Hemlock is easy to come by here but it grows slowly.

These are the most common screen plants in this area:
Leyland Cypress (cheap, grows fast, smells nice but falling out of favor due to disease resistance)
Japanese Cedar (Expensive, moderate growth rate, foliage may bronze in winter)
Nelly R. Stevens Holly (Cheap, grows medium/fast, tolerant of many conditions)
Arborvitae (I'm sure you know what this is)
Eastern Redcedar (Somewhat difficult to find in nurseries but they are native.
American Holly (I see them around but I can't find any in nurseries)

There's a bunch of pines such as white, virginia, austrian and loblolly and also spruces which are not that all that common in nurseries but they can be found. And they are expensive but you already knew that.

I'm sure others will chip in their top picks.

T.

Oh duh, how could I leave out the magnolias...They are the most common of them all! What's wrong with me.

Southern Mag & Sweetbay Mag.
Both somewhat expensive in the larger sizes but there's bargains to be had in the retail garden centers on these.

We have several Burfordi hollies screening out a yard full of privet. The hollies are about 12 to 15 feet tall, in mostly shade underneath pines. They get no upkeep whatever from us and are very nice shrubs. They grew slowly for the first two or three years- getting roots established, I suppose, but then grew fairly fast.

I like wax myrtle (Myrica cerifera) which is more like a very large shrub.

I would suggest Cryptomeria Japonica. It grows relatively fast and is more disease resistant than leyland cypress.

GGG

How does Cryptomeria Japonica do in bright shade and as an understory plant? I grow some of the dwarf ones here in Ohio, but have only observed the taller ones that are so prominent in the Atlanta area. I find it to be a rather nice tree but looks to me like it would like full sun in an open setting.

I see plenty of bigguns in the shade. Cryptomerias (Japanese Cedar) is becoming popular as an alternative to leyland cypress however they are quite pricey. I really don't know why people use such an expensive tree for a screen but they do. I think it's more of a specimen or accent plant.

Wax Myrtle as esh suggested can be found in some nurseries but somewhat uncommon to find. I can tell you where I saw some of these or anything you're looking for if you need help with that.

I was discussing all these suggestions with my daughter this evening. She usually deals with John Deere Landscaping/previously McGinnis Nursery or something like that in Alpharetta. And of course cruises Home Depot and Lowe's and probably Pikes.
Resin over in the Conifer Forum suggested Torreya taxifolia and I looked into that. Interesting suggestion and I'm interested, but what does anyone know about the availability for these plants? Is it something readily available? And are the sizes landscape material or growing on in pots material? I sent an e-mail to the contact of the link he provided, but haven't heard anything from them. Seems as if the Atlanta Botanic Gardens is promoting the re-establishment ot the torreya in the north Georgia area. I might call them tomorrow and see what they offer.

I am not familiar with the selection at John Deere (haven't been there since it was McGinnis Farm Nursery), but for bigger plants and a bigger selection, don't forget to check into Home Depot Landscape. Probably the Duluth store would be most convenient for her:

2560 Satellite Blvd.
Duluth, GA 30096
Phone: 770-232-9779

Depending on where in Alpharetta your located I would think Buck Jones would be a good location for you to check out. http://www.buckjones.com/

WOODSTOCK, GA:
7470 Hickory Flat Highway
Woodstock, Georgia 30188
Phone: (770) 345-5506

20-acre facility established in 1993. Northern distribution and customer pick-up point. Offers a complete line of all nursery stock, trees, shrubs, sod grass and hard-line supplies.

Directions

From I-285, take GA Highway 400 North to Mansell Road Exit. Turn left on Mansell Road to Highway 140. Turn right. The nursery is approximately 9 miles down

Yes, Buck Jones is great. They also have another location in Grayson, GA (it fact it is the bigger location). The Woodstock location says all B&B trees are 50% off.

I personally live about 3 miles from the Woodstock location and they are always the nicest people.

Here is a link that might be useful: Buck Jones

Is this Woodstock Buck Jones place near the Lady Slipper?

Yes, they are neighbors.

I hate to crash the party but I visited the Grayson location (as per Ellen's recommendation) last weekend and wasn't impressed. The one in woodstock might be better. From the sounds of it, it's great but I love going to nurseries and I can honestly say the Buck Jones in Grayson was an unpleasant experience and I found their selection to be in line with or slightly below what you'd find at any big box garden center.

I've had the best luck finding practically everything I need at Pike Family nurseries. Each location has a different selection and I could call 100 nurseries looking for something and get nowhere (such as Land Arts who doesn't return phone calls) and then go to pikes and like a ray of sunshine beaming down from the heavens above, I will find exactly what I was looking for in exactly the size and quantity I need. Pike's is the best game in town. As close to perfect as a nursery can get I think.

I haven't seen any Torreya taxifolia (aka stinking cedar) at any of the nurseries in the area. It does look like an interesting plant though, endemic to areas along the Apalachicola River.

But there's other Yews that youse can use. ;-) Couldn't resist.

I've been to the Buck Jones in Woodstock a year ago I believe it was and wasn't very impressed. I also like Pikes, but they converted their store in Alpharetta to a stone store several years ago and I've never snooped out another one. I like Wilkerson Mill, but it's a long way from Alpharetta and was at a place called Habersham down in Atlanta somewhere that was pretty neat, but pricey.

Thanks for all the suggestions, tips, and conversation and I'll leave you folks alone - for now.
Marshall

Check out Scottdale Farm - also in Alpharetta. I was out there today and the stock was very good looking. Prices were in line with everyone else on most things. They also had some selection that were larger than you usually find at most nurserys.

Went to Google to look up differences between arborvitae and Leylands. It took me to this post.

We opted for 8 3 gallon Leyland at the Home Depot Garden on Janmar Lane Snellville, for $11.63 each.

Here is an article on the Torreya tree you all discussed.

Cece

Here is a link that might be useful: Torreya taxifolia

I really like Cryptomerias. They are big but isn't that what you want? I have a friend who has a hedge of them screening her acreage from a near by street and they have them at the Clemson Botanical Gardens. Very nice, like Leylands only better.

Thuja Green giant is supposed to be a good alternative to Leyland Cypress and their problems that have come to light in recent years. In the spring the HD near me had a zillion cryptos in small 2 or 3 gal containers for $8 or $9 each. I was tempted but didn't get any.

I am having decent luck with some other evergreens that many people think don't grow here. Balsam fir and Douglas fir which I got in the spring don't seem to be too fazed by the heat, drought, humidity. In fact they are thriving. Obviously it could take some time before any problems surface with those.

I have cryptomerias, 4 against a fence for screening. I need a good 25-40 feet to block out the houses across the street that are much higher than mine.

We bought them at Pikes, 3 years ago. They were about 4 feet tall then. We did pay dearly, about $59 each. But they have almost doubled in size since then.

They have a much better form than lelands and don't need to be pruned to keep their shape.

They do get a bit bronze in the winter, but green up again in spring.