Vcreed - I wouldn't suggest forsythia of any kind for a formal hedge as its growth pattern is informal, even F. Sunrise which is supposed to get to 6' x 6', a bit smaller than many. Forsythia is a plant that looks pretty awful when pruned IMO, particularly since it doesn't grow back evenly and ends up with holes and awkward branches. If you can find a variety than stays small enough to not need pruning and you don't mind leaving it to its natural growth pattern instead of making it boxy, it would be a good choice for a hedge. Most of the varieties I could find are either a bit tall (5'-6') or a bit small (2'-3') for your wishes. Heed the warnings about yew and deer. Nothing is nastier looking than a totally defoliated shrub with all the small twigs also gone. I live in a rural area and there are a fair number of deer, but the only plants they have ever bothered really are yew (completely bare and only larger branches almost all of the time) and toad lily. If you have any real deer problem, this won't be a hedge at all, and having to replace that many shrubs would be expensive. Otto Luykens isn't hardy for me so I can't comment. I'll add to the folks who like Fotherilla. I have Mount Airy in a variety of places around my property. Healthy leaves, interesting flowers before the leaves with nice mild honey scent, moderate growth rate for me, and stunning autumn color. It doesn't mind clay subsoil or sandy soil (I have it planted in both.) Mine were planted as 8" cuttings and now (6 years later) are in the range of 3' tall and wide. If planted larger, they'd make a nice hedge by now. In one spot they get snow shoveled onto them from the path by the back door and they do just fine. Look into dwarf red twig dogwoods if you want winter interest. Arctic Sun (Cornus sanquinea 'Cato' ppaf')and Arctic Fire (Cornus stolonifera 'Farrow' ppaf) both get to about 4'. AS has gold shading to red orange towards the tips in winter and AF has red twigs. They both have a low-key green appearance during the spring and summer, but AS has nice bright yellow fall color as well. Flowers are white, but pretty unobtrusive. Periodic pruning of some of the stems to the ground will keep the winter stem color bright, but isn't required to maintain your view. In some areas shrub dogwoods may have disease issues but not everywhere, so check with a local folks who would know if this is a problem in your area.

How tall do you need this hedge? If you plant hopbush (the green ones, not the purple-leaved ones) and water them regularly and deeply they can reach 12-15 feet in 3-4 years from a 5-gallon can. The major problem with sour oranges is the fruit ... attracts roof rats and cockroaches when it falls. They make great marmalade, but there is a limit on how much marmalade a house can use. They are also subject to freezeback, unlike the green hop bushes. And not drought tolerant.

I have a very tall (at least 12 feet) Podocarpus gracillior hedge on 3 sides of my yard which serves as a privacy screen from 2-story neighbors on all sides. We have a pool, and although it doesn't break up concrete and is an effective screen, it is a MAJOR maintenance chore and I wouldn't recommend it, unless you like getting up on a ladder and trimming constantly. I would love to rip it out. I also have an Australian willow (Geijera parviflora), which is an evergreen, very pretty, slighty weeping, not a lot of litter, well-behaved-roots tree. This might be a good solution for what looks like a narrow spot where the neighbor's balcony is and where your concrete starts. I've seen them grow with either a roundish canopy or taller and narrower canopy. When choosing a tree, if you want a narrower silhouette, pick a young tree that's narrower. It casts light shade and isn't a dense tree like some others, but it will certainly soften the intrusion from the neighbors and provide some relief from the kiddies. Another favorite of mine which many people may eschew, is Nichol's eucaplyptus (or Eucalyptus nicholii). I have three of them and I love them. They are tall, as tall as my 2-story house, and willowy. They grow in very narrow spots and don't break up concrete. They don't get as tall as the eucalpytus you seen along the freeways (E. citriodora). The E. citriodora (or lemon gum) is also susceptible to the psyllid which is killing many of them. (I had a lemon gum which got the pysllid and a nicholii 10 feet away from it which didn't. I had the citriodora removed and the nicholii is still just fine.) Some people however, complain that because of the toxins in the eucalyptus leaves, they can't grow anything below them. I don't have that problem, but you might want to keep that in mind. They are also very difficult to find, but there are nurseries that can order them if you really want one. I recently had a large melaleuca tree removed because it was too close to the pool and was about to bust through. We are now naked to the world (or so it seems) in that spot. Rather than plant more of the hedge-from-hell, I plan to to plant a naturalistic collection of evergreen trees and plants that will act as a hedge, but not require the constant upkeep of a hedge. I'm in Huntington Beach, BTW. Good luck!

I HATE, HATE, HATE Barberry! I ripped out all the Barberry the former, desperate homeowners ever planted here. What is considered deer resistant will vary depending on where you are, in colder zones, they will eat more plants that would otherwise be avoided further south. I use the following plants successfully here in Zone 7B NJ to avoid the deer. 1.) Cherry Laurel "Schipkaensis": it's highly poisonous, and they know it! It's the cyanide! Don't worry, it won't kill Bambi, they are smarter than people and won't think of eating it..., but if you have kids..., who knows. It grows FAST and forms an impenetrable hedge from the ground on up. 2.) Holly, they ignore my spiny hollies (Nellie Stevens, Chinese Holly)..., they will munch on Japanese Holly if stressed by deep snow..., they may munch on blue hollies. 3.) Osmathus heterophyllus 'goshki' (False Holly)..., it's very prickly 4.) They seem to ignore Rhododendrons 5.) They will not eat any bamboo (clumping or running) but love to make their dens under the cover of bamboo. 6.) And finally, it may not work in New England, but they don't eat Magnolia grandiflora (Southern Magnolia)..., but LOVE to rut them in the Autumn. P.S., I have more DEER neighbors than human neighbors, and I JUS' LOVE IT!