It's too bad they put that sidewalk essentially right through your front yard. It creates a very small planting area, especially when you consider that any bushes really need to be planted 3-4 feet away from the house. You might try something like a forsythia which will get big quickly, is easy to get (just get a baby from one of your neighbors), can be cut down very vigorously and ruthlessly, will look pretty from early spring on , but is just bare branches in the winter. Again, not evergreen, but maybe some lilacs, instead? I like the size and form of my Donald Wyman lilac and could see it in front of the single shuttered window. The form of the lilac, though bare branches in the winter, is prettier than some. A winterberry might work really well there, actually, if the area is not too dry. And even possibly, blueberry bushes...although passers-by might eat from them! For evergreen, you could try rhodies or azaleas. As to conifers, I'm sure there are many featherly, light alternatives, I don't know what they might be, though.

Shrub honeysuckle and bamboo - what awful ideas! As was said earlier, it is hard to give thoughtful ideas when you don't say your location. But in general, the two conditions required "fast growth" and "shade tolerant" don't usually come together. Allowing the bush-hogged plants to grow back will be your fastest option, as they have vigorous roots just waiting to put up sprouts. Although without knowing what plants have been bush-hogged in the past, it's hard to say if those plants are desirable ones (could just be invasive chinese privet).

HELP! Three weeks ago we bought a house in Zone 15 (Central Coast of California, "frost-free" area about 1/4 mile from ocean, no salt spray, wind-sheltered), tore out the raggedy old plantings and now face the street with no privacy! There's an live oak and a Giant Sequoia along our street frontage, so there's partial shade and the soil is acid. We need 2 or 3 types of fast-growing shrubs for privacy (allowed to grow naturally - we don't want a pruned, uniform hedge.) Need to reach 10 feet, if possible. Would any of these work for us? NEAR/UNDER THE OAK: purple hopseed bush (dodonea viscosa), bay laurel (laurus nobilis), mock orange (pittosporum tabira) or escallonia rubra. NEAR/UNDER THE REDWOOD: camellia, carpenteria, pittosporum tabira, laurus nobilia, rhododendron. Thanks!

If you have the money, schip cherry laurels are very good. I bought a 6 footer from Merrifield a couple of years ago. $200 as I remember. Unlike many other big evergreens--ie leland cypress--this one hasn't gotten much bigger than 8 feet. For my hedge, I bought 4 footers at $45 each, but have had to wait several years for them to hit 5-6 feet. They are growing in dry shade so the process is slow. You might be faster in full sun without having to compete with cherry roots.