Portugal laurel is more hardy and handsome than English. Both will grow much larger that you have indicated, not overnight but probably sooner than you want - once you start having to prune every spring. 'Otto Luyken' English laurel and other dwarfish forms of this species might work out okay, this cultivar is also darker- and smaller-leaved than typical for the species.

You would have to wait some years for it to get head high, maybe some years too many for your purposes.

That is usually how it is, hedges that shoot up grow too big and rank, those that make a nice compact and restrained hedge may take decades to grow as tall as desired.

bboy thanks for info. I thought the Otto Luyken grow 3' tall by 6' wide, when mature. Can you think of anything else woody, evergreen and 6'-8' tall within a few years I could use? I know there are all kind or yews and pine type things, but am hoping for leafy, woody and tall.

Are you sure either of those 'laurels' will grow where you are, NYC?

They do, I see them in hedge lines, but they are pruned to about 4' wide and then grow very tall. But, people are not always so smart about what they plant and I thought maybe the laurels would start to look bad as they matured (wide, not dense growth, more tree like) - or maybe not and they make good hedges in zone 7. I know Portugese is hardier than English (you said that too, I think). I only know what I can google, so was hoping for input from someone who really knows this stuff on Gardenweb.

English laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) will make a fine hedge but is not the easiest hedge to maintain. For starters if you use mechanical or hand shears any leaf you cut will brown and die looking ugly in the meantime. What this means is that you need to prune rather than trim which is very labour intensive. A laurel hedge is best kept to a rounded shape with the profile of a Christmas pudding and all leaves and branches should be picked up.

Hmmmm....several statements here are contrary to my experience :-)

First, I'd question the relative hardiness of Prunus lusitanica versus laurocerasus. Hillier is the source that makes the claim for greater hardiness of Portuguese laurel, however most other sources reverse that opinion. Being a UK source, I'd approach Hillier's assessment with caution. Zone 6 (or lower, depending on specific cultivar - 'Zabeliana' and 'Schipkaensis' are usually listed to 5) for the English laurel but only zone 7 for the Portuguese. Trialing of Portuguese laurel in several areas of this country where English grows readily have proven to produce unsatisfactory results.

And Ink, FWIW, English laurel hedges are ubiquitous here. And most are pruned/sheared regularly to keep them within reasonable bounds. Because of the large, broad foliage, a freshly sheared hedge does look a little whacked but the ends do not brown nor do the cut leaves die. They just look 'cut' until new growth obscures them. This many be more of a climate/locational factor, though. Here's an image of a well-maintained, decent looking English laurel hedge :
{{gwi:8818}}

Regardless of these issues, unless you are willing to devote significant routine maintenance to either of these choices, they will outgrow the space allotted in due course.

There are other alternatives you could consider. Choices of Japanese holly (Ilex crenata - faster growing than box) or Euonymus japonicus 'Green Spire' would fit the bill and without the need for the same extensive maintenance the laurels require.

What kind of privet? Evergreen forms (L. sinense and japonicum) are rapidly becoming invasive headaches in many parts of the east coast and common privet, Ligustrum vulgare, is a weedy looking plant that is on the New England Atlas of Invasive Plants as well as that of the US Forest Service. I wouldn't hesitate to remove them.

I'm with Nandina. You'll have a much more complete hedge in a shorter amount of time, not to mention the cost savings. It won't be evergreen, but you may not be out there when it is not. Here on the Cape, it is not unusual to see foliage lasting well into December.

I've seen people cut one half of the width of the hedge the first year and the other half the next without losing privacy through the process. I'd expect an easy 4' of height in the first growing season.

gardengal - Laurels are ubiquitous here too, which is how they got on my radar. Do you mean pruning in Spring and Fall when you say significant routine maintenance? That much I am willing to do.

As for holly, I started with that and then hoped for something more leafy (and also lots of Green Spire here, but I am not in love with how it looks).

Privets came with the house and don't know what kind. They don't seem to be spreading, so I think for whatever reason not invasive here.

Am hoping for a real privacy screen - and even once regrown the privets don't get enough full sun to provide that. I've seen the privets in more coastal areas out east on Long Island and on Cape and the privets in my neighborhood don't grow in that glorious way.

Privet does need light.

True or false, whatever the case may actually be this notion not limited to British sources like Hillier:

Hardy to USDA Zone 6 (Hardier than P. laurocerasus)

Wild ranges might also be taken to imply Portugal laurel likely to be less hardy, certainly, as mentioned there are specific cultivars of English laurel that are more hardy than usual. A Portugal laurel tree in my neighborhood might have taken a hit in the 1990 winter (coldest in 30 years), I don't remember for sure now. There are certainly plenty of both in the region here, where these are weeds that seed out into undeveloped property.

Here is a link that might be useful: Prunus lusitanica, Oregon State Univ., LANDSCAPE PLANTS