another note: I love being outside and I don't mind putting in some work to have a nicely manicured yard. If i find time tomorrow morning I'll get a picture of the other side of the house too because there is a little bit of yard there that I don't know what to do with either, we pretty much just mow it.

Just my opinion but I think it works best when the thread is one major (or minor) part of the yard and other parts are put in other posts. .... or, one area is worked through completely and other areas come after. Otherwise, it gets confusing & complicated trying to deal with all parts of a yard at the same time. Maybe others can track it better. Hard for me.

my landscaping question, to keep it simple, is about creating a little privacy in my back yard without closing it in completely with a privacy fence. sorry to be confusing.

since every part of my yard is visible from the street though I want it to be cohesive.

Cohesion ... sure, I understand. You can show neighboring areas while you're working on an area. But focus work on one area makes it easier to grasp and deal with. So far, you have not been confusing.

Partial privacy without enclosing is possible. There is definitely a need to screen some of the next house and all its blank wall.

Check first with your HOA to see what is allowed, it's better to find out now instead of later. I know they are expensive but the first thing I would do is put up a fence, especially if you have dogs or young children.

Fences are allowed they just have to be approved. Within the neighborhood I've seen picket fences in wood and vinyl, that black aluminum that looks kind of like wrought iron, and privacy fences.. those are probably safe bets to get approved.

I don't have dogs or children, and if we do put in a fence it'd be one of the shorter ones like a picket fence, not a big privacy fence.. I'm more interested in combinations of plants/trees that would create a sense of privacy without completely blocking the view. I thought maybe a row of alternating crape myrtles and azaleas or knockout roses? The very popular "row of leyland cypress" is an option too but it REALLY closes off a space and those things get HUGE.

I'd be looking at what other homes on the HOA have done and think along those lines. We have a lot of HOA's here, some don't much care what you do, some care a lot. Being creative isn't really what HOAs are about. Landscapes are tough because they can always say you didn't follow the submitted design because landscapes are dynamic. HOAs generally like the same basic design repeated over and over. Many here give a few very specific options and owners have to pick one.

One of the problems of the area that jumps out at me is all the blank wall space on your neighbor's house. It's a primary view that a tree would take care of. On your own house facing the street is some of the same, so another tree is in order. Insofar as giving a sense of privacy while not enclosing, I would suggest a spaced series of small, multi-trunk trees -- like crape myrtle -- that insulate from view anyone who is a distance away on the street while it allows you to see what's close. If you spend some time developing a good trunk arrangement, you'll get more screening (like a visual filter) out of the trees as the trunks develop. To develop the privacy even more and get a sense of protection, place a bed of groundcover below the multi-trunk trees. It should a height that allow your view to easily continue above them. You'll be viewing below the tree canopy and in order to do that, it should start at about 9' or 10' off of the ground. (I pollard crapes to 10' every year.)

Forget Leyland Cypress. They are way to big for your neighborhood and prone to problems. I like Yardvaark's advice but I would add a picket fence. Your yard is just begging to be a cut-through for teenagers who will want to gather on the utility box.

I wouldn't do Leyland Cypress either, I think they are going to get too big and they don't really last. The neighbors behind us planted them years ago and they looked pretty good eight years ago when we moved in but now they are dying and look pretty bad from our side. The row of crepe myrtles would be a good idea.

Have you gone to some place like Wilson's? They are super busy these days but you could probably bring a picture and get some advice. My in laws used someone for landscape design a couple of months ago and then they gave them a credit towards the plants (Lee's Nursery, I think?). One of our neighbors whose house is right at the entrance to our neighborhood, with the backyard visible to the main road had a really nice natural area designed and installed by Rolling Hills nursery.

thanks everyone :) thank you Yardvaark for the visual. what kind of tree would be good to plant on the side in line with the window? we have a maple in the front yard, should I do another maple or something different?

A redbud would be nice.

Landlover81: what does it mean to gather on the utility box? sounds terrible haha

Yardvaark I really want to plant a black mission fig tree somewhere-- would that work for the backyard view tree? or should that be something a lot bigger?

And what is the benefit of pollard technique on crape myrtle? I've never been sure which pruning technique is best.