I don’t think salt is a problem there.

Fence is similar to this.

==>>> i'm a 'i gotta see it' sorta landscaper ... how about an actual pic ... perhaps 2.. one from the street.. and one like above ...

ken

Are either wind or deer likely to cause issues? I tend to think of wind blown spray (especially during coastal storms) and deer as being the biggest issues for coastal gardens.

My favorite bright foliaged plants include some of the more gold evergreens such as Thuja Sunkist (larger than you want, however) or some of the Chamaecyparis cultivars, Spiraea Ogon (graceful gold foliage and white flowers), Clematis Stolwijk Gold, and Caryopteris Sunshine Blue.

I can see one of the more compact types of Rhododendrons working there, though I can’t suggest many specific ones because you have vastly more choices, or even one of the smaller mountain laurels/Kalmia would be fine. I do like the Yaku hybrids since they have beautiful flowers and tend to grow slowly enough to be quite manageable.

If you use roses, choose one that is scented for the benefit of those on the walkway as well as your enjoyment. It would need to have really healthy foliage and be somewhat denser than many. Or layer it with something in front of or behind it, such as a shrub rose with a clematis behind it or a climber at the back with a lower shrub in the front. IME the only roses I have seen with dense enough foliage for enhancing privacy have been rugosas.

Have you considered a small tree of some kind such as one of the more petite crabapples, particularly if there is a view that might want to be hidden at some point along the span?

There will be a major size difference between Limelight and the 4’-5’ shrubs since Limelight get to 8’+ in all directions. Have you considered using one of the slightly smaller cultivars that will be in the 4’-6’ range so that the top,of the bed doesn’t have such an undulating silhouette?

I am not wild about Manhattan Euonymus or inkyberry holly/Ilex glabra (which has to be one of the most boring plants ever), but I do like red-berried hollies if you can find one that stays small enough.

Other plants to consider include

small ninebark such as Tiny Wine

One of the smaller Viburnum plicatum such as popcorn or Newport/‘newzam’ for late spring flowers and fall color

Fothergilla for spring flowers and fall color.

I’m not home so can’t get a photo until Monday. Babs, some great suggestions. Deer are an occasional problem, my hostas and daylilies are untouched so far this year. I’m far enough away from the water that salt spray is not an issue. I’ve grown the Caryopteris and Fothergilla before, should have thought of them. I’ll have to research the others and see what’s available locally. I have a lot of knockouts that can be moved, the PO must have come across a sale as they are everywhere. Might be able to use some of those though they are not my favorite. Thank you so much. Will post photos.

Something strange happening with this thread. I can link to it from my email but it doesn’t appear on the forum otherwise. Could it have been deleted for some reason? Testing.

This has reappeared for me now after having totally disappeared for a day. Houzz is having some major glitches of late.

Ok so now I have two threads going. Here’s the one with a photo of the actual fence line in question.

[https://www.houzz.com/discussions/shrub-border-zone-6-ct-coastal-dsvw-vd~5365464[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/shrub-border-zone-6-ct-coastal-dsvw-vd~5365464)