Question
Hello, My wife and I are building a home on 2 acres in Washington State. There are three lots side by side and we are the middle one number 2. The number 1 lot is a little below us and we would like to add a hedge fence for privacy and to announce this is the property line.. It would need to be about 100 feet long. The 3rd lot is above us and we would like to plant fast growing trees with a maximum height of 40 feet, low maintnance and we would like it to be leafed year round. We would like this softscape to look natural though. Not like a windscreen at a ball park. Thank you for your help. Mark

Answer
Your state, like most in the west, straddles several USDA zones, from 5a near the Canadian boarder, to 8b, near Seattle.

To narrow down YOUR Washington State zone, go to:
http://growingtaste.com/usda_map.shtml

For plant information specific to Washinton State I normally direct folks to their local Ag Extension. TheWSU Agriculture Extension with lots of landscaping resources is located here:
http://pubs.wsu.edu/cgi-bin/pubs/index.html
Look under the 損lants?& 揙rnamental trees-shrubs-flowers?sub-directories.

I抳e NEVER seen an Ag Extension charge for publications before, as they are usually offered as PDFs, free of charge...I guess WSU is special.   Sorry.

As to a line of shrubs for lower lot #1, if you are in a forested area, I 慸 suggest something that can take part-shade, like:

Acanthopanax sieboldianus - five-fingered aralia
Berberis koreana - Korean barberry
Berberis x mentorensis - mentor barberry
Calycanthus floridus - sweetshrub, strawberry bush
Euonymus alatus ?winged burning bush
Exochorda racemosa ?pearl bush
Hamamelis virginiana ?common withch-hazel
Hamamelis x intermedia ?witch-hazel
Hibiscus syriacus ?rose of sharon
Hydrangea quercifolia ?oak-leaf hydrangea
Ilex verticillata ?winterberry
Ilex x meserveae ?blue holly
Juniperus chinensis ?juniper
Ligustrum ovalifolium ?California privet
Lindera benzoin ?spicebush
Platycladus orientalis - oriental arborvitae
Rhamnus frangula - tallhedge buckthorn
Spiraea x vanhouttei- vanhoutte spiraea
Taxus cuspidata ?Japanese yew
Taxus x media ?dense yew
Viburnum lantana- wayfaring tree
Viburnum opulus- European snowball

As to lot #3, above you, there are several trees/large shrubs that could work.  Your greatest limitation will be the zone you reside in.  The second limiting factor is 搇ow mantenance? as you CAN plant evergreen trees that get bigger than 40 ft., but you抣l have to trim them back, therefore, they are higher maintenance.  (Such as Thuja or Sequoia hedges)

These plants listed are fast-growing, evergreen (both broadleaf & pines), and no bigger than 40-ft.

ZONE 5:
Ilex opaca- American holly
Ilex x attenuata-East Palatka holly
Juniperus virginiana-eastern redcedar
Ulmus parvifolia-Chinese elm

ZONE 6:
Trees above, plus
add Cryptomeria japonica- Japanese-cedar

ZONE 7:
Trees above, plus
Ilex cassine- dahoon holly
Ilex latifolia- lusterleaf holly
Ilex vomitoria-weeping yaupon holly
Ligustrum lucidum- ligustrum tree
Persea borbonia-redbay
Podocarpus macrophyllus-Japanese yew
Podocarpus nagi-nagi podocarpus

ZONE 8:
Trees above, plus
Ilex opaca-American holly
Juniperus silicicola-southern redcedar
Leptospernum laevigatum-tea tree
Pinus glabra-spruce pine
Prunus caroliniana -cherry laurel

~Marc