I think you narrowed it down pretty well. If you down want something wide spreading and you don't want something that grows too tall, the only things I can think of that are evergreen are arborvitae and columnar juniperus such as Brody's Columnar Eastern Red Cedar or Skyrocket Juniper etc etc. It's not a large area. They could be pricy to get in the 7' tall range.

Another popular alternative to leyland cypress that is easy to find in my area but perhaps not yours is Japanese Cedar (Cryptomeria japonica). They don't get as big as leyland cypress.

I suggest that you do not plant a row of trees.
The goal is not for a prospective future home buyer to go out there and say "what are they hiding behind that row of trees" but instead to say "That is lovely landscaping... I really love that grouping of norway spruce. It looks fabulous situated next to the grouping of american holly."

Does it HAVE to be a conifer? If not, hollies can be pruned if they get too tall, and you get berries. Irish yews are a nice shape - 15-30' x 3-10' - and can be rejuvenated from fairly severe cutting back. Although not the fastest growing plant around, they can be pushed with watering and feeding. Japanese yew is another thought, 15-25'tall, pyramidal. Or what about a nice big rhododendron or mountain laurel? A roughly triangular grouping of whatever you plant would be a good block without looking regimented.

Since you don't want a large tree, a beech is probably out. Their habit of holding on to their leaves in the winter would allow for blockage of noise, though.

Going back to conifers, the arborvitae/thuja group has some nice cultivars, as does the Chamaecyparis/false cypress group - hardiness may be a problem for some of them. There are a number of cultivars in both species that would have the size you want, and you might be able to find a variegated or golden one, if that is of interest to you.

I would stay away from Leylands, although they may be better behaved in NJ than in the Carolinas! They have been seriously overplanted around here, since they are fast growing and will make a screen in short order. If you want the Great Wall of China, in about 10-15 years, you can have it!

No, it doesn't *have* to be a conifer. But it would have to get to at least 10' feet tall at maturity. Thanks for any more ideas!

Wouldn't it make more sense to put the screen closer to the road? Not only does it look like you got more room there if that is your backyard it would make that space more usable and maybe deflect some noise.

Yes, it would make sense to put the screen closer to the road, but that property you see beyond the tree is not mine - at least not until I win the lottery!

My property ends at the retaining wall on the left. I'm putting up a 6' cedar fence soon.

I planted Arborvitae 'Emerald Green' along part of the side yard as a privacy screen close to the neighbor's porch. It was either that or a fence, which seemed too drastic. I chose this cultivar because it doesn't grow too big - about 15 feet high and 3-4 feet wide at maturity.

They are planted 3.5 feet apart on center, in a kind of zig-zag pattern (don't like straight lines), about 4 feet from the property line. I am planting evergreen and deciduous shrubbery and then perennials in front of the Arborvitae so that they will serve as a green backdrop. I like a naturalized appearance.

I bought them 2 years ago in the fall when they were pretty large (8 feet high, 10 gallon pots) but they were 1/3 off (about $50.00 each). It was fairly expensive and a lot of work to plant trees in pots that big but I wanted an instant effect.

I have to say that they haven't grown a whole lot yet - but I still watered them regularly during the summer drought that we just had this year, and their roots should be pretty well established at this point.

Thanks, but I'm not a big fan of Arborvitaes - they are just too common around my area. Same with Leylands.

Does wax myrtle grow in your area? Morella cerifera is the one I'm thinking of and I think that is the southern one but check it out and see if it still works for NJ.

I have a great leatherleaf viburnum that retains its leaves most of the winter, has spring flowers, and provides a good screen between my neighbor's yard and mine. It's about 12' tall and I don't think it will get much taller, at least not in my lifetime. Even a large shrub that loses its leaves in fall will give you great privacy when you need it, in summmer, and will obscure the view quite well in winter.

Can you spare enough space to make a mixed border with several tall shrubs along that edge of your yard? It's hard to tell from your photo how wide the area is between the wall and the edge of the yard to the right, but I'd suggest rototillingg a swath along that side of the yard and planting whatever you like. The privacy will be taken care of without your having a wall or an oddly placed "specimen tree".

Parts of the wooded border across the field look like they really contribute to your view, so leaving some gaps in height, as well as a partly obscured path (towards the right side) through the proposed border might work well for you.

>... say "That is lovely landscaping... I really love that grouping of ...

I agree with this completely, and I think the best way to get that is with a mixed bed. A single conifer in place of the red cartoon Christmas tree will look a little better than the cartoon, but an actual grouping of plants will look a whole lot better than that.