Redbud

Should have noted I am zone 4--Mpls

Some type of large shrub or a dwarf conifer. Maybe japanese maple.

Can you describe this site in a bit more detail? How many hours of sun? How about directional exposure? If only 10'-15' is available, it's going to be tight, even for a northern Redbud. You'll want at least six hours of direct sunlight for Malus, but if you can provide that, there are a few small, upright cultivars that might work. If it's a protected site with partial sun, I'd be tempted to try Japanese Stewartia. They can be somewhat difficult to find, but they're out there.

I will get a pic up this weekend. Anybody know much on Adirondack or Red Barron Crabapple?

nothing stops growing at some magical height or width ...

i have 6 crabs ... all are greater than 15 feet ... in 10 years ... just old standards ....

when you get the pic up ... explain what the goal is .... e.g. site block???... with some specificity ..

also.. in the mean time.. how much sun is available ...

ken

I'd think of Serviceberry (Amelanchier laevis ‘Ballerina’ ), Dogwood (Cornus alternifolia), Mountain Ash (Sorbus decora). If you are trying to cram more trees in, you want to look for something shade tolerant that takes to pruning. The only way you can reliably limit the width of a tree to 15 feet is with pruning.

Smart of you to realize that your limitation is a width limitation and not a height one. Lots of people get confused on that point, specify a height limit, and end up with someone suggesting a sprawling shrub that uses up more ground level yard space then an oak would.

You could go with a fancy fasigate cultivar, like Malus ‘Red Jewel.

Redbud are small and shade tolerant so useful for cramming in a couple extra trees, and the wild version can grow as far north as you, but the fancy cultivars are much less tolerant of snow and cold. If you go that route, go with the species, and buy from a native plant nursery near you.

Here is a link to a crabapple chart. There are many varieties that grow more narrow that wide. Redbuds can get a bit wide depending on the cultivar. Not that wide but still. I think crabapple is a better choice. The Adirondack Crab gets only about 10ft wide.

CRABAPPLE CHART

I wouldn't plant a redbud in zone 4 as anything other than as part of a group such as along the edge of the woods. It has too likelihood a chance of damage in a bad winter, even the Minnesota strain. Nothing nastier looking than a half-dead specimen tree. I like EdLincoln's first three suggestions, though with the Cornus alternifolia you will want a single trunk (and will need to remove any secondary trunks that try to start) to keep it narrow enough.

A slender crab such as m.tschonoskii maybe. Or a sorbus.

What you are looking for is termed fastigiate. Fallgold ash. A numer of maple or oak cultivars...the number and availability of such oak cultivars in particular has gone up dramatically in recent years.

Adirondack is a good crab. Narrow, white, disease resistant. Red barron has perhaps the darkest red purple leaf color of any plant...so dark the flowers are hardly visible. Extremely narrow. I really like it, with one major caveat, and that is disease resistance...when it comes to fireblight, it doesn't have it.

Korean sun pear. Emporer I maple. Korean maple.

Any large shrub can be grown as a small tree. Viburnum in particular do well.

Magnolia? Several varieties do well on the twin cities area, all of which i'd revommend as multi stemmed, all of which may eventually get larger, but may not in that clime.

10-15 ft. isn't much. You should probably be looking at shrubs.

The originating entity describes 'Adirondack' thusly:

18 feet tall and 16 feet crown width at 20 years

http://www.usna.usda.gov/Newintro/adirond1.html

Korean Maple, Pagoda Dogwood, Serviceberry, and Moosewood (or Manchurian Striped Maple)?

Width is the obvious issue. About 15 ft at widest point from fence to house. Main issue is two bedroom windows face WAY too many neighbors/free view that we'd like to privatize. Maybe a juniper type?

Thanks for the photo. In what direction does it look? Does the neighbor on the left of the photo have trees or a building close enough to create shadows in this area or is the only shade from your house?

Curtains/shades/translucent window overlays work best for privacy, but for plantings, shrubs will work better than most trees in this situation because foliage typically starts near ground level. Evergreens or particularly densely twiggy fastigate small trees or large shrubs is really your best bet here unless you want a sheared hedge.

if you're looking for screening, and want evergreens, consider sun. arbs are more flexible than junipers in sun tolerance...i'd not consider the juniper as sun tolerant at all. ever hear the adage about six hours of sun being considers full sun? Nope. not junipers. but someone will debate that, someone will have experience with them in less than ideal conditions...people can debate all we want. the plant will let you know. for screening, I'd go arb.

so if the issue is screening, how well used are the rooms you're looking at or desiring to shield? How tall do you want screening? space is limited, but there are still a great plenty of options.

sounds like you need skinny, tall evergreen. There probably are a number like white cedar cultivars, but wouldn't curtains be way easier?

I like holly for this sort of application. They are relatively shade tolerant evergreens that take well to pruning. I usually like American Holly (ilex opaca) but ifyou want a smaller variety there are many other options, and if you want a skinny option there is Ilex crenata ‘Sky Pencil’.

re: hollies...OP is in zone 4 so that probably won't work.

window films for immediate results ... ken

https://www.google.com/search?q=window+films&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjL2tHmzb_SAhWM3YMKHRg5B0EQ_AUICSgC&biw=892&bih=739&dpr=0.9

Any plantings of the nature being discussed may take decades to size up - 20 years in the case of the 'Adirondack' for instance. All the more so in such a cold winter climate. So really you may have to invest in a sold fence with trellis on top, make modifications to the windows or undertake some other architectural or built solution to get the level of relief you are visualizing. Starting from the time the installation is completed, and not 20 or 30 years later.

Good point. I thought about some vines that could climb up a trellis from ground up to the window level. Plenty of vines to choose from

I'd look at bushes that can be trained as trees

Something like this for instance.

https://www.houzz.com/photos/mountain-view-contemporary-contemporary-landscape-san-francisco-phvw-vp~6923377