needed:fast-growing, evergreen, tall privacy hedge

Hi garden guy,
Thanks for responding. Escallonia sounds great-- really pretty, too.
How tall did your plants get?

50 feet! My goodness. You could consider alternating Purple Hopseed with Golden Acacia.

Escalonia species are attractive shrubs, but I don't consider them a tall privacy screen. Elaeagnus is the same way.

Speed of growth for a "normal" plant is related to size of hole -- the volume of soils loosened for developing roots, initial plant size -- 1 gallon verses 5 gallon, and feeding. For your situation, I would pay someone or rent myself a miniature excavator (e.g., Bobcat) and dig 2 x 2 x 2 foot holes for all the new shrubs. If you don't have irrigation, couple 2 50-foot lengths of Fiskar (or similar) 5/8 inch soaker hose together and lay it out along the area, making a simple loop about 32-inch diameter around each plant. Water once per week to start, and perhaps every 4-5 days when the summer heat comes on. Start feeding with 1 cup per month of Gro-Power 5-3-1 which you can find in your area at Armstrong nurseries. After 4 months, increase to 1.5 cups per month. Put the food where the water will hit it. A 5 gallon size Hopseed or standard Privet will be at least 8 foot in two years, a one gallon plant will take 3 years.

Our escallonias were planted in the spring of 2005. They were 5 gallon shrubs planted on 3 foot centers. They have grown together so you can't walk through them. I'm not sure how much "privacy" you are seeking. Our plants are thick enough that you can't see through them if you are driving by or standing back from them. However, you can see through them if you are up close.
The plants we planted were labelled 'Compakta'and were supposed to get 3 feet tall. I'm currently holding the height of our plants to 7-8 feet but Sunset's Western Garden guide lists varieties that grow up to 25 feet.

How wide are they, or are you doing anything to control the width?

The plants were planted approximately three - fout feet apart and the plants are now interlocking so its hard to judge the width of each plant but I think each plant is probably approx 4-5 feet wide.

Richard, thanks for that excellent information!!