Thanks for the suggestion. I think I have some of those on the other side of the yard (and perhaps should have sheared them, as they are getting quite large) But you are right, they would work well. Now I need to find them (on sale I hope) and get the husband inspired enough to dig out the spirea.

If it's Agonis be aware that it is frost tender. Mine (i'm in similar microclimate) freezes to the ground every 3-5 years or is severely 'pruned' back. So not a great choice for a screen in your zone. You might try Leptospermum 'Dark Shadows', which, while also slightly tender, has barely frozen here in the years that I've had both it and the Agonis. Sara

tj,Sorry I wasn't clearer about type of shade. Although this is not deep, dark shade; it also could not be classified as dappled or partial shade. I would call it bright open shade. The source of the shade is our neighbor's locust trees. The area gets 0 hours of direct sunlight, and perhaps 2-3 of dappled light, but has the advantage of a southwest exposure which brightens it up a bit. Having had very heavy shade in the past, I am pretty familiar with shade plants, and I feel sure the trees I mentioned would grow there, with the exception of the chokecherry which probably wouldn't be happy there. Though some non-shade plants might grow there, I don't think they would thrive in this location. If you have other ideas of trees and/or shrubs which would tolerate bright shade, survive our temperature extremes and clay, and do a good job of providing screening I'm open to other ideas. The area we want to screen is a strip about 25' long and varies in width from about 10' to 5' from end to end.

Leyland cypress are beautiful, but they get HUGE (can be 15 feet wide and 60 feet tall), and they are bagworm magnets, at least here. They grow so fast that they'd work you to death trying to keep them pruned any smaller. Not to mention the fact that you'd need a cherry picker to do it. If you want a conifer look, I'd suggest Arborvitae, Emerald (or Emerald Green), also called "Smargd". It is 10 to 15 feet tall, but narrow, about 3 feet, and absolutely carefree. It will grow in any light exposure from full sun to full shade (I have them in all). You could also go with hollies. Burfordii is nice and the size you want. It has beautiful form and color, and the berries are a nice bonus. Foster Holly would be another possibility. Some other possibilities are Banana Shrub (Michelia figo), Camellias, Gardenias (they won't like competition from other trees), Ligustrum, and Cleyera (one of my personal favorites for hedging).