If it's a fast-growing, potentially very tall evergreen you want, nothing is better than leyland cypress for combining those three qualities. No one can honestly differ from that assessment. We put in two 6-footers at Christmas 5 years ago to screen the view of the house from the bottom of the driveway, and they did the job in 3 years. Today they are 19 and 25 feet, with 8' and 11' girth. In Virginia, deer do not eat leyland cypress. I know. We have deer on the property several times a week. I suspect deer do not eat leyland cypress anywhere, despite what is written in this forum. Young males will scrape their new horns on the lower branches, and destroy those branches. And then scrape the central stem. That's very different. And curable. At farm stores we can buy tubs of "Deer Scram" granules. This is a natural, organic product with a smell deer don't like. They never get used to it. It works for a month to 45 days before needing re-treatment, and even works after snow has fallen on it. It has worked for me 100% since I began using it. Before I tried these granules, I tried two liquid anti-deer formulations. They were completely useless. If anything, those liquids attract male deer. "Deer Scram" isn't cheap. I buy the 25 lb pail rather than the 2.5 or 6 lb tubs. Southern States Coop has economy of scale pricing, and the stuff keeps because the tub lid has a good seal. Just noticed on the product insert that there's a web link, www.deerscram.com if you want to read about it. I might mention that this message puts my mouth where my money is. Yesterday I bought four 15-gallon leyland cypresses for planting now. One will be a Christmas tree for a few days, then it goes in. On June 24, 2010, we had a spectacular, once-an-era windstorm that blew down 8 huge hardwoods bordering my property. We're talking 48" diameter oak and poplar. Cleaning up wiped out almost all the superb screening the property had on three sides. Our two leyland cypress were unmoved, probably because they were alee of the house. The four leylands I bought yesterday are going in to begin replacing the lost screening. Even being this old, I may live to see them mature, Ditto the two paulownias we planted in September. There's no other trees I can plant at my age that I'll live long enough to see mature, just some dreadful grasses. Here is a link that might be useful: Freeware Hall of Fame

I've used the pacific wax myrtle as hedging, on Alderwood soils too. You're pushing its limits if you want it at least 12ft tall. And when you say this area has great drainage, and it's already on Alderwood - how to say this - you're going to have a drought problem there. Alderwood soil is officially classified as 'excessively well drained'. Plan on watering any new plantings for a few years to get them established. A couple of dense evergreens that would get the size you want are holly and Portuguese laurel, but both will produce berries that the birds will spread all over the neighborhood. I have a totally-volunteer screen between my house and the apartments on the next block, and the primary evergreen screening comes from holly, cotoneaster and young madrones. The arborvitaes Pyramidalis and Emerald Green make excellent hedges, but deer do eat them where they can reach, giving them a lollipop appearance, and they need to be planted close together because they're narrow and slow. If you lined the hedge with deer mesh you could avoid that lollipop look, and the mesh would not be obtrusive against the foliage. Leyland cypress grow very fast, but also very wide. Italian cypress are narrow like the arborvitae, but much faster growing, and can reach 12ft in a few years. Dunno if the deer would browse them. Arbutus unedo, a madrone relative, is a very attractive evergreen that can be used as an informal hedge, but I'm not sure about it getting to 12ft tall. Most of what you see in nurseries is Compacta, which won't get that big. I have gotten frost damage on it in very bad winters, but it always grew out of it in spring. Ceanothus 'Victoria' could potentially get that big I think, most of what you see out there is pruned much shorter. Again it can be damaged in bad winters, but it likes the excessive drainage of Alderwood soils.

Yes, we stay away from the typical cottonwood for just that reason: I have a neighbor 200 yds away with a 40-50 ft cottonwood hedge on one of his property lines - so we get all the "cotton " we need. Yes, I top them myself while still manageable - and they do indeed regrow, but these grow too fast as it is! So just plan regular haircuts! I have studied tree succession since university - almost had a minor in Natural Resources via silvaculture studies, which as a city boy I found absolutely interesting, well next to chemical engineering, my first love! I specialize in oaks, chestnuts and buckeyes (pinks, reds, yellow and Ohio), golden locust, tricolor beech and redbuds. Oh, and a special gift from Hosta College of Parrotia Persica "Vanessa" which is spectacular even as it matures. A few gold conifers thrown in for winter display. Japanese maples: probably 20 different ones (Beni Kawa with brilliant red bark as it gets cold is favorite) and a few nuts, walnut, butternut, hazelnut. Oh yeah, variegated kerrias, forsythia, witchhazel. Finally years ago Alex Summers began hybridizing crabapples for very small fruit of different colors and flowers. I have about 20 of his select seedlings: the neat thing is they don't drop their fruit, but the birds get to eat it and no mess for me! Sorry for the tree explanation, but once I got excited about your question, off I went! Bruce

Can't help you with the evergreen part of your questions. Is it because they would shade the plants? The recommended minimum hours of sun is 6. More is better, afternoon better than early morning. Dave