GG .. and i dont mean gardengal ... has way too much potential for that spot ...

thats the gate and the garage door ... how much soil space is actually there????

ken

I see two sides of a fence. Which side are we talking about? Is that garage door leading to a side yard? What view from neighbors do you want to block? The deck or the window? That window must be 20 feet high?

You'll have to use something more compact like Thuja occidentalis 'Smaragd' in a space that tight. And will be waiting many years for what is probably the desired height to have been produced, whatever you choose. Unless you buy and plant what are already large specimens.

I suspect there is a better solution to this problem than planting a tree there, like some kind of umbrella. Any tree wide enough to block the view will probably be too wide for that tiny space.

Yes, there is only so much that can be done in such densely built situations - the people next door are always going to be right there.

It would help a lot if they developed a feeling that they wanted to screen you out, did something about it on their side also.

Thanks for all the helpful suggestions. We are looking to primarily screen the view from the deck. 15 feet is the minimum height needed. Would a row of Taylor junipers or American Pillar arborvitae be effective. The fence on the right will be removed. How much space is needed to plant the above trees. Thanks

Taylor junipers might work if they get enough sun. They really need lots of sun.

You can buy 'Smaragd' b&b that are already about 10' tall. They transplant easily.

I have attached another photo. Hoping for suggestions of what could be planted. Maybe white pine or American pillar. About 4+1/2 feet between fence and detached garage. Really need to block the view from the next store and create some privacy. Thanks.

Not white pine if by that you mean the 5-needled Pinus strobus. I have white pine with trunks almost the diameter of your space, and they drip sap on anything underneath as well as dropping branches in high winds or heavy snow or ice.

Does this area get any direct light below the level of the gutter? If not, I can't think of much that would grow successfully there. If it does get some sunlight, look only at narrow shrubs. Otherwise, plant on the other side of the building from this second photo, and also take down the fence in front (in the first photo) to give added room to plant closer to the balcony. One of the arborvitae might be your best choice there, and choose a cultivar that can be kept within the bounds needed.

Thanks for the reply. This area gets plenty of sun, fence is about 5+1/2 feet tall. What narrow shrubs, columnar arbs, Taylor junipers. Will a tree with branches above fence roof line succeed. Would like to start with 8 foot plus tree. Thanks

It doesn't look like it gets plenty of sun........the photo shows the area as quite dark. And so skinny and enclosed, it looks doubtful it would receive much direct sun other than in midsummer. I doubt the juniper will tolerate that situation well.

How wide is that stretch? You will need at least a 5' width to plant arbs in that area and be able to tend to them at all, as well any maintenance required with fence or side of structure. And even an 8' tall arb is not going to be providing any screening from the second story any time soon, if at all.

It's about 55 inches wide. Can a tree be planted there where branches are above the fence line? Need help

The entire does not live in places with uniform two acre plus sized lots. And many places have zoning codes that dictate heigjts of anything you can build, in particular on the property line.

There's a reason arbs are the go-to plant for edge of the property privacy screening. Don't like it, think thete's not enough space, or anything else? Fine. There's no reason you can't be right and that at the end of the day, arbs are still the go to privacy screen.

Given a choice between a plant and something constructed...i will almost always choose a plant. Almost always.

Thus is a specific location where many options are eliminated because of site conditions. Further adding a limitation is a desire for this privacy to happen sooner rather than eventually.

Arbs are one of the few good choices for this location. Perfect? Perhaps not. It's also a challenging location.

I would go through the effort of contacting the local zoning office...see what limitations may exist. Can you plant on the line,)? Two feet back? If the plant branches hang over the line, are they free to cut back as they desire?

For the reason of vertical property rights, i am loathe to recommend one of the fastigate cultivars of spruce or pine. I'd also not feel quite right in recommending white pine, norway spruce, or most other traditional evergreen trees because of space limitations. Cryptomeria may be worth consideration, but i still return to arbs.

I'll include green giant with arbs, although they are technically not a member of the regular group. Fast growing, narrow, handle shearing well. Likely to become thin below the height of the fence...but everything will. Also don't think the major sightline concerns are that low.

People have opinions. Mostly, a person's opinions are more about the person providing the opinion, not the situation being asked about.

I'm sure long island has a nursery or two. I'd ask this question there and see what kind of answer you get. I'd also drive around and see what people have done around you.

Dense constructions are not built for privacy. Planting anything that grows to 2 storeys tall in the narrow spaces will only get you into trouble, IMHO. Sorry!

The other consideration is that you haven't given us any idea of what else is in the yard or where the areas are that you want privacy. Often, rather than (or as well as) planting huge plants on the property line, you can build or plant closer to areas where you want to spend time, so you could put a hedge of smaller evergreens alongside a seating area or place a pergola covered with vines or translucent paneling between your neighbors viewing point and your hot tub. So if you want to consider other options, you need to give us a better idea of your yard's layout and how you use it, perhaps some ground level photos as well as some overviews of the yard taken from upper level windows.

