Consider Degroots Spire arborvitae or North Pole arborvitae.

Degroots Spire evergreens can make a nice thick and narrow hedge of trees. They also can be used alone as accent trees or to soften the look of hard lines or corners often found in buildings. They are expensive, but will be well worth the investment if you purchase ones that are 5-6 feet tall, B&B ones that have been potted in 25 gallon containers, while being left in their burlap. Ask your nursery man how far to space them for the screening affect your desire. If the soil where you want to plant them drains fairly quickly then make certain to keep them watered when the rainy season is over. Do this summer and winter at least for the first three years after planting, and there after if you see any of their inner, or even worse, lower leaves turning brown. They probably would suffer too much of planted in soil that stays saturated for long periods of time.

Thanks for the ideas! As you may have guessed, I'm new to gardening, so I have trouble envisioning things like how plants will look together, when they will bloom, etc. I love the look of the elderberry. I will do some more research on that. Even if it's not perfect for this spot, we are landscaping our front yard this year. Maybe I can work it in. Have you had problems with it suckering? Those are some nice companions for columbines, CMK. I particularly like the Joe-Pye-Weed (though I would never be able to call it that in front of DH, he'd pull it right out). I'm not a huge fan of delphinium foliage either, but I have one plant that had beautiful blooms on it last year and this year it's a good 3 feet or more tall and just as wide. I'm kind of enamored with it. I've also heard they are fairly short-lived, so maybe I should just toss out that idea. I would have to see the Coral Berry in person. I couldn't find a good picture of the whole shrub. I also love the idea of a hydrangea. I've almost bought one a few times at the nursery, but my soil is very alkaline, and I'm worried I would have to baby it to get it to grow at all.

Hi Ritholtz - Leylands are beautiful trees. If you want to trim them that short, they may be more prone to disease over time. It's better to find a plant that you can prune a bit closer to it's mature height. Maybe other can weigh in on this? Neil Sperry says never to "top" a tree. Because I read recently that Neil Sperry (or Howard Garrett) no longer recommends Leyland Cypress for Texas, I marked it off of my consideration list (arborvitae's are prone to a lot of insects?). Because of that, I am focusing more on junipers. You can google evergreen plant nursery for dimensions, "mature" rate, etc... If you are interested, I would do some further research. Last night I was looking at some videos of Wax Myrtle on youtube. I recommend checking the videos and google "wax myrtle trees" images. Yes, they do need to be pruned and trained as a tree (some people want them to grow more as a shrub). They take really well to pruning so it is possible to make them look like a nice tree. I found some really nice ones. Right now, I'm looking at the Majestic Beauty Indian Hawthorne; It grows to the right dimensions, is evergreen, drought tolerant. I would have to find a larger size since it is only moderate growing... Here's what I'm doing - a combination of spartan juniper, Nellie Steven's Holly, Blue Point Juniper, Majestic Beauty Indian Hawthorne, and Cleveland Pear (hardier version of the Bradford Pear - a bit larger and still very dense). I know some people hate the pears but I think they are "well-groomed" and provide good density. Cleveland is less prone to blowing over in an ice storm. Also, according to Neil Sperry, they have a moderate lifespan (25-50 years) and fast growing. In all these trees, I'm taking into consideration - hardiness, drought resistance, density (for privacy) and beauty. I've been reading Neil Sperry's gardening book to help narrow down choices; I recommend it! Hope you can find some answers!