The barberry bush (or American barberry) is a traditional choice for security hedges due to its sharp thorns that line the branches.
The Carolina cherry laurel is a great native choice for the English laurel. It’s a small evergreen shrub to a small tree that can easily grow up to 35 feet tall and 15 to 25 feet wide.
flickr photo by Bri Weldon shared under a Creative Commons (By 2.0)
Also known as green giant arborvitae, it’s a coniferous cypress cedar tree with a pyramidal shape that can reach heights of 40 feet.
This shrub is one of the most popular choices for a privacy screen. Its narrow, pyramidal shape has dense foliage that thrives in heat and humidity.