My neighbours built something similar. Very annoying and more so since they're uphill from us. After a good deal of negotiation they agreed to put large planters along the side of their deck and filled them with clumping bamboo. It's worked better than I dared hope. However hard I try I just can't spy on their barbecues from my window ;- (

Perhaps your neighbours would agree to something similar. A planter on their upper deck and another at ground level on your side of the fence.

'Green Giant' is way too big for this use, independent garden centers here have stock that would nearly fill half the horizontal space shown in the last picture at time of installation - there is a reason the U.S.N.A. called it "Giant". Even the presence of a 'De Groot's Spire' hedge of some vintage in a 55 inch wide strip would make access to the planting site a pain - over the years you may have to remove weeds, repair the fence, do some work to the side of the garage(?) sometime, shear the hedge...

What are the repercussions of planting green giants or American pillar arborvitae in too small of a location?

Lack of good air circulation could create fungal issues or needlecasts, too much shade could cause sparse foliage and lanky branch structure or even die-off of portions of the plant, growth could be tall, rank and very leggy or conversely, quite stunted. And you will not be able to access the area, for any sort of maintenance to the plants (watering, weeding, pruning, treating for any problems) or to the surrounding structures.

I think we have all made it very clear here and in your other similar posting that what you hope to do with any sort of tall screening evergreen will not work here. The siting is just too restrictive.

It is quite obvious it is not a perfect location to plant an evergreen privacy screen. I am not looking or expecting perfection. All I am looking to gain is the privacy that was stolen when a builder created this mess. I will continue my search with local landscapers and garden nurseries. Thanks.

If they can provide a living solution that will fit in that space and thrive (as opposed to struggling and dwindling) then please, come back and let us know. I would be surprised if they could recommend something suitable that any of the professional gardeners that frequent this forum have not come up with. And there is always a good possibility that they will just try to sell you some plants, whether they work well for that situation or not.

Maybe the neighbor would be willing to plant something in their side if they have more room?

If instead you might be happy with something that is at least somewhat taller than the fence, rather than trying to get the other house to disappear completely then the scheme becomes much more feasible. Maybe in combination with installing some privacy features where you will be sitting, instead of trying to entirely block the neighbor over where they are, with something of similar height to their house - the closer you get to an unwanted view the bigger your screening has to be.

I have received an estimate for sail shade. The estimate was prohibitive. An example of shade attached. Our initial landscapers recommendations have been an European Hornbeam and American Pillar Arborvitae. Any opinions?

I tend to be very partial to columnar European hornbeams for privacy screening - even out of leaf, they provide a dense enough twig and branch structure to provide a great deal of privacy. But all the same concerns expressed by numerous posters above still apply. Even the narrowest cultivar of hornbeam will still reach a spread of 8-10' and perhaps more so you can expect at least a portion of your tree to overhang the neighbor's property and be exposed to whatever manipulations they might engage to limit that impact. And you will still need to deal with the width of the canopy that might exist below the top of the fence and remove gradually as the tree extends in height.

And the arborvitae will still want to develop to its normal 4' width and will be impacted by the amount of shade the below the fence portion receives.

Regardless of choice, I'd hope your landscapers offer a warranty - you may well need it :-))

I appreciate all of the feedback. I am aware of the constraints of the location and limited sun expectations. I was hoping a raised planter box will be the solution. The fence is 65 inches tall. Could using a combination of elevating property grade and a tall 48" plus by 48" wide stone/block box help alleviate the limitations of this location? What hedge plants would succeed? Privet, sky pencil holly? Thanks again.

beavis77,

To me, it would be better to show a complete layout of the yard, buildings and fences on a flat drawing, instead of pictures. Wouldn't have to be anything fancy, just a pencil drawing showing distances and living spaces with fences. You'd get far better suggestions if we knew what was where and front to back, neighbors buildings, etc.

Bill

A 48" box is too tall. The bed pictured above is for a veggie garden and is two blocks plus a cap (not pictured) tall, not 4' tall. A tall tree provides a lot of leverage in winds, and you can't realistically constrain so many of the roots to such a narrow space with such a long lever on top. At some point when the force of the winds and the length of the lever (tree) exceeds the strength of those narrowly confined roots, something will be damaged when the tree comes down - the house or the fence or the garage? or the the neighbor's house or someone's kid. The roots need to be able to reach sideways into the soil, and a couple of feet up might work, but not 4'.

As Bill and others have said, knowing the layout of the yard (can you get a plot plan from the town and take a photo?) may generate some ideas beyond the one involving wedging too-large trees into a too-small and not otherwise suitable space.

Survey has been attached. I was hoping raised planter would eliminate the need for a tall tree. That a smaller specimen would provide screening.

.

It might work initially AFA screening as concerned. However, from the photos it would appear that screening is needed at a higher rather than lower level, so would still require something reasonably tall to begin with.

And a containerized tree requires a lot more attention than does the same tree in the ground. You would still need to be able to access that area freely for watering and fertilizing. And the container needs to be portable enough to move out of that space periodically to accommodate necessary root pruning and replacement of the soil.

The 4' wide area on the upper right (east side?) of the survey, between the fence and the garage is out of the question. Way too narrow.

