help with hedges

I am in zone 4 with acidic heavy clay. I need to plant an evergreen hedge on the north side of my house to hide some unmovable junk. This area is in mostly shade and deer are a major problem. The obvious choice is hemlock. However, I have 8.5 acres of hemlock and am looking for something different. Preferably not over 12-15' as it is close to the house. Other possibilities I have considered are Holly (Winterberry or China Girl/Boy ?) Any suggestions?

How about Thuja Green Giants?

Thujas aren't called "Green Giants" for nuthin' ;o) They can get 30 feet tall - easily. What about a mix of evergeens? I personally like the blues - 'Wichita' Blue Juniper, Blue Atlas Cedar (a Dr. Suessian-kind of plant), and blue spruces - some are round and fat, others are taller and pyramidal.

Mix those with evergreens with different hues and textures to create a visually interesting planting. My zone is different from yours, and at one time I would have recommended white pines because I like their looks. But the pine borers are rapidly destroying the pine stands down here, so even if it's hardy, I'd be hard-pressed to recommend them. I know you're not a subscriber to our forums, so the PlantFiles "Advanced Search" tool isn't fully accessible to you, but I plugged in conifers, 12-15 feet tall, hardy to zone 4a and suitable for full sun to part shade. Several junipers and pines (mughos, and some white pines), came up in the results.

I can't speak for all of the junipers but when I first began landscaping my 5 acres here I tried a couple of varieties down by my creek. BIG mistake! The deer loved them and ate every one down to a nub. Maybe some of your neighbors might have some shrubs they have tried that the deer don't like.

I agree with Naturelover, the dear just love most of the plants/trees mentioned, they will even bring the elderly relatives and young for a feed once the find the happy cafe,
If you decide to go for holly, you can also mix the types of hollies, some are green with yellow tips on the leaf, some almost white, different textured leaf and if doing a hedge, dont forget to order male and female so you can enjoy lots of different coloured berries, double check the names as we have hollies here, called something queen where in fact that is a mail, something king is female just to confuse the issue, so double check what you are ordering. Variegated hollies are great to show colour in the late evening early morning light, you will also attract tons of different birds into the garden, these will help keep down the bug population, they will even nest in the holly when the trees get thicker and the thorns protect the birds from many predators,
If you plant a holly hedge (and the do grow quickly) try to buy enough plants to stagger the rows as in zig zag lines, this makes a far thicker hedge and even the deer wont penetrate it as it grows thick and they wont jump over what they cant determine whats on the other side, for a really thick hedge, every spring, nip off the growing tips of the branches as this helps the plants to send out new side shoots so you end up with a much thicker hedge from the very bottom up-words, dont cut of the top growing tip as you want the plants to also put on height too, for a good thick fast growing hedge of any kind of plants, always prepare your soil well in advance of the plants arriving, add as much leaf mould, compost and animal manure you can get your hands on, dig the trenches a few weeks before the plants come so the soil settles well and air gaps are easier removed, when ready to add the plants, spread a good quality general purpose food along the soil so you can dig it into the planting holes as you plant, use a string tied to garden canes as a straight line guide for digging your trenches out, it always looks better when the plants are added when still young. Good luck whatever you choose, but choose wisely as the hedge will be a feature for many years to come, deer dont eat holly once it gets established, it is something to do with the oils contained in the leaves, they may nibble the new tender small plants at first though so keep an eye out for that. WeeNel.

I wonder what the difference is - we have junipers in many landscapes around here, and the deer wander into the yards quite frequently to "nosh" but I don't see any signs of damage.

The Junipers are probable well matured enough to take the nibbles at the ends of the lush new foliage without doing too much damage Terry, but if you were to plant nice new tender ones, they would chomp their way through them, but I could be completely wrong there, I know mine got to the stage that I just gave up trying them, even with a cage around them, the young tender growth was chewed to bits, the deer just run their tongues up each stem and not a bit of foliage was left, tiny new leaf buds would try again in the season, but then the shrubs eventually gave up and was left with dead twigs.
Maybe there is just an abundance of other food for the deer in your area, but to be honest, the deer are not normally so selective, the only sure fast plants I can grow that the deer dont visit are Rhododendrons, Hollies, and most things that have waxed or oily leaves, but Azaleas are chewed bare in a day once the foliage starts to show through, roses seem to be their favourites even the very prickly wild Brambles get the foliage removed in a few moments of a visit. wish I knew more about their diet, I would have the garden of my dreams that I strive to have in my head, but the dear have very different ideas for me, you just learn to be one jump ahead of them when the plants/shrubs come into foliage and build barricades for the plants till they grow taller. good luck. Weenel.

I'm afraid deer here like rhododendron buds. How about viburnums? Can they grow in your area?