how about a pic???

have you ever moved pea gravel ... it will nearly kill most of us ... unless you do that part.. with the checkbook ...

google thuja occidentalis de groots spire for a thin conifer ...

please do NOT consider the most invasive tree on the face of the planet ...

ken

yeah, I don't think any situation is dire enough to recommend tree of heaven
except maybe "all the soil I have is a 5 inch crack in concrete"
I don't think a beech is a good idea
What about an Ulmus parviflora? Mine is growing quickly even in a spot partly shaded by a hemlock. They are disease resistant and have pretty bark. (I have 'Allee') It seeds a bit, but not nearly as badly as a large maple would.

Ha, Mainegrower -- we had ailanthus in the dark concrete plot behind my old apartment. Kind of heavenly at first -- our fire escape just hovered over their swirly tops -- but ten years later we were peering through their ropey trunks and worrying that a random gust would send one whipping through the window!

Yes, Ken, hardscaping with a checkbook! De Groots sounds like a great tree but again, won't screen enough on the diagonal. Will post a pic tomorrow.

Looked up the Ulmus -- really like it! It also has the advantage of losing leaves late, I see, so good for screening. Maybe too big, but I'm going look for a smaller cultivar. Thanks all!

Is it possible that the right vine, on the right trellis, could do the work you envision?

+oM

For a more practical, not to say serious, answer than mine, contact the Brooklyn Botanic Garden for their suggestions. I'm sure they've probably handled hundreds of similar requests.

Here's a pic of the yard, currently full of debris. You can see the offending black and white building I'm trying to soften and screen. Plus tons of ugly cables.

I do plan on vines but that will only go so far. And yes, Maine, maybe the BBG will have a good suggestion.

Don't forget to look at the location and height of the overhead wires with regard to the tree's growth pattern once you start looking at specific trees. A tree that the power company has pruned can be quite homely.

Look at Stewartia and Cersis chinensis. I've seen both of them growing in at least part shade, though they will probably need some pruning to achieve your desired vase shape. I am not sure of the growth rate of either.

If you get one of the disease resistant Cornus florida cultivars, it might work well as they naturally grow in part shade.

I pass a row of Ulmus parviflora on my way to work, and they have grown noticably in the 4 years or so they have been there.

What are the plants on the other side of the fence? Any chance they'll grow up and partly do the job for you in due course?

And would your tree affect your neighbours' sunlight? In tiny gardens we need to be aware of the effect we have on other people. (My plot is about the same size as yours and for years a neighbour's Norway spruce blocked a lot of our light.) If you've only recently moved in it might be wise to wait a year to see how the light falls in your yard in every season. For example that tree on the left, when in leaf, could make your yard very dark. If you put in a tree you could be doing the same to nextdoor's yard. You are right to be thinking this through carefully.

Q.x warei 'Wind Candle' - a hybrid of fastigiate English oak, Q. robur, and swamp white oak, Q. bicolor. Very columnar, but will probably mature at 18 ft wide(at 30 yrs?). Clean, green foliage, resistant to powdery mildew, marcescent(holds leaves through the winter), so will possibly provide screening most of the year.

Floral, the plants to the right are aucuba, about full height. They also have a large birch with branches overhanging our property that provides some summer screening high up. Any tree will definitely shade the beige house directly behind us; however right now we have the worst of both -- too much shade and no privacy -- so not sure how to think about this aspect of the problem.

I'd love a Stewartia! But it's rated slow. I've yet to notice one anywhere in NYC -- could that be why? Cersis is pretty fast, I think. Definitely a possibility. Dogwood too wispy, I think

The Wind Candle quercus looks pretty gorgeous, Lucky p, but is it obtainable in the US?

I think so, but I've not actively looked for it. A quercophile friend sent me scionwood of it and 'Birthday Candle', a few weeks back...I've grafted them onto seedling bur oak understock.

J.Frank Schmidt produces several tightly columnar oak selections... catalog here, with oaks starting on pg 64: http://www.jfschmidt.com/jfs-cat/jfs_cat_14_15.pdf Also have other species that might be of interest to you for your site. So far as I know, JFS is a wholesaler, but your local upscale nursery might be able to source some from them.

Thanks! Look forward to browsing....