You didn't mention this, but do you need an evergreen screen/hedge? What are you trying to block with your screen ie how high and thick does it need to be?

Red tip photinia's do pretty well down here. Other common native hedges are youpon holly and southern magnolia but they would be borderline a little further north. Juniperus virginiana is another native that is good hedge material as well as being great for wildlife.

A beautiful non native is Loropetalum chinense var. rubrum and would probably be my choice if I were you. Edit: It seems L. chinense may be borderline hardy in NWA, too.

Look at Ilex 'Nellie R Stevens' instead

This post was edited by j0nd03 on Mon, Jan 6, 14 at 16:58