Eric, I would like to create the same thing in my yard as no fences are allowed. I have a lot of shade so my choices are limited. Since you indicate you are in the Midwest, would you consider Canadian Hemlocks? They can grow rather rapidly and provide a good amount of privacy. Fairly sturdy.

No fences allowed??? What if a homeowner has dogs? I certainly don’t want my dog or my neighbors ‘ dog trespassing ( especially my dog , though I love him, he’s a real PITA ).

Like I said, minimal maintenance. Hemlock grows too big for me.

KLaurence, privacy fences. We have an aluminum fence as you can see in the pictures.

Lol, now I see them, my skinny little dachshund would run straight through that ...

What is your deer situation? I’m not a hedge tree/shrub expert but deer resistant is a definite must in our area.

In my sub, people with dogs usually have an electronic fence. Several prospective homeowners won't move here because of it.

What about arborvitae? Their shape remains pretty compact without a lot of trimming. It looks like you get plenty of sun. Each spring at Home Depot you can find nice size ones for about $50 each. They get gobbled up pretty fast.

KRnuttle, the issue of what we see, what our dogs see, and what sees our children are our primary concern. I want a living privacy fence that blocks what we can see as much as what can see us.

I am really looking for one of the pros to chime in so that I can potentially hire them to design a screen that won't be so bland.

Ckerr, deer resistant would've been a necessity where I used to live, but have yet to see any here.

I have a drawing from a local nursery... While it's not bad, it's not quite right either. I am looking for more ideas. I'll share it to perhaps inspire someone..

I would do a map of “lines of sight” that are most bothersome to you. I would then place panels of wood decorative fence (one or two panels) and place evergreens or other desirable plant materials in interesting beds near and between these panels distracting the eye in interesting way. You might need some other elements such as large boulders to create some additional interest and texture. Use more than just evergreens. I will look for some photos that show this type look for you. Bbl

Flo, the line of site is the entire row of fence. I posted a picture above. The school takes up the entire length of my back fence. Additionally, this is meant to serve multiple purposes. Not only a view block for us, but a privacy fence, a sound dampener, as well as something we won't mind looking at. Oh, and to keep our annoying dogs from seeing anything on the other side of the fence.

We expect to pay between $10,000 and $15,000

Also, we plan on doing 2 phases. First phase = screening, second phase = make it interesting on our side.

I understand your dilemma and the two phase process. I will say straight lines of any plant material is quite boring. So i would break it up with staggering about 3 different tree types. Leyland Cypress grows pretty fast and is evergreen. Somewhat conical but depending on trimming can be allowed to be quite organic and interesting. Sprinkle in about every 4th tree a Little Gem Magnolia or one suited to your climate zone. It has shiny green leafs and large creamy blossoms from June thru first frost. The third one planted in small round areas could be Eastern Red Cedar tree.

Magnolias are so pretty. If you could use some interesting panels that would work so well. I would argue not a fence but decorative accent element. See the decorative panels not fencing per se.

I don't know so I'm asking ... do dogs really eat yews for no particular reason?

Eric, you've already got a substantial start with existing planting. Why are you removing it all? In your opinion, what's not right about the existing plan?

The size requirements are for large shrubs, not trees per se. Is the vision for the finished product a screen devoid of large trees? Seems like it would be out of scale with your sizable house.

Why not just add more to what you’ve already got? It seems incredibly wasteful to remove all the trees/and shrubs already there. Long hedges of arborvitae or leyland Cyprus aren’t the most attractive. I also think the idea to add beds along the patio and pool make sense. No matter what you plant, wall of arborvitae or not, you're never going to block the view from your second story.

Agree with Yardvaark. Leave what you have and add additional shrubs. Your photos appear to show that you have plenty of room for shrubs like Viburnum pragense -10-12 ft tall and wide. And in zone 6, you have a wide range of other evergreen shrub choices. Additionally, it looks a if a height of 10-12 feet is all you need. A little research should yield a range of shrubs with flower and berry interest.

One thought on the solid wall of evergreens is that if you plant other shrubs on the inside in phase 2, any part of the hedge that gets shaded out will develop bare spots that will not generate new foliage growth. Also agree that if you want a feeling of enclosure, some plantings close to where you are using the patio will give you the most bang in the shortest amount of time.

