ChrisK, This is from a nursery's description of the NSH, they sound perfect for your requirements. Ideal selection for hedges and privacy screens Grows up to 3 ft. per year! Thrives on neglect YouÂll appreciate how these holly trees stay deep green all year, unlike other hedge trees that can brown out during either the summer heat or mild droughts. Plant 5-6 ft. apart for a living wall that gives you complete privacy -- no holes or gaps. You control how they grow  whether naturally into a dense, pyramidal shape that matures at 15-25 ft., or pruned into a tall box hedge. They grow up to 3 ft. per year without pruning. When they reach the height you want, just clip off the leader. This will slow them down and make them thicken. These holly trees make perfect accents at the corners of your home, in the flower garden or entryway. The dark green foliage makes a great contrast to surrounding trees and shrubs. During the winter months you will enjoy the red berries against the deep green foliage. Clip some branches to decorate your home for the holidays. Bird watchers delight as these berries attract all kinds of wildlife!

From "Primal Compost Making" site: · Pig manure is rich in potash, and when well humified, is best applied to root crops, especially potassium-hungry leeks, celeriac and potatoes. Pigs are primarily rooting animals, feeding on roots they dig up. · Horse manure is light and will lighten heavy clay soils. Horses feed primarily on foliage and grass; consequently, their manure aids leaf and foliage development. Horse manure, which is rich in ammonia, will heat steadily for a long time. This makes it ideal for use in hot beds for raising seedlings in the spring. For a home garden, or even a larger garden where no greenhouse is available, this is a good way to start plants. · Cow manure is best for composting purposes, as the nutrients have been stabilised in the long digestive process of the animal. · Rabbit manure, rich in nitrogen, is good for foliage, stem and shrubbery development. · Chicken, pigeon, and other bird manure is good for seeds, flowers and fruits, because their manure is rich in phosphorus. Chicken manure, which is sticky, wet, and odorous, is hard to compost. It is best made into a liquid compost by mixing it into ten parts water and and letting it ferment in a barrel (stir regularly for 6-8 weeks). · Sheep and goat manure are excellent for increasing the quality and aroma of fruits and the oil content of herbs. IMO, all manures should be composted before adding to a garden for safety reasons and for best utilization of nutrients found within the manures. Again, this is my opinion. Keeping this and the above in mind, this is what I would do: Door #1) I would use this as my base as long as it is relatively free of trash and does not have a funny odor. Also, I would inquire if they use sewage sludge, if so I would not use it on vegetables, period. The price is right and the amount is unlimited; get it while the getting is good. Door #2) I would use this due to the "woody" base, this insures a good amount of humic and fulvic acid within the pile (the best of the best from composting IMO). Due to the cost I would only get one load; the load can be used to blend into the others. Door #3) This would be my compost bin base, due to the fact the woody material probably isnt composted completely. It too will call for a lot of work, thus that would factor into how much I get at one time. However, when I needed organic material, this would be the place I go. Door #4) For my vegetables this would be a must. As stated above, composted goat manure is hard to beat when adding flavor to foods IMO. Due to the cost, only one load that would be blended into any compost I used on my vegetables. A lot of work and blending you say? Yes, but the results are well worth the work after the harvest IMO. For the flowers, they should be happy with anything I give them (or they can leave as some have said before). Knowing how much room you have over there I am sure you can work out that little detail with no problem. As always, I am just offering what I would do, not what you or anyone else should do, my intent is to help in any way I can Blutranes

I like Fargesias and this one will look good. They are less disease-prone than Phyllostachys. It's a clumper, meaning it will be easier to control than runners. Check the exposure. Even tho they come from high elevations, they are surprisingly shade-tolerant, probably because there are open woods even at their high elevations, and because summer skies are often overcast in the Himalaya and southwestern China. My Fargesia is in full sun but I am further north in a part of the world notorious for leaden skies. You might say mine gets full cloud exposure for most of the year. How tall is "tall"? In my part of the world I think F. robusta would get about 20 feet, but I don't know about yours.

if screening is the goal.. a conifer that losses its leaves is not the prime choice.. otherwise.. personally.. i need a picture to think of ideas ... to avoid confusion.. you ought to start using the latin names ... though you have a rather nice sized lot.. please review the linked intro to conifers.. and learn about the annual growth rates ... most estimates are simply at 10 years ... so if something grows one foot per year.. it will be 10 at 10.. 20 at 20 ... etc ... as trees.. conifers never really stop growing .... in your lifetime .. so if you do not want to be swamped in the future.. you might want to look into things with slower growth rates ... e.g. ... the omorika ... shows an growth rate in excess of 12 inches per year ... and then suggests Large: > 15' (4.5m) at 10 yrs .. which i read to mean at least a foot and a half per year .... frankly put.. with that growth rate.. it is a forest tree ... use the database at the link.. to go to picea ... then omorika.. then peruse the various named cultivars.. and see if you can find something that has a slower growth rate.. but still looks like the momma .... then.. once you find the name.. the hunt begins.. lol ... next PROPER planting time in MI ... [i am in adrian MI] .. is early october.. so you have plenty of time to search ... even if you buy in the heat of summer ... we do not recommend planting in summer ... we would hold them .. in shade.. in a pot until planting time ... there is a great conifer nursery and arboretum .. just north of jackson ... gee tree farm ... and a great collection at hidden lakes gardens ... your list .. seems .. on some level to be limited to generic stuff at the bigboxstore ... if so.. you can do so much better ... and you have plenty of time to track down some really special stuff ... and though the goal is a screen.. buying big is not the best option .... its all about how long it takes a fully leafed out tree to get re-established ... and begin to grow vigorously ... good luck ken Here is a link that might be useful: link