Thanks for the reply, have decided to slow down and try a mixed hedge of different plants. Will include several lilacs, a spruce or 2, some deciduous shrubs and trees, a mix of evergreen and deciduous. If the dust gets unbearable in the meantime we'll have to put up a solid section of something like fence for the short term while the plants mature. Thanks for the help! Snows.

Sounds like a great spot for Annabelle Hydrangea. Mine blooms from June to frost. It's about the same size you described. Big blooms and easy to find. There's a couple of new versions of Annabelle.... Incrediball has a bigger bloom (nearly the size of a soccerball) and stronger stems. Invincibelle is a new Annabelle with pink blossoms. I have my Annabelles on the east side of my house and gets sun from dawn till about 1pm. Melissa

My standard hedge shrubs for deer have been boxwoods and hollies. Have both the common box and dwarf English in full sun and the deer hate the smell (as do some people)--I really don't smell it in the ground and the dwarf English are very close to house foundation. There many types of hollies available that might be useful as long as you are okay with pruning. (Dwarf Burfordii, China Girl/Boy,)--I wouldn't use "Nellie Stevens" as they get big. One of my favorites is the native Inkberry "Ilex glabra" I believe--very nice conical shape. Have fun!

Depending on what size you are looking for there is the strawberry tree, an evergreen dogwood, and Bay trees which can be containerized or pruned smallish. For something bushy but smaller there are the Elaeangus; ebbingei and pungens are evergreen, tea plants, a few huckleberries, and barberry. For something smaller there are many ground covers with varying degress of edibility, like the official Heather (tea and medicinal), wintergreen, kinnikinnik, cranberries, Salal, Oregon grape, and several herbs like sage, thyme, and lavender. Hope this helps, researching edibles is nearly all I have been doing in the last few weeks, or has it been months now...yeesh! For a reference online I have been using the Plants for a Future Database (you can google it) to help determine edibility and cultivation etc. Check out Burnt Ridge Nursery, and One Green World for these plants. I really like Burnt Ridge Nursery's prices, plants, service, and variety of edibles. I have not ordered from One Green World yet but they are the only place I have found some of these plants listed and sold as edibles :)