nothing will provide privacy.. planted 18 inches from the house ... as you can tell.. by the plant there.. which has be whacked repeatedly ... to stay within the bounds of the space ....

if you want us to give you some useful ideas ... we need to see the general layout of the spot.. the yard.. and what you want to hide from ...

after all that.. then we can tell you how to deal with planting in clay ...

ken

I suppose I could have been more specific. I plan on planting the shrubs in my backyard, far from the house. The plant in the picture was just an example of one that has been growing well, even though it's not in the correct area.

The area in the backyard gets partial sun most of the day, the soil is clay. I would like to plant something that could grow 6ft or taller. The width of the plant would not be an issue. I would like to create a little more privacy from the house behind me.

Any ideas?

Consider this one at the link...

Here is a link that might be useful: Red Feather

The shrub in the photo is forsythia. Whatever you plant will need a chicken wire cage to protect it from the rabbits for a couple of years.

ken is right,( per usual.) Can you post more photos?
Also, you've told us about your soil and sun, but we need to know what ZONE you are; how cold does it typically get? what is the winter wind situation where you want to plant? it's a waste of time til we know all that, because we'd like to actually help you.

I live in Wisconsin, zone 4 (close to 5 though). The plants would be facing north, so in the winter there could be a strong, cold wind at times. The cold varies from year to year. Last year we had many days of below zero in the winter. Most years the winters are not that extreme though, single digits and teens for temperatures.

Both the forsythia you have and ninebark are large fountaining shrubs that will give good privacy if left unpruned. You can take cuttings of your current forsythia if you want to start additional plants. I have a Coppertina ninebark that I like a lot: gold new foliage, reddish older foliage, and pinkish-white flowers. Both these are deciduous but are twiggy enough to give some privacy even without leaves, and the birds like thm for nest building.

Some of the smaller arborvitae would be good if you don't have deer. Sunkist and Techny are two that I grow that are tall enough for privacy, but short enough to remain unpruned. Arbotvitae are evergreens.

All these will be fully hardy in your area and are fine in part shade and clay soil.

My personal preference is for mixed shrub borders rather than a straight line hedge of all one kind since I like the variety of foliage and bloom times.

Thank you for the great suggestions. Will Ninebarks grow well in zone 4/5? The only ones I have found online so far are for zone 2.

Does anyone have tips dealing with heavy clay soils? Just make sure I have mulch around the plants and water them from time to time?

Zone 2 is the coldest they grow in, and I know from personal experience that they will grow to at least zone 6.

As for dealing with clay soil, dig in amendments such as compost or aged manure for the entire bed, not just the planting holes. If you amend the planting holes you create mini bathtubs and drown the plants. Plant so that the rootball is somewhat higher than the ground level and place the soil mounded around the rootball but not up over the stems. Mulch well with organic materials like shredded bark which will break down over time and continue to improve the soil. To decide when to water, stick your finger into the soil at least to the second knuckle. You want moist, not soggy and not dry soil. How often watering needs doing depends on how often and how much rain and how well the soil takes in and holds on to moisture.

If you don't mind lack of winter privacy (because most of us in the colder states don't hang out in the yard in winter) Hydrangea paniculata such as Limelight, Pink Diamond, Pinky Winky, or my favorite, Quick Fire, are long blooming, hardy to zone 3 I believe, and reach about 8'. Without more information, I don't know if you are looking for 12 month privacy. Also all my suggestions are large shrubs in width as well as height, so not suited for narrow spaces or tiny yards.

If they are hardy for you, my suggestions would be Shasta Viburnum which will give you year- round interest; and variegated weigela which will give you 3 seasons. They both get big, are pretty carefree, and have some shade tolerance if needed. and they also can be appreciated at a distance. I adore mine. google them and see.