Tough situations
There’s a reason that privet, Ligustrum ovalifolium, was once such a widely planted garden hedge: it will put up with just about anything. Sun or shade, dry or damp, cared for or neglected, it provides a twiggy barrier with almost evergreen foliage. There are even variegated versions: ‘Aureum’ (gold edged) and ‘Argentum’ (white edged). Also try Any of the Rosa rugosa varieties, which even do well by the sea.