The plan you have from the nursery looks better than what you are proposing. It has a variety of foliage colors and textures and would be a lot more interesting than a solid wall of juniper.

If you are not happy with the nursery plan, are there not other local designers available? Nothing against Houzz PROS but not all designers are on here, you must have someone close by who can actually see the property. In any case, none of them are going to give you the juniper hedge as a plan.

Thanks for all the responses. I'll try to answer your questions.

Flo, those pictures actually make me less worried about the appearance of a monospecies planting. Unfortunately, I can guarantee my HOA would not allow me to have those panels.

Yardvark, I have a little dog that basically eats any stick it finds and there are horror stories on the internet.

As far as why we're removing the existing trees, well... first is that they are thuja green giants that are planted 4 feet from our fence or 2 ft from our yard (30 ft tall and 12 ft wide at maturity) . In addition to that, they are not great specimens and several are dying or dead from bagworms or drought. Additionally, there are many trees that meet the requirements I stated. Spartan juniper, for instance, 15-20 ft tall and 6-8 ft wide at maturity. Thuja emerald green 10-15 ft tall and 4 ft wide at maturity.

Also, large deciduous trees are not in phase 1 planning because they are not currently a priority, but we have several hardwood species currently planted around the yard that we do not plan on removing.

As far as beds around the pool, they are already present. As far as a second story view, that's not important.

Saypoint,

I came here for planning assistance for that very reason, it looks better and prevents the dreaded dead tree issue. I think some of the people here are missing my point of being here. I'm looking for someone to draw a design. Or suggest a grouping of trees/plants. To get other ideas to perhaps mix with the nursery ideas. Additionally, I want the yard screened, not simply the patio. I have dogs that I don't want to see outside the fence and I don't want people seeing into my yard. Those are the primary end points.

i would not plant 50 of any one particular type plant .. if.. and when a plague comes... you might lose them all ...

where in zone 6 ... its rather diverse ... if i missed it.. sorry ....

conifers are trees .. and both grow in tree time ... i understand you want it all asap ... but thats not how it works with trees ...

interesting concept at the link .. just something i found while tooling around the web ....

good luck .. ken

https://www.instanthedge.com/home/

Cool website. I had a Thuja Emerald Green hedge that I sheared and maintained at around 6 ft tall around my garden. I liked it better than the tall pointy look.

some ideas Yoshino cryptomeria, blue atlas cedar, deodora cedar, weeping beech, St Mary magnolia, bottle brush buckeye & Forest Pansy redbud:

It sounds like the home owner is falling into the trap that many who come to this forum do, and that is not realize the difference between their years and plant and tree years. He says he has children, and wants to shield them from the outside view. Assuming the children are less than 10, before any thing he plants provide the privacy he is looking for, the children will be in high school, or leaving home going to college.

While the growth rate of trees and plants are dependent on TIME, there are other factors. These factors are not uniform through your property. I have a Cherry that was about 1.5 inches in diameter 7 years ago when we bought the property. It is now a major tree in my yard. On the other hand I have a maple that was about the same size, has not grown in the same period.

It the home owner wants privacy in the next 2 to 5 years he needs to buy mature trees and plants, By mature trees, I mean trees that are 14+ feet tall. and shrubs and and bushes in the 25 to 50 gallon size. Even then it will take several years for them to adapt to their new home and start growing.

"... large deciduous trees are not in phase 1 planning because they are not currently a priority ..." It doesn't matter how things are phased and implemented or the length of time it takes. But PLANNING requires that someone have knowledge of all details of all phases at the time planning is commenced. It wouldn't be possible to design a screening system that was oblivious to whatever trees might or might not come later.

"Additionally, there are many trees that meet the [size] requirements..." Keep in mind that published size predictions are a snapshot in time -- usually 10 years -- of where a plant might be. But plants don't stop growing and many will end up double what you are stating.

I think I would lean my vision in this general direction which includes a smoothed out bedline:

I for one have little criticism of the plan provided by your nursery. And I am a professional :-) There seems to be a decent variety of plants, properly spaced and thoughtfully sited, that compliment each other and enough taller evergreen material to provide actual visual privacy (noise abatement will not be addressed by just plants....sorry).

