I am planning on a hedge as a buffer to my front yard and one of my neighbors. I would like to put it in this year along with an irrigation system since I am planning a reno 13 months from now. I am considering a holly hedge or a boxwood hedge.

If anyone has any recommendations on something else that would work well or not be a problem with elite KBG next year I would like input. Thanks!

Both holly and boxwood are very nice shrubs, so I have no problems there. Both can get a little leggy if you don't keep after them, but that's true of a lot of things.

How long does the hedgerow need to be, how fast do you want it to grow, how tall should it get, are you looking for any wind blocking, and is that in full sun?

Needs to be approx 50 ft. in length. Not overly concerned with speed of growth. I would like to see around at least 3 ft height at maturity and not concerned if it ended up getting taller.

Not really worried about wind blocking. More so to be used to delineate property line It is in full sun.

Rabbit resistant too. They get extremely hungry here in the winter.

Appreciate your expertise!

Hollies and boxwood would be great, then. It sounds like it's not a visual issue (as in, "I'd rather not look at his property") so that makes things a lot easier, and shorter heights are also not a problem.

Dwarf rhododendron, some of the evergreen azaleas, really any shorter evergreen would be just fine for you. In this case, I'd recommend heading for the local nursery and looking to see what they have. If you choose a nice mix, you can even manage to keep that blooming most of the year! That would probably require some deciduous stuff, though, which you may not want.

I would go with any of the boxwood/upright ilex/holly stuff. Check out what they have at the nursery. I think you'll get better animal resistance with some of the sharper leaves holly/ilex than boxwoods. Yews are also pretty nice. The problem with most of the rhodies/azaleas as that they all drops a significant number of leaves in the fall/winter, whereas most boxwoods & Ilex hold on to them better.

For the first 2-3 years conisder wilt-pruf in December and mid-February (the latter application is critical if you have a cold march).

Either Boxwood or Holly will meet your needs. If security is a desire I would select Holly.

Depends on the holly. If you want security, get one of the nice sharp-leaved ones with spiky tips. That will repel just about anybody, and rabbits seriously don't care for it. I like the berries on those in winter and the upright habit is great.

I have two Soft Touch, which you can roll around in if you want to. They are as advertised--beautifully soft, even the wood gives easily without breaking. Gorgeous shrubs, quite small at the moment, but definitely no good for security purposes. They also get nice berries in winter, or will when they mature a bit.

Thanks for everyone's input! I think I am leaning toward a holly to repel rabbits...and the people on the other side. (Owner keeps renting the house out so have issues depending on who lives there at the moment.)

Spiky tips, berries, and upright habit all sound like good traits that would make a good hedge for me. This was exactly the feedback I was hoping for.

Barberry bushes are lovely when mature and would do just as well for a little variety in there.

Roses, particularly the more spiky-thorned ones, would do well too, although the normal ones are usually spiky enough. Knockouts are low-maintenance and very little trouble.

Hawthorne is another option, blooms beautifully, and it doesn't have thorns, it has small daggers. At 20' or so maturity height, it may be a bit too tall for that location.

Roses aren't green in winter, but would otherwise be a good choice - especially as an accent plant in the hedge. If you go with Holly, make sure you check the growth habit in your area so they don't get too big and remember that only the female bushes make berries and they need male bushes somewhere nearby-ish to fertilize them.

Maybe I would go with male - female - male - female and so on down the row?

One male in the middle would be good enough, with the rest females. Or 3, one in the middle and one at each end.

Gotcha