privacy, please

I woke up last week to the sound of a chainsaw and bulldozer tearing their way through all the beautiful pines behind my lot.  It was like a knife through the heart, watching them demolish all those trees, but, the lady who is building on the property is not a fan and wanted them all removed.  Thankfully, the builder got her to leave a bunch along the perimeter to form a barrier between our lots, but I couldn't get my buddy, Pete, who owns a local nursery, out here fast enough to tell me what I need to plant that will grow fast and give us a lot more privacy...especially around the pool! 

To let you know what we're working with, here is a shot of my backyard from last summer:

My first thought is to plant a gigantic wall of Green Giant arborvitaes straight down the 250-foot fence line and call it a day - they grow three feet each year and reach thirty feet high.  Look how pretty:

I love all green and I actually prefer natural, borderless plantings since it's amongst all our pine trees and pinestraw, so I think the green giants are the ideal pick.  To add a little softness, maybe a row of limelight hydrangeas in front?  Not only are they beautiful, but they also grow up to 8-10 feet:

Ligustrum, wax myrtle and cleyera are fast-growing evergreen plants that grow like weeds - I like them unclipped, growing naturally, like these:

...but they look just as beautiful closely-cropped:

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I'm getting started in the next couple of weeks....stay tuned to see what I'm going with!