As you can see in the photos, we're in dire need of some privacy and landscaping for our yard, located in NY (LI). A local nursery owner recommended planting a wall of Leyland Cypress (after researching we've decided against this) or Nigra Arborvitae and said those options would best suit our needs. (We'd need something that would remain fairly narrow without a ton of pruning, as the depth of the yard isn't great.) After some thought and discussion, we've come to the conclusion that a living fence composed of just arborvitae, while potentially great for blocking the eyesore, may not work for us. The perimeter of our yard is quite large, and while we're ultimately looking to plant a living fence along the entire perimeter, we're not prepared to plant in an area greater than the section that needs immediate blocking (ie the eyesore) so a wall of green would look strange until we plant the remaining sections, which could honestly take several years. In addition, we have adjacent areas that we'd like to work around, rather than having to tear out what already exists (rose bushes, small trees, and ornamental shrubs) and plant just arborvitae. My next step is to consult with a landscape designer to see what he/she recommends.
Would it be possible to plant a combination of arborvitae and other trees and shrubs, which would blend nicely with the rest of the yard, and have an adequate screen to block the view, or is our only real hope to plant a wall of green? Any suggestions and advice are welcome! Thank you in advance.