Evergreen hedge-able shrubs for zone 8 PNW?

Heya folks, so I'm on a quarter acre in the city, and part of my property backs up to a shopping center, and so I'd obviously like some year-round foliage that also is food-bearing, or at least is pretty and/or smells nice. I'm zone 8 technically, but it's not gotten below 19f since I've been here. So far I'm thinking either a mixed species hedge of Sweet Bay, Tea, pineapple guava, and strawberry trees, or putting up a trellis and growing evergreen clematis and star jasmine.

Any other plant species that leap out at you as a good option? Thanks!

Primary considerations:
- Evergreen to 20*f
- Edible, pretty, or nice smell
- Capable of getting at least 10 feet tall
- Capable of taking pruning

Edit, star Jasmine, not start jasmine.

Jasmine is a viable option here, my grandmother lived in Keizer OR and had the loveliest jasmine bush.  So I know it can successfully grow here.  I don't think one can eat it, but it smells exquisite in springtime and would make polinators happy.

I was going to suggest saltbush. Alan Carter of Scottish Forest Garden suggests it is hardy for him. However according to the Ferns website it is likely to grow to only 2m (just over 6ft) so won't meet your height requirement. I do like the leaves - they have a refreshing, salty taste and crunchy texture, which I find quite nice in a green salad.

saltbush

(Image from Alan's webpage linked above)

Having a hedge of Camellia (tea) would be great! I'm still trying to get it to survive our damp winters....Olives may be another suggestion - I know they take hard pruning, but the lower leaves may get shaded out. Rosemary won't get tall enough...I was going to suggest holly, but that may not be useful or pretty enough for you. Holm oak (Quercus ilex) might work in a hedge, though I don't know whether it would fruit. More unusual suggestions include the plum yews: cephalotaxus Harringtonia is probably the widestly available, Torreya nucifera (similar plant different genus) may also do well for you, but it might need more shade. Even yew itself has edible berries, although the seeds and leaves are deadly toxic! Some Elaeagnus are evergreen, but I gather you need to be careful against invasive varieties. Oh, how about berberis? I find them very attractive flower and leaf wise, and the berries are supposed to make nice jam.
Pretty evergreen shrubs there are plenty of! Escallonia, Ceanothus and  Olearia macrodonta, are some suggestions for flowers.

In the southeast, Wax Myrtle is quite often used for this sort of hedging.  It is evergreen, grows about 10-20 feet, takes pruning well but will also sucker a bit so it can make a thick hedge in the right spot and left to its own devices.  Its berries can be used in candle making and have a nice fresh scent.  It is also fixes nitrogen (though I think this might be debatable?). It has some medicinal uses as well.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrica_cerifera

I have a few wax myrtles in my nascent food hedge, but another evergreen I was thinking about adding is loquat.  This should survive in zone 8 but I don't know that it will flower and fruit at colder temps.  It is a very attractive shrub with large shiny dark green leaves growing to the 10-20ft range.  It might not take pruning quite as well, or so I've read.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loquat

Hi Andie,

The first species that popped into my head was Oregon Grape. It is an evergreen, armed native plant that also produces sour edible berries. Considered to be not very high maintenance, it can be pruned easily too from what I've heard. However it generally maxes out at 8 feet so it would be just under your height requirement, and zone 8 is on the outer edge of it's natural habitat range.

There is also the common juniper, an excellent conifer. It is very variable in form, owing to its massive natural distribution and abundance of cultivars, but it should easily get above 10 feet provided you get the right cultivar. They have spiky needles and edible "berries" and foliage, although they are much better used as a spice/seasoning. They can also be pruned but don't tolerate heavy pruning similar to most conifers.

Evergreen Huckleberry also comes to mind but I have very little knowledge of this species.

Hope this helps,
Eric S.

Does Salal grow in your area? It also might not make your height requirement, but it does make a dense cover and the berries are quite nutritious.

Would it be possible to have a mix of trellis and non-trellised plants?

This has come up quite a few times; I'm linking threads I've responded to, in hopes they will help:
- not evergreen, but useful plants:  https://permies.com/t/175064/Edible-hedge-north-Europe-grows
- https://permies.com/t/215700/Edible-Evergreen-Landcsaping
- https://permies.com/t/124412/Edible-Perennial-Hedging

Some plant-specific threads:
- bay laurel guild (also a warning re:  bay trees - they want to get very large, and they sucker like crazy. beautiful trees though): https://permies.com/t/159527/Laurus-Nobilis-Bay-Laurel-Guild
- korean pine: https://permies.com/t/153778/Korean-Pine-tree-growing-tips
- oregon grape: https://permies.com/t/89194/berry/berries-safe-eat-Oregon-grape
- camellias: https://permies.com/t/8196/Zone-Hardy-Camelias-black-green

To summarize, for purely evergreen hedges in z8 PNW I'd recommend looking at:
- bay laurel
- ceanothus
- eleaegnus x ebbingei
- camellia
- loquat
- feijoa
- non-running!!! bamboo if you're brave

Good luck and have fun!