Alexis, I'm happy to hear that you have luck with Skimmia in zone 5b. I thought they were a zone 6 shrub. Very nice shrub. I'll have to try it. I agree with lacey on the Kalmia idea. Mine are in full sun and are very happy. They grow much more compact in full sun. At about 8 years old, they are 3-4 feet high and wide. I especially like the way the darker buds have so much interest for a couple of weeks before the flowers pop giving another couple of weeks interest. Mine also happens to get quite red stems in winter which is interesting. I think red-twig dogwood would be too big for your area. I try to keep mine pruned back a bit at 6 X 6. It does provide some great winter interest when the red stems get covered in ice. You might also want to take a look at Mahonia aquifolium. There is a compact variety that gets 2-3 feet high. Glossy green summer foliage turning bronze in the winter months. Yellow flowers in spring followed by blue berries. It does prefer a bit of shade.

I have Daphne Odoras and they make it through the winters but NONE of the varieties of Gardenia I've tried (Frost Proof, Chuck Hayes and Kleims) made it through their first winter. So they can call themselves hardy to zone 7 but I'm not buying it, that's why I'm thinking something that says hardy to zone 6 I might trust. The problem with sweetbox and daphne is they aren't summer blooming, that's why I had the gardenia, trying to get some fragrant blooming shrubs in summer. I have too many deciduous trees/shrubs and need more evergreen shrubs around so it doesn't look so bleak in the winter.

I'm doing the same "hide a fence" thing presently. If you want really cheap, fast and evergreen, you can use any of the cold hardy English Ivies in zone 6. I recommend 'Thorndale.' It's the hardiest with larger leaves for coverage. It's not invasive here in Utah and shouldn't be in PA either (but double check). I'm only using it because I have a very narrow planting area (12-inches). Most everywhere else I'm using 'American Pillar' Arborvitae (narrow, fast, dense, hardy and evergreen). It's cheaper than a privacy fence if you purchase starters and it's very fast growing for an arborvitae (up to 3' per year). However, it maybe overkill for what you want because it grows tall quickly (20' - 30'). You can find a cheaper Arborvitae for use as a shorter hedge. If you have a lot of snow on the ground during the winter, then you may just find a privet hedge will suite you fine. It's not evergreen from Christmas through March, but it's branches are pretty dense and no one's usually outdoors during that time anyway to really worry about it. However, unlike the 'American Pillar' Arborvitae, it'll need lots of pruning on both sides of the fence to keep in check. (My neighbor around the corner has it bordering the front of his property and it's a true beauty to behold. It would be my first choice except I need full privacy in the winter months due to my next door neighbor's windows being only a few feet from my windows and currently I have to keep my blinds closed all the time because they never do). Privet is super fast and cheap, but make sure to get the cultivar 'Cheyenne' as it is the most cold hardy variety. Those are your main options for cheap and fast, but their are a lot more options available for your area if you can move up in price and/or don't mind the speed. (ie. Hollies, Yews, Boxwoods, Firethorns, etc.). Good luck.

anything that would fit the bill that might be low maintenance or require no to little pruning? ==>>> as to something that is no maintenance.. no.. there is nothing.. imo ... shrubs dont stop growing at some magical height.. nor grow so uniform that some might not need to be tamed a bit ... and to what low maintenance means ... im not sure ... imo.. a well grown shrub needs at a min.. yearly maintenance ... unless it is grown in the middle of the lawn and allowed to be itself over the decades .. if you are lining a walkway.. or some such.. they will all need to be pruned ... and i dont mean sheared.. i mean pruned for aesthetic reasons ... and that might mean one weekend a year.. you will need to prune and clean it all up .. lol .. often the cleanup is the bigger jobs ... learning how to prune is nbd ... no healthy plant dies from pruning.. so if you mess it up.. you fix it next year ... your best ideas would come.. if you included a pic of the area.. and a more precise definition of what you want to accomplish .. and a big city name never hurts ... zone alone usually doesnt help as much ... i would think inland NJ is a bit different than coastal NJ ... but i dont know.. ive never been there .... ken