Fast growing hedge ideas?

I need a fast growing hedge for my front yard. I would prefer an evergreen, tropical looking shrub, for light shade or partial sun. Since I can't search for "fast growing" here on DG, I thought I would ask my California gardening pals here for their input. Thanks for those who address my query!

Cestrums are nice and I've found they grow very quickly. Two of my favorites are C. elegans 'Smithii' and C. 'Orange Peel'. I'm not sure if they're as tropical looking as you had in mind, but they bloom a lot and are quite pretty. I have mine in pretty much full sun, but at my old house I had some that were in a shadier spot and they did fine there too. I may think of some others later, but that's one that comes to mind right away.

I had never heard of these before - great idea. Of course Privet grows quickly, but I can't take the smell - disagreeable to me, though I know some people like it.

By "hedge", do you mean something you will eventually have to sheer to keep it's shape, or do you mean just a continuous planting of "something" to act as a barrier/privacy screen without pruning?

"Tropical" and "hedge" in the same sentence seems hard to imagine as most tropiocal plants are wide leafed and not really used as clipped hedges.

Have you considered building some sort of framework and planting Star Jasmine to cover it? Those would fill in pretty quickly.

Grewia occidentalis (Lavender Starflower) makes a good, fast growing FLAT hedge/ screen if you give it a framework for support. Not exactly "tropical" looking, but ...

Those are my questions also, followed by...how much width do you have to work with? As JD asked, do you want / need to shear it to keep it in bounds? If not, it might be interesting to do a mixed hedge. Rather a mixed 'hedgerow' affair kinda thing with one or two repeating shrubs with other fillers included and weaving through...ferns, dwarf palms, etc. his would work if the overall effect of your place is 'jungly'. If your overall look is orderly it would look out of place though...Are you using any bananas, Abyssinian or others? Giant birds of paradise?

Sherry those BOP, are a good choice. I know those Mystic Merlin Malvas of mine grew from some seeds that someone gave, reallllly fast as most all Malva's do, but it seems to be blooming a non stop purple show till after the first freeze and then they seeded profusely and in less than a year, I had another one that is 7 feet tall almost now and 20 more growing. I like it alot. constant color. Golden Arborvitae grows fast, if you have drainage and huge, not the dwarf one.

I have seeds you could try to my attriplex canescence bush, it is evergreen/silver, likes salty soil and after the first year or year and 1/2, not much water, you can make it an ornamental tree or shape it, it grew from a one gallon twig to a full monster the begining of the 3rd season, including the season I first planted it, so really 2 years, it grew 6 feet wide and tall. I love the free mulch that grows under it.

We have a very large podocarpus gracillior hedge (on three sides) which is evergreen. I don't know if you'd consider it tropical, but it has some positives. It's very bushy and dense and provides good screening from two-story neighbors. Good cover for birds, too. (Although it doesn't keep the cats from coming over the fence and trying to pounce on the birds. I have planted some thorny things in front of the hedge in spots to try and slow the cats down.) It has nice lime green new growth. We have it near a pool, so the roots behave themselves. Doesn't require any water once established and appears impervious to pests and disease.

It can be a maintenance issue, however, depending on how tight you like things. When it was smaller, it needed trimming 3 or more times during the growing season. Now that we've let it grow to about 12 feet or so and it's looser, we trim it once a year. I've seen other people grow them as nearly a full-grown tree hedge, barely trimmed at all, and it seems to work for them.

Personally, I now prefer something more natural looking and more atuned to our Southern California environment and have contemplated ripping it out--which would be a major project, but the prospect of being "naked" to the world until something else grew in appeals to me less than just keeping it.

Thanks to all for some really diverse ideas. I am actually looking for something Jungly, so a mixed border of tall shrubs with a dense habit would work well. I already have pittosporum (not the Tobira), a loquat, an acuba, and a couple of Bougainvilleas growing on the fence. What I deen is privacy screening from the street, but not an impenetrible hedge, as it will be behind the chain link. I am used to trimming Ivy so would like something that can be kept rather tight, but not sheared. HOpe this helps define my need - you are all so helpful!
Thanks Loads!
Jeff

Here's my two cents worth. How about Cape honeysuckle and heavenly bamboo. The Cape can be trained to hide the fence. (Is there a reason you can't put it on the and through the chain link?) It may not be as fast growing as other varieties, but once established it can be trimmed like a hedge. It would probably be quite happy in your neck of the woods. Only drawback, is the Cape Honeysuckle doesn't like below freezing temps. But it has beautiful red flowers.
The Heavenly Bamboo has beautiful foilage, requires little care besides watering ( I water mine a couple of times a week) and it has beautiful sprays of small white flowers. I've never trimmed my H.Bamboo which has been in the ground for several years now, it stands 3-4 feet tall. The heavenly bamboo is a nice bush and can help fill in some of the holes.
The bird of paradise plant would lend that jungle feel to your privacy screen, and being a different height, would add visual interest. Should be the smaller version as the Giant is a bit messy and doesn't like freezes at all.
I've always thought that the bougainvillea had a tropical look. You may want to look for other varieties that have variegated foilage.
Good luck, and let us know how it turns out!
WIB!
SW

There are 2 varieties of B Of P, that don't freeze but they can't take much water and they are not the clip type of plant. I say you can go with Vinca major and Algerian Ivy, with some Virginia Creeper instead, for the fence.