Looking for something with dense coverage starting at ground level, any recommendations?

Podocarpus, Pineapple Guava or Viburnums are fast growers and dense. You may at some point have to prune them to keep the height at 6'. I am in 9a, someone from further south may have other suggestions for you.

Thanks.

Clusia.
Get 4' plants.
Trim the tops (stems) to height.
they are the best privacy hedge

golfnut said: Clusia.
Get 4' plants.
Trim the tops (stems) to height.
they are the best privacy hedge

Those do seem nice, but I'm concerned that they could grow too tall. I'm thinking ahead, I may not always be able to prune them back. Would they really get 25' ?

I know this thread is old from this past summer, but if you like blue flowers, what about plumbago? I have hedges of them around 3 sections of my yard. They do fairly well and grow dense, but are very easy to shape and their blooms are beautiful year round in my zone 10a.
I started my hedges with just 3 plants that dropped seeds that I replanted and grew into hedges on both sides of my house as well as in an area of my backyard. If I didn't want the seedlings, I just pulled them up and tossed them in the compost heap. Though most of my family and friends want those seedlings, as they really like my plumbago hedges. It also attracts several species of butterflies including the Eastern Swallowtail along with the Spinx moths (which are sometimes confused for hummingbirds).

beckygardener said: I know this thread is old from this past summer, but if you like blue flowers, what about plumbago? I have hedges of them around 3 sections of my yard. They do fairly well and grow dense, but are very easy to shape and their blooms are beautiful year round in my zone 10a.
I started my hedges with just 3 plants that dropped seeds that I replanted and grew into hedges on both sides of my house as well as in an area of my backyard. If I didn't want the seedlings, I just pulled them up and tossed them in the compost heap. Though most of my family and friends want those seedlings, as they really like my plumbago hedges. It also attracts several species of butterflies including the Eastern Swallowtail along with the Spinx moths (which are sometimes confused for hummingbirds).

I like plumbago, it's very hardy & attractive. How tall do yours get?

alpharalpha - My hedges can get very tall without pruning. I have some near an arbor of which I let them grow to the top which is between 7-8 ft. tall. But I typically keep them pruned at about 4-1/2 ft. tall.