Something tall and fastigiated at the little red ink circle where it reads 6' 8 at the (south?) end of the existing garage, then again 1 or 2 along the left (west?) side of the garage, would give the best screening of the back yard from you neighbors balcony.

The trees on the left side of the garage could be more of a lower, spreading variety because the further away you get from the balcony, the less height it will take to block their view of your yard. Adding a yard umbrella or two to this method can really break up in the openness of the area.

Bill wrote exactly what I was thinking:

"Something tall and fastigiated at the little red ink circle where it reads 6' 8 at the (south?) end of the existing garage, then again 1 or 2 along the left (west?) side of the garage, would give the best screening of the back yard from you neighbors balcony."

What tall and fastigated tree would you recommend? The house is to our north and the water (canal) is west. Attached an image of our patio.

Except, where is the driveway? Is there a driveway? Where is the area that wants screening? Can the neighbors see through the garage with x-ray vision? Is their x-ray vision unable to see through living things? I'm confused.

I have good success with the Hicksi Yew. It is evergreen and grows strongly vertical, not wide. A quick blocker might be a poplar tree but it has its drawbacks. It could provide the blockage you want and you can take it out when the Hicksi Yew is earning its keep.

Yews are very slowly growing and Hicks is unlikely to get large enough anytime soon (20+ years?) to provide much in the way of screening.

I am confused by the latest photo as well. Where is that area in relation to the previous photos you show? And it would be helpful to know what sort of height to the privacy you require - 10'? 20'? more than 20'?

I know you do not want to hear this but it may well be that you will not be able to provide the degree of privacy you desire in this situation. And where exactly in the universe is this location??......some of the plants you have considered or that may have been suggested may not be appropriate for this location even if they could be shoehorned in.

"What tall and fastigated tree would you recommend?"

Not necessarily fastigiated and really, not necessarily arborvitae, just not so spreading that is soon annoys the neighbors with branches reaching against their house and balcony. Some spreading over the garage and out to the property line would be an added plus.

Did you every give your location and zone?

I am located in zone 7, Babylon NY. Driveway is in front of garage. Patio is to left of garage on survey. House causing trouble is to right of garage. 15 feet is the minimum height needed, 20 would be great.

So you access the driveway along the side of the house leading to the garage? That narrow slot along the right side of the plan drawing? If so, I am even more confused.....how did you figure on planting anything in that area and still being able to access the drive?

The garage is for storage only. It is not used to store the car. The driveway is about 15 feet wide. The red numbers on survey are marking when property was staked, not distance. Sorry for confusion.

Since the plot plan has neither the driveway or the patio included they weren't accounted for in my suggestions.

Can you add any hardscape like those two items and anything else relatively fixed like that to the plan please and some basic measurements.

It looks like there is a fence across the front of the garage. Since it is a storage building and you don't drive into it, can you remove that fence and a few feet of paving there so you can plant a tree between the end of the driveway and the garage and use a man door to access the garage?

How much space is there on the ground between the garage wall and the edge of the patio? How wide is the garage roof overhang so we can figure out the aerial space available for a plant and whether it is large enough.

What is the spacing between the blue bench and the dock and the bench and the fence?

Does your area have limits to fence heights and are trellises included in that?

South is the street and north the canal?

I agree with gardengal48, this has been a thread filled with responses and very little real information. I think we're starting to see more clearly with the latest pics and survey.

'Driveway is in front of garage.' Cement driveway? Patio blocks? 2 track dirt?.

Is the garage being used for a car? Strictly a storage shed?

In a warmer climate I could picture a tall lazy palm tree leaning to the west, covering the view from the balcony but don't think that would work in z7. :)

The siting still looks unbelievably tight. I think your best bet for any sort of screening might be a container planted with clumping bamboo. Fargesia robusta could get you 15-18' of screening in just a couple of years. Evergreen, very cold hardy, shade tolerant and moderately fast growing. And seems to tolerate being stuck in a container with minimal attention better than any tree.

Hope this very rough drawing helps

driveway is asphalt. Fence can be removed and driveway altered to create more room. Bamboo banned. Fence height limited to 6 feet. Thanks

Yup,

If you have some large tree nurseries in the area, visit those and tell them what you have in mind. They can then show you examples of what they think will work for you and you can ask specific questions about each example.

You can even come back here and ask what is thought about the recommendations that they make, or not! lol, good luck!

You could consider a hornbeam hedge. They can be kept to about 2-3’ depth but will require twice annual pruning. Hornbeam can tolerate a bit more shade than beech. They are deciduous but hold onto their leaves and are dense and woody when primed as a hedge. Google “narrow hornbeam hedge”. Pleached hornbeam might also be an option, but again requires maintenance.

"Yews are very slowly growing and Hicks is unlikely to get large enough anytime soon (20+ years?) to provide much in the way of screening."

That is why I suggested growing something quick, tall, and disposable, in the back such as a poplar. Take out the Poplar when the Yew is tall enough. Mine were successful to about 15' in 10 years.

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago and the second best time is right now.