Twolegged

I see lots of good ideas above, but may I add a suggestion: escallonia? It's kinda almost-evergreen, in that it has leaves in winter but they look a little tired. The rest of the year it has lovely glossy leaves, and it flowers in the summer. Out of all the hedges I planted, my favourite was one of assorted escallonia varieties; the mixture means that at least some it is in flower all summer. It seems happiest in coastal areas, and reputedly dislikes cold dry winds, but the one I planted has thrived 1000ft up the Yorkshire Pennines, where there is plenty of cold wind -- though not much dry Another possibility is berberis darwinii, if you don't mind the prickly leaves. Evergreen, with vivid yellow-orange flowers in spring, and blue beries in aqutumn. Makes a very pretty hedge. One of the suggestions above is Leylandii, but I would suggest thinking carefully before planting any form of conifer hedging. They are evergreen, and if regularly trimmed, they can look very neat (if you like the very neat and tidy look) ... but if neglected, they are impossible to restore. Conifers do not regrow from brown wood, so an overgrown conifer cannot simply be hard-pruned and left to regenerate; that would kill it. Even if well-maintained, their acid needles are unfriendly to anything growing underneath, and they don't hold much interest for birds.