fruitnut, I feel your pain, 20 degrees here a few minutes ago... Things are slower here, so stone fruit is the usual victim, pomes less often, and some of the real late/hardy things always produce a crop... A short list of those latter things for here would include: - jujube - persimmon - mulberry (esp. black) - trebizond date - sand cherry - chokecherry - serviceberry - golden currant - pomegranate (but leafs out early and marginally winter hardy) Was kind of hoping there were some I've overlooked up until now!

The problem with Amelanchier is that it too has berries/fruits - I don't know if it holds them or drops them. There are non-fruiting crabapples, which can be trimmed and trained to a better shape. Some of them also have reddish/purple foliage. Another possibility is redbud, including the cultivar Forest Pansy, with red/purple foliage, although the height may be too much. Some of the flowering cherries might do, if you pick a small cultivar. Any of a number of weeping trees could also do - weeping redbud; weeping mulberry; weeping, grafted varieties of willow; weeping cherry - especially if you got a grafted one which wouldn't grow much taller. If you are ASSIDUOUS with the pruning, a standard, tree-form wisteria could be dramatic. If it is sheltered, a small-growing deciduous magnolia could be very nice. If Vitex will grow in your area, it could also do - with dead heading, you should get bluish flowers several times in the summer, and an attractive winter shape. You can limb vitex up into a nice small tree. Several of the viburnums can also be limbed up into trees. Red Buckeye is another possibility. There are selected cultivars of evergreens; Japanese false cypress, thuja, or juniper, etc., which will stay small. Some of them have gold, blue or variegated foliage, some of which will change color in the winter, the least interesting to a dull bronzey-brown. Selected Japanes maples might also be very attractive, chosing for size and color. Since they range from weeping ones that can get to be 25' H x 20'W, to dwarfs that will never go over 5'. to 25' tall treees, there is one for almost any size. Almost all have good fall color, many are variegated or have interestingly shaped leaves, or both.

@hosenemesis - Thanks for the great ideas. BTW the one landscaper told he meant "Podocarpus" as he said Privet Wax Leaf and Ligustrum is the same (?). The reason, however, that he is pushing the Texas Privet is that he said it's the hardiest of the 3. I didn't think of the fact that the ivy would grow into the shrubs and yes, it would make a mess. The barrier makes perfect sense but I imagine it won't be cheap to dig up that ivy, cut it back, and then make sure the roots are really gone otherwise if it starts coming back once the hedges are planted, ugh. I'd get rid of the ivy but I think we have it and neighbors too as it helps with the erosion of the sloped portion of the backyard edge. @yukkuri - My wife would love citrus and avacado trees but do they really grow together enough to provide privacy? And won't they get wide enough to take up a ton of room along that wall (the wall is probably about 100 feet or more)? I suppose those types of trees would at least live better with the ivy. @desertdance - Thanks for the Sour Orange suggestion. I'll take a look at it and ask someone at a local nursery. And I thought this part of home ownership would be the stress-free part. Now I'm almost frozen trying to figure out what to do as it seems there is strong potential for regret or a do-over due to so much I simply don't know...and you hope the landscaper suggest what is sustainable and not just to make $$$. Especially the fact that neither of the two quotes said anything of keeping the ivy away from mingling with the shrubs which makes sense that it would happen...and be a headache.

i see why they are there .. being invasive.. i would get rid of them ... but i would make it a multi year project ... starting at one end [or both ends] .. and planting something different ... while leaving the rest... to maintain some semblance of a screen ... and then.. each year.. removing another ... or just do it all at once.. and be done with it ... ken