Can you give your actual geographical location since not all zone 8s have the same climate?

OP is located in Georgia (I am assuming, based on forums selected for posting :-))

btw, arborvitaes are not the slightest bit drought tolerant until very well established. And even then, will not tolerate extended periods of dryness. There is a good reason one of the common names for Thuja occidentalis is 'swamp cedar'!!

Most BLE's will grow wider than 5 feet.......are you amenable to pruning to keep width in check?

Ah, yes. Didn't spot the Georgia Forum up the top.

Thanks, guys. Yes, I'm in Northeastern Georgia, upper Piedmont region.

gardengal: Yes, I don't mind pruning as long as it's not a constant thing—looking for something the size of which frequent pruning wouldn't be necessary.

Christopher: will look into the Skyrocket. Thanks.

The juniper will grow past 15 ft. And then are you going to buy a tall orchard ladder, climb up and down it multiple times during each session and give the row flat tops every year, turn the planting thereby into a formal hedge?

check Suwanee River Dwarf Ligustrum

What about sky pencil holly?

https://www.thetreecenter.com/sky-pencil-holly/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA5Y3kBRDwARIsAEwloL4Fp2Eo4WpLeaRhQGI8fr9IuMLFO_xOjUkdm6j5Beb_ZGn__i_NdGEaApY7EALw_wcB

Thanks for the further suggestions., Big Doug and debvanantl. I decided to go with the Sugar and Spice Arborvitae.

The Suwanee River Dwarf Ligustrum does look very attractive. There is one similar looking ligustrum in our area that has blooms that cause *horrendous* allergy problems in late spring. I doubt this one is allergenic, though (?)

And concerning the sky pencil holly, they for some reason do not seem to do very well in this area. I have one that has been struggling along for some years, and there were several planted at our church, most of which died in the heat of summer—even with regular watering.

The man at the nursery where I bought the arborvitae assures me this one is tolerant of drought. I hope he is right! But I'm going to baby it until well-established.

Since this is a row of them, consider investing in a soaker hose and let it run for several hours at a time when the soil is not yet dry. Test this by actually getting a few inches down into. The soil with your fingers. I would also likely mulch well around them (but not against the trunks) to help retain soil moisture.

edited to add: I would take the assurances of drought tolerance by the nursery man with a grain of salt - he is after all a salesman.

Soaker hose a good suggestion—and will definitely mulch!

let it run for several hours at a time when the soil is almost dry

45 minutes at a time should be plenty. Do it often enough to keep the soil moist, but not constantly wet. And yet also do not let the soil become anything resembling quite dry between watering sessions - the much stated soaked-then-dry-then-soaked thing being desirable is false. Roots locate near the surface where the air is, regardless of watering practices - repeatedly subjecting plants to alternating flooding and then drought-like circumstances is just torturing them.

A good way to regulate soil moisture and temperature* is to shade the soil around plantings with a mulch. This also reduces weeding.

*In GA a percentage of plantings of the 'Sky Pencil' may have been having problems with water molds due to the soil being hot and wet during the summer.

"45 minutes at a time should be plenty. "

You cannot possibly be that precise!! It depends on climate, soil type, size of hose being used and what you are watering. Really the only way to know for sure is run the hose for different lengths of time and test the water penetration with a wooden dowel. The water should have soaked down to at least the base of the rootball. I shoot for 10-12 inches for most woodies; somewhat less for perennials.

In my summer dry climate and with a loose, fertile, loamy soil a soaker running for only 45 minutes would have barely hydrated the top 3-4 inches. Generally, one DOES need several hours of duration........less with a very sandy soil, more with a heavier clay soil.

I don't know the climate of NE Georgia but surely there's something more interesting than privet or holly that would grow there?

Find you a mid sized gardenia, should be several varieties that should fit that spot nicely. They aren't fussy, smell good, and usually bloom twice a year with some sporadic blooms in between.