Hi Kiloran,
Privet (Ligustrum) is a prime target for Honey Fungus (Armillaria).
Before planting any woody plants on the site, make sure that H'Fungus isn't
present. Also, rhubarb and strawberry plants can be affected, so these
should be kept away from the hedge site if H'Fungus is suspected.
Once the hedge is removed and the fence erected, you will need to seriously
improve the soil before planting anything.
Although a productive screen would seem an attractive idea, many are
high-maintenance, and fewer still would make a solid screen.
A suggested screen might be holly (Ilex). The variety 'J.C. van Tol' is
self-fertile, ensuring attractive winter berries. If you wanted to
supplement the holly's tiny flowers, you could train a summer-flowering
climber through its branches once the screen was sufficiently established.
Spider

kiloran wrote in message
...
I have a privet hedge about 3ft high around my vegetable plot. It's old.
It's tired. It need frequent clipping. It's dying.

I plan on replacing it with a light wooden fence, which I intend to screen
with a variety of plants.

I want:

Flowers in the summer and interest (berries/foliage) in the winter.
Little maintenance, apart from the odd bit of pruning.
Good screening of the fence
Variety
Not too thick

Location is west central Scotland.

Suggestions?

--Kiloran