This needs to go to the garden forum better yet if you go to your garden center thye can give you tons of help.

What kind of height are you looking for? And what do you mean by 'ornamental leaves'?

If something sort of shorter or smaller in scale, there are a variety of variegated abelias that would work. I'd also consider cistus, choisya or hebe. And manzanita (Arctostaphylos spcies).

@gardengal48 height 3 to 6 ft would be ideal. I find rhododendron leaves to be very beautiful. They are simple and aesthetic and balance against denser kinds of hedges nicely. So by ornamental I mean simple design that is nice to look at.

Abelias get very wide. I have a narrow strip to work with so I was going for height more than width.

A mature manzanita is a gorgeous tree, but I probably do not have room for that.

@gardengal48 How often does Carpenteria californica blossom? It would make an interesting hedge on its own! Maybe I could grow those out and when they are dense enough take out those photinia entirely.

Tree anemone is not particularly well furnished. Like abelias and manzanitas rhododendrons (and azaleas) come in dwarf forms, including in the latter case kinds that have much smaller leaves than their larger growing relatives.

If you are where clouds off the ocean consistently appear during summer afternoons you may not need to situate rhododendrons in all that much shade. A walk around the San Francisco Botanic Garden would probably give you a pretty good idea of where particular things do well and what you might like to try. Sonoma Horticultural Nursery has a significant offering of interesting rhododendrons and companion plants - if I lived in the area the Edgeworthia and Maddenia types (of rhododendrons) that they feature would definitely be my focus.

LOL!! Not any less "well furnished" than many rhododendrons. Or manzanitas that may reveal their barky bases (actually considered a feature). And a very attractive and desirable native species that requires minimal upkeep, like many other CA natives.

If you can find it, the cultivar 'Elizabeth' is selected for a more compact habit and profusion of white flowers in May to July.

And similarly see through kinds of rhododendrons would not be used where a dense, tidy appearance was wanted either. (Many of the Maddenia and Edgeworthia types do have a quite open habit). But unlike with the Carpenteria there is a large assortment of compact and small leaved dwarf rhododendrons and evergreen azaleas.

Azaleas would work fine for your requirements. You might even want to try a wild azalea which more resembles a Rhododendron and would thrive in full sun.