I believe arborvitae are best planted in fall or winter, during cooler conditions. They must be kept moist whilst they are taking root. I suspect that they like acid conditions, but am not sure of that. You could put a few handfuls of peat moss down on top of the soil and water it in. If you kept your receipt, you might be able to return the trees which died for a refund.

The honeysuckles suggested would be good choices. You might also look at Milletia reticulata and Holboellia. Jasminum x stephanense also meets your criteria although it is rather slight to provide complete coverage of a chain link fence. If you could use a white bloom, you have several more choices: Stautonia, Clematis armandii, Jasminum officionale, and Trachelospermum jasminoides. Another vine worth considering is Kadsura japonica 'Chirifu'; it has inconspicuous blooms but heavily variegated green, white, and pink foliage. You might want to check bloom time when you narrow your choices. Many vines have a short bloom period so you need to like the foliage too. My response contains a certain amount of guessing. San Francisco has a delightful climate but it is nothing like the Zone 8 steam bath on the East coast. By the way, what is that chain link there to contain? Some vines are toxic to pets and grazing children. Another thought....unless you are very patient, you will be buying lots of plants. It may actually be cost effective to put up an attractive wooden fence. Especially if you are a DIY sort and the yard is flat.

What I've seen called "mixed hedges" in print were sheared hedges with active mixtures of leaf colors producing a calico effect. And hedges usually are linear. And very closely planted from the start. What you have is more like mixed border planting, with a grouping of this and a grouping of that. In an informal, flowing shape bed these would be drifts. This is why the trees being in a straight line is bothersome, it doesn't jibe with them having been placed in sets of several of each kind. And there is a considerable height differential between the Nootka cypress and the others. A good method is to choose shrubs that you expect to grow about 1 1/2 times as tall as the bed or other defined space they occupy is wide. Much beyond that and plantings can appear too tall. Your Nootka cypresses for instance, in this particular case. In time these will grow as big as the native conifers behind the houses in the last picture anyway. Not just too tall for the bed, but too wide. One I've mentioned that was bought as 'Pendula', planted at the entrance to my place shot right up and was soon hanging out over the street, left behind a stump about 18 in. across when I had it cut down awhile back.

It's been inside since Christmas?? That is not good :-( These are NOT indoor plants and dislike indoor growing conditions. Typically, these are sold as disposable tabletop decorations but they can be transitioned to the outdoors if you do so promptly but with a gradual acclimation to outdoor conditions. I wouldn't hold out a lot of promise for your little tree......dried or browning foliage is a very typical reaction to adverse indoor conditions. It may recover once outside but just as likely not to. You don't indicate where you are located but I would get it outside as soon as possible. That would involve taking it outside during daylight hours (with above freezing temps) and then bringing it in overnight. If your night time temperatures are mostly above freezing, leave the tree out for longer and longer periods until it is outside around the clock. Planting it in the ground would facilitate this transition as well.