check out Thuja occidentalis 'DeGroot's Spire' .. link below ...

make sure its zone appropriate ...

i have one.. 8 ft tall.. by 18 inches ... they grow at least 1 to 2 feet per year ...

i know its an arb.. but would fit the small yard perfectly ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Italian Cypress-think its ok for Z7. Eastern Red Cedars - some are very narrow, most are moderately so. Blue-Ice Arizona Cypress is narrow and listed as fast growing. Requires well-drained soil.

Thuja Green Giant is another thought. Perhaps someone more familiar with it can comment. Only one I've seen is about 30" tall.

T. 'Green Giant' will get too tall and too "fat" - 30-50' x 10-20'. Another possibility is T. 'Emerald Green' - AKA 'Smaragd' or 'Emerald', I have also seen 'Emerald Beauty' listed as a name, which MAY be different cultivars, but are virtually indistinguishable - which grows to 10-15' x 3-4'. There are other Thuja/arborvitae cultivars that grow narrow and tall. I am not sure why you want to avoid them. If you dislike the look, that's reason enough.

Clumping bamboos will stay where you plant them, although the clumps will spread with age - it depends on how much room you want to give them. The running bamboos do just that, and run everywhere, so you are smart to avoid them.

'Sky Pencil' hollies don't grow fast enough, IMO. Japanese Plum Yew - Cephalotaxus harringtonia 'Fastigata'/Stricta' - will grow to 10-15' x 6-8', but will take hard pruning. There are Junipers that grow tall and narrow - me, I avoid them since brushing against the needles with bare skin makes me itch, but if they don't bother you, look in the charts for the columnar forms - there are about 8 listed in the 2006 Southern Living Garden Book - heights ranging from 25' to 10', widths ranging from 12' to 2'. If it is hardy for you, podocarpus is another possibility. And, while also slow growing, you may be able to find Irish yews of sufficient height to make them worthwhile plantings - they may cost, however.

Google for fastigate/columnar, small or medium evergreen trees, and see what comes up - there are probably many more. Finding some of the more "exotic" ones might be a problem, however - a GOOD, local nursery or landscaper (the latter may be pricier, also) should be able to get them for you.

Thanks to dibbit, scotjute, and ken_adrian for your collective wisdom and input.

I wanted to ping the forum first and then go my local nursery, which is quite good. I prefer to have something to say before I make a fool out of myself by making a general inquiry. I guess it's easier to admit that you know nothing over the web :)

Best,

Jibba

Is Carolina Cherry Laurel hardy near you? It's broadleaf evergreen. It's a small tree, about 20-30 feet.

Have you tried wax leaf ligustrum? I have a screen of then about 10 feet tall and we have cleaned them up at the bottom so they look a bit like bonsai trees. They can be a solid hedge, but if you are worried about space, you can prune them up as high as you want to make umbrellas. They are evergreen, easy, and have fragrant blooms in the spring. I just am not sure about your area.