I really don't think a conifer is the best option for directly under utility lines. They tend not to take as well to pruning as some other trees. If you want to plant a tree directly under utility lines, plant something small and flowering that takes well to pruning, and make sure you prune it every few years.

Suji, While you are looking at acs site about growth,,,click on conifer shapes,,,,,

there are hundreds of conifers you can plant under lines ,,,,,research a little,,,mix it up,,,,

have fun

ron

So I see on your profile you are working on a house between Gettysburg and Carlisle and your other home is very near so it's pretty well the same as far as your question goes. Probably zone 6b, yes?

I also see your climate as being relatively the same as a midwest climate except for the winters. You have humid summers with monthly averages similar to Chicago, IL for example. So basically you have a very broad brush to use when choosing conifers.

If we all give you at least one dwarf conifer that get's moving around 6" annually, you will have a lot of choices.

I'll begin:

Picea omorika 'Nana'
Picea omorika 'Elizabeth'
Chamaecyparis pisifera var. filifera 'Aurea'
Pinus heldreichii 'Indigo Eyes' (P. leucodermis = heldreichii)

Yes, zone 6 in N. Central MD. I'm at the high point in my neighborhood, the original house that had about 9 acres of land that previous owners sold to a developer. The rest of the houses are all set lower around a cul de sac. So, I have a view interrupted by second stories and roof lines and the horizon with about 7 utility lines above that. I was thinking that I wanted to have a section of my front yard be more private by making a "room" that would hide most of the bulk of neighbor's houses from view and perhaps provide a backdrop for other plantings. My criteria is--must not grow as high as the utility lines. All we do now is mow the front which is quite sloped and drops off steeply from the edge of my original yard to the cul de sac. We liked the house so much that we never really thought about the landscaping problems and maintenance challenges of the yard that would be magnified after the development was built.

suji, here's another example of a great conifer that would suit your site. This is Cryptomeria jap. 'Globosa Nana". Interesting texture and form, this one is just outside the bonsai exhibit at the Nat'l Arboretum.

I'll add a few more:
Pinus parviflora 'Peterson', 'Blue Angel', 'Gimborn's Ideal' (many great parviflora selections to be found)
Thuja occidentalis 'Degroot's Spire', 'Sherwood Frost', 'Nigra'
Picea abies 'Hillside Upright'
Picea engelmannii 'Hoodie', 'Blue Magoo'

Dax

hey dax ... my first degroots spire.. is going on 12 to 5 feet tall.. after a decade ... but being so thin.. it could be placed NEAR lines .... but with them growing AT LEAST A FOOT PER YEAR ... they will get to the lines sooner or later ...

now that you have fully read and understand the link i gave you above ... and have memorized the key words of MINI ..DWARF..etc ... you can shop any of our favored vendors ... and buy whatever is available.. within the growth rate you wish ... most of us.. mail order our plants .. for planting in the proper season ... or order them.. and hold them over until then ...

the problem with giving lists of plants.. is sometimes.. you cant find what i bought a decade ago ... that fits your parameters... or newer and better things come along... and mind you.. the lists are a great way.. to start.. but dont be limited by themj.. use these names.. to research WHY.. they are listed.. to learn ... and most of them.. will NOT be found locally ...

i/we are particularly enamored by what conifer kingdom sells.. both in diversity..and the quality mailed ... perhaps someone has a link to the older posts about favored vendors ...

all that said... IF this is a property line issue.. do understand.. that the if you limit the solution to working out at the property line.. where the lines are.. you are leaving out a host of other solutions.. sometimes.. and nice smaller tree.. or shrub.. planted halfway between the property line.. and the house.. will block sight.. faster.. and with less plants ...

perhaps if you could give us an upright photo of the site.. we could be of more help ... include a pic from each viewing point ... e.g. the front porch where your lounge.. the patio .. and what.. the kitchen window.. etc ... you are really limiting the potential advice.. by putting us in a rather small box of planting only under the lines ... words are great.. but pix are priceless...

ken

As always,,dax & ken offer great advice

Dax, I thought 'indigo eyes' was moderate to large ?

ron

It would take 'Indigo Eyes' 50 years or more to reach a wire. It grows 6-9" per year.

Good call Ken on Degroot's....

Dax