if you like ornamental grasses, plant some zebra grass- it'll get 6'-7' tall. but think before you plant because that stuff is hard to get rid of!
jg

Thuju/Arborvitae/ white cedar is a bushy evergreen, hardy, and does well in shade. It would make a good privacy screen.

I'd say you want a shrub, or one of the very tall ornamental grasses. Do you want a screen all year round or is it only important in summer? There are several threads on the shrubs forum about good shrubs for screening and good shrubs for shade. One of my personal favourites, not sure if it is hardy for you, is Sambucus nigra 'variegata'. I grow it in full shade, north side of the house, and it is a beacon with its variegated leaves. But it is also deciduous, so leaves you exposed in winter.

I have some zebra grass planted about 5-7 feet away and it only gets about 5 feet tall. I would prefer something for the whole year, but if it is something that starts small in the spring and gets tall and acts as a winter interest then that would be ok too. I will look into the white cedar.

Bamboo Grass gets to be about 10-12 feet tall and will turn the colour of dried corn stalks but will stay standing throughout the dormant season until you cut it for new growth in spring.

But given your description I think a shrub would be more pleasing to the eye. Perhaps a grouping of some tall slender shrubs and then some deciduous with more rounded habit would create the screen you are looking for as well as a more pleasing 'composition', scale wise. If your spruce is green, adding some icy blue Wicheta Blue Junipers, Winged or Native Euonymous which turns brilliant crimson in the fall and a serviceberry species which turns neon Orange in fall would look FABULOUS.

Barb
southern Ontario, CANADA zone 6a

Bamboo grass??? what is the scientific name? Thanks.