We are girding up our spades (pardon the mixed metaphor) and thinking about tackling the landscaping along the back fence this year.

Here's the situation: In the backyard, we have a view of the red tile roofs of the two-story Italianate condos behind us. There's an immense black walnut tree on their side of the fence which helps a bit, but it's so tall that its branches just frame the view, so it goes: top of fence--ten feet of condo--branches. And in the winter it sheds all its leaves, so then we really see the bella villas.

Along that back fence we currently have a motley crew: big ole photinia, a brugmansia, and an Australian tree fern. These guys are maybe 8 feet when we really need something more like 20 feet, I'm thinking. It's pretty shady back there with the walnut and other trees. The house is a 1920s one-story cottage so something like giant timber bamboo's going to look weird.

--Podocarpus gracilor: the one that seems to pop up a lot as an option for a shade hedge

--Mexican weeping bamboo: lovely texture, but I'm worried that it might want more sun, and also what's involved in dividing clumping bamboo. (dividing irises is such an ordeal...hard to imagine dividing 20-ft.-tall bamboo!)

--??

Would love to get your thoughts!