I planted an 80 foot row of Rose of Sharon 5 years ago. They are now
10 feet tall. They give a lot of privacy in the summer, flower in
late summer, but drop their leaves in the winter. They don't mind
trimming, in fact, they get thicker with trimming. It seems to be a
favorite of aphids and attacts ladybugs, humming birds, bees, and
butterflies. They grow well in Ohio to Georgia. Faster growth with
regularly applied fertilizers--I use cow manure, fish emulsion and
Miracle Grow with compost as mulch. They like full sun but grow okay
in part sun. I have some that are 10 years old and over 25 feet tall.
Easy to grow and inexpensive.

On 31 Dec 2003 14:30:08 -0800, (daecc) wrote:

I am looking for something that would make a 20' to 35' tall privacy
screen. Agressive rooting would be a plus as I'm planting along the
top edge of a large hill. Also, medium to wide span would be a plus.
And of course, I want it fast. "Weed" trees and shrubs are fine with
me.

My main concern is height and speed. I'm willing to sacrifice a
little height to gain faster growth. The Washington Hawthorn sounds
nice, but isn't as fast as I want. Hybrid Willows grow too tall.
Olives aren't quite tall enough, but would suffice if they met my
other criteria. The Siberian Elm is a little taller than I'm looking
for (around 45'), but could work since it can be trimmed.

I am basing this on reading catalogs/advertisements. However, I'm
looking for practical experience now. I live in SE Ohio (Zone 6).

Thanks!