Neither will shape, and the Melianthus will flop and get whiteflies. The Nandina is a safe but ubiquitous choice. You have two great local resources to consult. Why don't you take a walk thru the UC Santa Cruz arboretum and get some ideas from their wonderful collection of Australian plants? Also the fine folk at Sierra Azul Nursery in Watsonville would be happy to help you pick something out that would work well.

Here is a link that might be useful: sierra azul nursery

I agree neither will work. Try bush marigold, the tagetes lemmonii plant. Some people don't like the spicy scent of it, though. Tends to be pretty bushy around, but prunes well. Will get to the height you want, needs very little water.

Thanks to both of you. And at davissue's suggestion, I made a visit to the arboretum....

I got all excited about an exotic hedge of leucospermum, leucodendron, protea... but now I read in the garden book that they need perfect drainage and are "not for beginners". I guess that rules me out? Also, they will be near a watered lawn, so I think they'll get too much water.

So, I have three candidates now:

1. a mixture of arbutus compacta and arctostaphylos manzanita, maybe with a ground cover below that sets off the red of the branches

2. Dioon edule, Rhapidophyllum hystrix, Rhapis subtilis, mini Rhapis that unrestricted will grow to 5' or more

3. a bunch of different grevilleas

And now I will look into bush marigold as well.

Would love votes/opinions.

I echo the sentiment that both Fatsia and Melianthus are poor screening choices. Among other problems sited, they are leggy and will not be effective screens at the bottom.

Don't confuse workhorse utility plants with specimen plants. Focus on something that will do the job of screening, not on tropical-look appeal. Functional plants are supposed to be rather neutral in appearance -- you don't want them competing with your viewpoint plantings. Small-leaved plants are generally best for screens. I would look at plants that stay dense quite close to the ground. Escallonia is a classic choice for a heavy screen in coastal locations. Dodonaea is a good choice if you want something airier, and it is more drought-tolerant. Grevilleas might work also if you have the space (they tend to grow quite wide). Remember, too, that many of the mature heights listed in the literature may only be attained after many years and only where soil fertility and water are optimal. One of the problems with screening is that many folks want fast results, which often causes them to plant species that eventually get too tall. Plants that will top out at 5 or 6 feet will take their time to get there in most cases. I would give particular priority to low maintenance/drought tolerance. A tropical look is most likely going to go best with an informal screen rather than something that is going to get squared-off with hedge trimmers every year.

Also check your land-use planning code before putting in a front-yard hedge. Due to line-of-sight issues with traffic, many jurisdictions have a 36-inch height limit on hedges planted within a 20-ft. setback of the front property line.

Some contrary advice here, as I think you could easily make the existing Podocarpus gracilior work for a 6 foot screen, but they will require some regular pruning over time to keep them at this size. This tree is slow enough growing that it is often used as a hedge or espalier. I also have seen Fatsia japonica and Melianthus used successfully as informal screens, and if complete foliage cover at the base is not necessary, then Fatsia works very well, and can be attractive. It is not suitable to the sheared uniform hedge look, nor is Melianthus, which needs staking and regular grooming to keep it looking good. It is not really that subject to pests such as whitefly near the coast, and is a really fast grower with water and feeding, and could look good, but will need more care to remove dying leaves, cut back older stalks that get too topheavy to renew growth from the base, etc.

If you wanted something flowering as well as foliage, then the Pineapple Guava/Feijoa sellowiana is a great choice, as well as giving edible fruit. You could just as easily plant Tibouchina urvilleana for a flowering hedge, and this plant thrives in Santa Cruz.

If you did want to grow one of the Leucospermum/Leucadendron/Protea shrubs as a hedge, then you will have to make sure the soil mix is well drained, and not contaminated with old residual fertilizers that contain phosphorus, as they are very sensitive to this. Some of the more forgiving Protea relatives would include Protea 'Pink Ice', which is amongst the easiest to grow and can easily make an 8 foot tall by 6 foot across hedge if regularly shaped, and old bloom stalks are removed regularly to tidy it up. This one blooms throughout the year along the coast, and is the easiest to grow in less than perfect soils as long as it is fairly well drained and good sun, and good air exposure,(it prefers good air circulation). The Leucadendrons such as L. salignum 'Safari Sunset' or similar are also quite easy to grow, but get tall and lanky if not regularly pruned to keep them smaller and denser. They also will look best if they have the room to reach their full size, and won't really fit into a 6 foot tall by 4 foot wide hedge without alot of tip pinching. Stunning plants if you do have the room for them, as they give amazing color for half the year, even before they reach maximum color and bloom.

Some other good hedge choices that do lend themselves to being shaped and also offer scented flowers/foliage would include Osmanthus fragrans, Choisya ternata 'Sundance' and Coleonema pulchrum. Another shrub suggestion might include Metrosideros collina 'Spring Fire', which blooms all year round, and has foliage very similar to the Pineapple Guava in color and texture.

Excellent advice has been offered. It is not far from where you live to Sierra Azule nursery in Watsonville where many of the suggested plants are grown in a demonstration garden. The climate there is very much like yours and Jeff and Lisa Rosendale are very helpful and free with good advice. Al

Fatsia japonica would not like to be in full sun.

If you want an instant screen that you can plant more interesting specimens against, consider some of the clumping bamboos. (No, not all of them will sneak into your living room). Black Bamboo grows taller, but very slowly, and though it sends out some runners, it's slow to do so. You can also sink pots of bamboo (serious pots!) into the ground so they don't travel.

Then you can show off other exotic textures against the screen without worrying about them also having to fill in quickly for coverage.

Otatea, Mexican Weeping Bamboo is delicate and very lovely.

I think you'd soon be overwhelmed by the Tagetes.

Check out a very old Sunset Garden Book. Some of the old standbys we now scorn make great, trouble-free hedges. Xylosma is terrific and you can prune or shear it any way you want. There's a Pittosporum with black stems and variegated leaves that is lovely, though hard to find, since it's fallen out of style.

I'll stop now. Good luck!

Kip

Pittosporum 'Marjorie Channon' makes a lovely screen, dense enough for privacy but airy in effect.