Post this question in the Arizona forum. Better yet, visit local garden centers. They will have what grows well in your area.

I have planted both ficus nitida hedges and japanese privet trees in my backyard in Phx and they both drop leaves. Mine have only been planted for less than 6 months so in a couple years I should have a solid privacy hedge.

It is very common to use very large plants as clipped hedges. In many instances, plants that would get to 30' or 40' height -- trees -- are used this way. Maintaining them at the desired height is just a matter of regular shearing/pruning. It is not necessary to use such large plants to create hedges and personally, I think it is adding too much maintenance to the landscape. While we do not have F. nitida where I am in Florida, we have Japanese ligustrum and It would be too large for my taste. It is a very fast growing, tall (16' - 20') fat and hefty plant. Yet it is used as hedge all the time. It wants to grow as wide as tall and takes a lot of cutting to keep it to a smaller, narrower size.

First, how large/tall of hedge do you need?

True, everyone gets his needs!