Shrubs for privacy

Emerion

Hello,
I'm looking for some ideas for shrubs to fill a 4.5 foot x 12 foot border. Could be a hedge or more informal. Ideally about 5-6 feet high, and not much wider than the border or they would impede the garage door. I know I could prune them, but I don’t want to be doing regular battle with a shrub that wants to be a lot bigger. They will get full sun from midday to sunset, the site is exposed, soil is neutral/acid. It’s for privacy, but deciduous would do as long as they retain a reasonable structure in the winter.  No conifers. I used the RHS plant finder and the only one that I thought would do is Ribes King Edward VII. The downside with that is that it looks like it is quite a boring plant when not in flower, and this border is the first thing you see on approaching the house, so I would like something that looks good for a bit longer. Or I could have one of those and a couple of other types. Any ideas folks?

steephill

How about fuchsia magellanica? Mine get to about 5 feet high and flower well into winter.

Emerion

Thanks @steephill. Will they mind the sun? I thought they needed a little shade. Also, do you have to cut them down to the ground each year? If so how long do they take to grow back? I have some fuschias, but not that variety. They get a bit nipped by the frost, and so need to be cut down each spring to tidy  them up. 

bertrand-mabel

Clematis armandii. Everygreen and flowers in the winter with fragrance. A lovely plant and can be allowed to do its own thing for years and then you can prune it back if needed.

steephill

I have one in full sun which I cut down every spring and it rapidly grows back to 5 feet again. You could just take down a third of the stems each year to give you some full time cover though.

Borderline

Abelia Grandiflora can do well in those conditions. Abelia ‘Edward Goucher’ may be slow to start with but will soon fill out if you lightly prune them. Can be clipped like a hedge or pruned to a looser shape. Semi evergreen, summer flowering with a light fragrance. 

Emerion

I’m afraid climbers are out @bertrand-mabel, because we had a trellis there and it blew down/broke three times in the gales, hence the fresh start with shrubs. Abelia grandiflora is interesting as you say you can treat it like a hedge @Borderline. Thanks very much.

Loxley

Escallonia might do, also

Fairygirl

Cistus may do well too. A good framework all year round, even if the flowering period is short. 
You could add a couple of easy Group 1 or 2 clematis to scramble through it too. Mine do that from the neighbouring areas. Very little attention needed 

Emerion

Do any of the cistus get up to a decent height @Fairygirl? I have one, which is very short, and I thought they were all fairly compact. Will be delighted if not, because I like them a lot....edit.... found some just tall enough, but the RHS says they need a sheltered position. My short cistus is OK in its windy spot, but maybe these taller ones won’t be? Have you any experience points with that situation?

Fairygirl

The white one gets to a good size - around 5 feet. 
I've had them in several gardens. West facing - gets all our wind 

Sorry - I've just realised I wrote Cistus instead of Cytisus [broom] . Apologies