Thanks for the responses. Ken. I did post previously about a single dwarf conifer specimen for the front yard. Im in the burbs north of Detroit. And yes, I have no plan to buy anything I don't see with my own eyes. Which is why I initially limited my selections for blue spruces to varieties such as bakeri or fat albert that are available at Bordines or any of the many nurseries in Romeo Plank area especially since I want to start with sizeable specimens. Dax, thanks for the suggestions. Will look for these in local nurseries. The reason I intially started with arborvitae was the small footprint which would allow planting in groupings of three. Somehow that sounded better than individual plants at intervals but I might be wrong. Do you feel I am being over-ambitious with the number of evergreens? The current trees belong to the neighbour and unfortunately I don't know what they are. In 5 years perhaps, they may provide the coverage I want now but considering they are without leaves half the year, don't feel thats enough. I work all day in a windowless office, would like to come home (esp in winter) and look at my slice of nature. The burning bush while on my property is maintained by the neighbour as per prior agreement (he was worried we would chop it down) so I have little control over its shape. Agree that lack of privacy is the price to pay for living in suburbia. One could argue that I should have thought of this when purchasing the property but other factors came into play, namely proximity to the in-laws for baby sitting support................. Right now I'm more focussed on picking the evergreens for the spine. Have some ideas for the plantings in between but that will come later. It will give me room to plant shrubs/conifers that I would not have had the space for otherwise, Deutzia, pinus strobus nana, hydrangeas, viburnums etc etc What I don't want is a solid wall of green which might be somewhat claustrophobic and somewhat dull. I also realize I need to worry about how big these may get 10 years from now which is why I would never plant a colorado blue spruce but rather one of the "dwarf" varieties

The FAQ has some suggestions... Keep in mind fast growers are not always the best choice if they are messy and/or have invasive root systems. Check with a good nursery about leaf, fruit, and flower drop as well as what the root systems will do to the surrounding areas. Here is a link that might be useful: screening suggestions from FAQ

I would NOT plant the yews if you let your horse wander around the yard. In fact, there are many plants and native weeds that are toxic to horses here in Florida, one is Lantana, another is Deadly Nightshade, another is Johnson Grass, also wild cherry trees. There are also others. If you don't know them go to your local extension office and ask for info. I was told that most horses if well fed won't eat the toxic weeds but you never know and vet bills for horses (ponies) aren't cheap.

How tall are you wanting it? 6'-10' or maybe taller for some of the items in the hedge. How much maintenance are you willing to do? I have enough spare time to dedicate to maintenance, but low maintenance is always nice. Does it need to be evergreen? No. Is the area dry, wet, or somewhere in between? I would consider the soil dry because it's relatively harder (like a rock) than the rest of the soil on my property. How partial is the partial shade? I have some trees in the area right now (ornamental pears) that I am about to remove, so I don't know the exact time. It is on the North side of my house and there are some large spruces on either end of the fence, so I expect it would be about 4 hours or less of direct sun. How large is the area? About 40-50' in between two large spruces. Have you considered a mixed planting, or do you want just one type of plant? I would like to do a mixed planting for both aesthetic and disease purposes, but I would be fine if the majority of it was one type of shrub for a backdrop. Thanks again.