Nellie Stevens Holly?

Good idea, but I forgot to mention I have little kids...those are a bit too sharp.

Ah. Can you grow yaupon there?

A Yaupon Holly looks like it fits the bill - I just wonder if it won't get too tall. The lower branches of my Japanese Maple are only about 8' off the ground. Will the Yaupon stop growing?

I can't see 'Nellie Stevens' being a threat to the kids. It's not the most prickly holly, and none are anything like a cactus anyway.

With hollies, the spines of new leaves aren't too sharp, but older leaves are sharper, and the leaf litter can be quite sharp. I don't know anything about Nellie Stevens or Yaupon, but before buying any holly I'd check at the nursery to see how bad the spines are.

If you like holly, Dwarf Burford holly is gorgeous, with a maximum height of 6'. The leaf tip has a spine, but it's not too sharp.

Like most (all?) hollies, there are berries, which will cause indigestion if eaten. Are the kids mature enough not to eat them?

I'm in 7a and had major freeze damage a couple of years ago -- lost half of one Dwarf Burford and most of the other. However, two years later both are healthy and larger than before despite severe drought.

I've seen Otto Luykens as big as 6'Hx9'W, though more typically 3 or 4 x 5 or 6. Steeds is generally rated for 6-8'H and you mention branches of the J. Maple 8' above the ground.

What about interspersing the Otto Luykens with a flowering shrub like Viburnum or one of the fast growing Hydrangea paniculatas such as Tardiva, Limelight or Unique? Although not evergreen, they do offer some screening in the winter as well as winter interest.

In a few seasons, you'll have an idea if the Ottos will grow to a size that you want and then transplant out some or all of the deciduous plants. You could also try Skip Laurels instead of the Ottos, as they would get to the size you want, and could be maintained to that. They are fairly pricey though, and sometimes tough to survive some winters until well established.

Otto Luykens really get to 5 or 6 feet high? How many years?

The ones I saw at that height, I planted probably ten years before, likely as 30-36" plants. They were under and with three Kousa Dogwoods planted at the same time and under a large, and newly transplanted Sophora. They all grew fast. That was at one office building. Other buildings, I've planted the same and most of the Ottos that were healthy were 4 or 5' H X 6' W after about ten years or so.

Look at Ilex vomitoria (aka yaupon holly) 'Bordeaux'. Mine have reached five feet in ten years...and they started as little 3 gallon plants. My concern is that they may not offer enough screening for you--nice dense plants, but it's difficult to screen upslope if you want to keep things shorter.

(I may not be making sense...my brain is still fried from work yesterday.)

If you need something FAST growing, Myrica cerifera (wax myrtle) would fit the bill, but it's going to need pruning to keep it shorter than your japanese maple.

I'll include a link about the Bordeaux...you can research other shrubs on that site. I realize I'm in NC and you are in NJ--but if you are a zone 7 it should be fine.

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Here is a link that might be useful: Ilex vomitoria 'Bordeaux'

Bayberry and taller inkberries would block cars. You may not need all evergreen. It's surprising how woody stems give you privacy and a mixed border is much prettier and more interesting year round. I'd mix in golden privet, red and yellow-twig dogwoods, viburnums and shrubby varieties of crape myrtles.

I totally agree with MBright - I was going to suggest mock orange, lilac, pheasantberry (leycesteria), ninebark (physocarpus), elderberries (sambucus)... and other tall arching but deciduous shrubs.

If you totally want evergreen I'd also suggest mixing in some of the tall coniferous varieties - upright junipers, thujas, or maybe hemlocks, and others of the types used for hedging. My preference is for a mixed, layered approach rather than a hedge, but if a hedge works for you, why not use that?

For seasonal coverage, don't discount the value of tall perennials. If you can grow things like delphiniums, cimicifugas (name change to actea), Kiregeshoma koreana, thalictrums, and others that are escaping me at the moment, they can provide some screening too.

Finally, regarding sharp holly leaves... if that's a busy street, you probably don't want the kids cavorting around those bushes anyhow, and sharp leaves would give you an additional reason to dissuade them.

KarinL