Th Viburnum tinus planting I know best is a hedge and seldom flowers. But it still smells. However, I have known other V tinus from which I've not detected any odour. To be honest with you, if you live in a climate with a wide range of BLE's available I, personally, wouldn't plant V tinus. It is no more interesting imo than privet hence it's use mostly as a hedge round here. It's only useful trait is that it flowers in midwinter. But that is just my opinion based on my climate and taste.

No botanical gardens.

Yes I've taken many trips to the nursery. That's how I came up with my list I posted way up there. ^^^ Not the one I made a lot of comments on, my own list was posted up there too.

I even took a trip to another nursery (one way out of my way) just to see if they had ideas that the other two nurseries didn't have...

No new ideas. Except I did see a Pittosporum I'd never seen before...Marjorie Channon. I do like the color of that better than the Black Stem one, but I do not like that it's slow growing.

Marjorie Channon is a nice shrub.

I agree, but the slow-growing part is a problem... :)

I agree with Dave, my Zhou Zhou Fuschia is at least 15-18' and still growing. I will include pics of mine below. I think they would be fuller if they had been pruned more when young. The new growth has more of a pink tinge in more sun. They are at least 12-15 years old.

Dave,

How far off the fence should ZhuZhou be planted, and how far apart? How fast are yours growing?

Also having trouble finding it. I know the nurseries here don't have it. I looked online and can't find it available...except on Amazon...but buying plants there just seems weird to me.

No, Zhou Zhou is completely burgundy early in the year and has pink blooms. Then the blooms fade and the foliage pales toward green. New growth through the summer is pinkish.

The pictures I posted are actually of two different varieties--one of them was Zhou zhou but I don't remember which. They are the same size but the foliage fades a bit more on one of them.

Blooms early in the year...does that mean early spring?

In the second pic is the Loropetulum the really tall thing or the darker green in front of it? Or maybe that's all one shrub? Having a hard time making out your pics completely this morning. :) I'm inexperienced and not sure I'm seeing it right. LOL!!!

So even though the nursery has suggested Purple Hopseed to me over and over, my landscape guy says they'll freeze...in our coldest winters, but still never know when that will be.

Just yesterday I saw Ligustrum Texanum in a tree form (never seen that before, they must have just gotten it in) which also gets taller than the shrub form...the tag says 10-15'. This would eliminate the issue of it not being tall enough (in shrub form...the only form I had seen until now...).

Make a long story short, if I use ZhuZhou, would it look ok next to the Ligustrum? I hate not being able to see it in person. Heck, can't find the ZhuZhou anywhere.

I really want something in tree form in part of our backyard, but I don't want Photina and it sounds like Purple Hopseed isn't such a good idea...

Sorry!!! Total mixup! i went back through my notebooks and discovered that my loropetalums are Pizazz and Burgundy. I'm linking to an excellent article from Clemson University. I think it is safe to say that all of the early cultivars get bigger than described and their leaves turn greener than described.

Loropetalum article

In my 2nd picture the right hand loropetalum is in front of a Carolina Cherry and a pine tree--both in my back neighbor's yard.

Appreciate the link. Don't worry, your mistake on your cultivars still aren't shying me away. LOL!

Still curious about how they might fit the space I have. And where I might get them. But I started a new thread for that since this one has taken a 180 degree turn with a twist in the middle. LOL.

do not plant any of the ligustrum species! I am warning you for good reason!