Height? Width of space and of desired hedge? Zone? (MA ranges from z5-7, so a big range as far as what can grow.) Is cost a limiting factor? Do they need to be evergreen or is deciduous OK?

I don't know how long the driveway is, but it is a fair amount of work to do a good job of trimming a hedge a couple of times a year and have it looking nice. Timing needs to be straight and even, wider at the bottom so that it remains full to the ground and lower branches don't get shaded out and leafless. Are you on board for this kind of wok, or does it make more sense to have a shrub that is sized to not need regular pruning?

Deer a problem at all?

Hi. We are somewhere between 5b and 6a. I would like a solid 4-5 foot hedge in a shallow width...say 3-4 feet. Cost is not a limiting factor as we really require some privacy. The driveway is about 60-70 feet long. I think we’re up for the training challenge but I’d be open to looking at shrubs that require less pruning. They don’t have to be evergreen. So far we’ve really come to like the Korean boxwood.

DEER ARE DEFINITELY A PROBLEM.

Thank you!

Boxwood certainly is a prime candidate for shearing into a hedge and is deer resistant. Different cultivars have differing growth rates and differing resistance to boxwood blight, so do your research to choose a cultivar that has good resistance since the blight is present in New England. The link below includes both blight resistance and hardiness zone.

https://plantpathology.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/final-Cult-trials-summary-2013.pdf?fwd=no

The combination of deer resistance and either narrow plant width or that it be able to be pruned as a hedge makes this a difficult situation. Most of the deer resistant shrubs are wider and not suitable for shearing like forsythia or too short or slow growing or don't have good screening potential or aren't suited for the climate. Have you considered installing a fence with vines trained up it or deer resistant perennials planted in front of it?