What do you suggest for a hedge?

I live in Zone 5, SE detroit...I put up two decorative kwanzan cherry trees to block the view of my neighbors, but they died in my nasty clay soil....So Im going to replace them....I bought forsythias, but when i take the cherries back, i can get 4 6 feet arbor vitae now that they are on sale....I think i like the arbor vitae better for a hedge, but they grow slowly , what should i do with the forsythias?

What do you suggest for a hedge?
If you would find it of interest, you can intersperse the arbor vitae with the forsythia, which will give you some spring color among the green of the arbor vitae. However, if the arbor vitae are the type that bush out horizontally, they will quickly overwhelm the forsythia. Plus, be aware that the forsythia are without leaves (and therefore visually porous) during all the winter months.





If you are still considering alternatives to the arbor vitae, consider yew shrubs, which have a softer look and are more easily shaped. They are also much less disease prone than boxwoods.





Forsythia make great specimen plants anywhere. Some people like to keep them well trimmed, and others like to allow the branches to cascade along. You get to choose the best way for your tastes and needs.
Reply:My husband has had it with our new neighbors and planted bamboo. I'm told this can be a headache and grow all over the place, but so far it is growing fast.
Reply:use wild rose bushes they will grow in anything.
Reply:No BAmboo like someone said.


Azaleas, pitasporum,camillias.
Reply:Forget boxwood...too slow growing...will take forever to produce a screen. Arbo Vitae is very allergic to dog pee, kills the bottom of the plant, so if dogs are in area, expecta bare bottom on the plant. Pfitzers grow quickly, very dense, evergreen, and good for trim/prune to shape desired. Forsythia is bare during winter, no screen. Yews take a time to get started. Good luck
Reply:They sell pregrown hedges I would buy those
Reply:Boxwood is the only answer...I love it.