I might consider getting a little more creative with the shrubs, including more BLE's and/or flowering or more seasonal interest shrubs but not familiar enough with your area/zone to make specific suggestions. But the plan you have in hand is certainly a reasonable starting point that you can tweak to your specific preferences.

btw, large deciduous trees should always be the first priority of any landscape phasing, simply because they take so much longer to gain size and reach maturity than does anything else!

If you don't like the plan you got bring in somebody else who can view the site in person, discuss your concerns and provide a second opinion.

You are not going to be able to match this level of service for free on an internet discussion board.

There are professionals with their own pages elsewhere on Houzz.

To which I will add don't plant anything that gives off little bitty plant parts close enough to the pool that these can blow or drop onto the water, then get into the filter. (This includes small-leaved cypress family conifers like arborvitaes and junipers). Search the web to get lists of plants thought suitable for poolside planting. Anybody else being brought to the site to come up with ideas of what will work should also be suggesting large-parted plants compatible with swimming pools.

Agree with garden girl, nice variety but some flowering plants would be nice. Perhaps consider that when planning your foreground (what you will enjoy when being in your yard or home.
Please, PLEASE avoid monospecies......if a particular blight or beetle comes along, you would lose everything in one fell swoop!
Remember Dutch Elm disease? Besides which, I think it would excruciatingly boring.

A lot of Canadian hemlocks in my area were wiped out by hemlock wooly adelgid. We sprayed ours for a few years with oil but ended up having to take them out.

Eric, I’m assuming you’ve already looked at the “find professionals” feature. If there are pros on here looking for paid work, that’s where they’ll be.

Trees/bushes that will get at least 10 ft tall, and no more than 8 ft wide.

10' tall: you need shrubs, not trees. I would hire a pro garden designer locally for a plan. A design of that type and simplicity would be pretty inexpensive. What you need is someone who really knows shrubs appropriate for your local area.

Like I said, at least 10 ft. Ok with up to 30 if it doesn't get wider than 8

30 ft by 8 ft means the width is less than 1/3 the height = narrow growing kinds only will conform to this restriction.

Whenever I read "privacy" my first thought is bamboo.

✔ ✔

Albert, it's definitely something I've considered, but I read it's very unruly and hard to keep in check.

I had bamboo in a yard once. Be careful what you wish for. It will take over.

I have Giant Timber Bamboo. It is commonly called “container” bamboo. Very hardy originated from China and it created wonderful privacy screen in my backyard. It does not spread like common rhizome type bamboo. It has withstood consecutive below 20 degree nights. Leaves drop an in Spring comes back with even better look. I have my gardener cut out dead canes each spring and fall and it takes no care at all once established. My landscaper got the plants from Monrovia nursery in California. Been wonderful. Nothing has migrated into neighbors yards. Beautiful.

You don't have to be afraid of bamboo :-) Many people are uninformed about this plant, have no idea about the many different varieties and that it comes in two forms - running (which can take over the planet and does need a containment system) and clumping. Clumping bamboo does not grow in the same manner as running bamboo and is very well behaved.......the clump just gradually increases in its spread over time like a large ornamental grass does. No travelling vast distances underground and popping up in your neighbor's garden!! Or under your foundation! It has zero invasive tendencies.

And clumping bamboos tend to be some of the most cold hardy varieties, with several species rated for zone 5 gardens. They make excellent screening plants with a narrow profile and grow to height rapidly......much faster than a tree or shrub. Unfortunately, the best and most cold hardy varieties would prefer to be sited in more shade in more interior, continental locations, only tolerating a lot of sun here on the west coast. Not sure how well it would work in the OP's garden but it might be worth considering.

Cold Hardy Clumping Bamboo

The giant timber bamboo Flo referred to, Bambusa oldhamii, is a very popular form of clumping bamboo but it is restricted to warmer climates. But many of the Fargesia species referred to in my link will grow and thrive in cold winter climates, provided they are sited well and given the conditions they need.

I rented the home where the bamboo was planted. I will say that it was pretty and provided a lot of privacy. Unfortunately, due to the living arrangement I had to be the one to cut it out of the neighbor's (also a rented home) yard. I did not realize there are different varieties that are better behaved.