Hi. I'm new here too, but wonder what you mean by "nice size". I'm very partial to the larger crabapples. The one's I have reach 20-22 feet and are ablaze in spring with blossoms, then filled with colorful fruit in fall and winter (some are red and some are golden). The birds and squirrels love the crabapples and I enjoy making jelly out of them. I buy them from the big box stores in fall and can pick up a 6' tree for around $15 (most times less)- I keep adding to my collection.

Anyway, don't know if this helps, but thought I'd chime in... ;-D
Kris

I forgot to say that we are in zone 5. Thanks!

It might help if you said what state you're in (zone 5 covers a lot of territory). Do you get snow in the winter?

One suggestion is that instead of a row of trees for privacy, consider a mix of different ones so that the effect is more natural and you are less at risk for problems that affect just a single type of tree. Hemlocks, white pines, a few deciduous trees like maples and oaks.

On the other side, good for you for figuring out that cleveland pears ... any ornamental pears are not the best. Again, consider a mix that will give you a longer season of bloom as well as some fall color. Red maples (the new cultivars are great and can really flame in the fall), crabapples, serviceberries, ornamental cherries/plums, and others will give you more to look at than all of one thing.

Thanks for the reply. I am in southwestern Pa, right outside Pittsburgh. We definitely get snow in the winter. All of the ones you suggested have definitely been on my mind. The Autumn Blaze Maple was available at the nursery we were at. I have just been looking at crabapples and serviceberries - do they get nice and full - what is an average height? thanks again for your help. Can anyone tell me how to post pictures?

My crabs are nice and full. Here are 2 varieties.

{{gwi:335853}}

{{gwi:335854}}

Thanks for the pics, what is the difference between the two? I just uploaded some pics to photobucket, so hopefully this works. The 1st pic is the back part of the property and where I need the most privacy.The 2nd pic is the side yard, this is where we were thinking about for the pear trees. We have a large area to cover so any suggestions are GREATLY appreciated! I'm very new to all of this!

Here is a link that might be useful: Back yard pics

Crabapples get wider than serviceberries; serviceberries are generally a more open shape, but the 'Autumn Brilliance' cultivar is very nice. You can find mature heights by googling the scientific name or the cultivar name (e.g., Amelanchier arborea or Amelanchier 'Autumn Brilliance'); there are several species of each (Amelanchier is the genus name, "arborea" is the species name; "canadensis" is a different species, for example).

The easier way I've found to post pictures is to open a free account on photobucket and upload your pictures there. Underneath the picture that you upload will be several lines of text; click on "Html code" and it will copy it ... come back here and paste it (control V) in the body of the text box. When you hit preview, you should see it.