It looks like the green giants are too close to the fence. You've solved the screen for the first six feet with your handsome fence, so why not plant a few trees that fill out above that height? I would think small trees would be best. You don't want to look at bare trunks thirty feet up either. A twiggy tree will camouflage the view even in winter. The fence can be covered with vines if you want to create a green backdrop. There is also bamboo if you want that look -- and responsibility.

This single view of your eyesore makes the playset look like an obstacle to effectively hiding the Muensters house. More pictures that show the whole space would be helpful for more ideas to solve the problem.

Small trees is one very good option, but how much space you really have matters.

It is a small yard. For some reason it’s not letting me add another photo

Much better picture. I hope those are Green Giant Arborvitae not Leyland Cypress. They handle snow far better. We had a Leyland Cypress apocalypse here in WNC back in December. Those Green Giants are four years away from hiding the Muensters house and you will be having pie slice views of it while they grow.

Small trees are still a good long term option, but any landscape solution along the fence will take several seasons to do the job.

Building a pergola over your patio set will offer some immediate relief close to the house in this one area. Privacy for the entire back yard will take more time.

I can tell you are in the east coast temperate deciduous forest. The overall setting hints at less than full sun. A more exact location can generate some plant options to help speed things along

I’m in Virginia and the backyard is shady.

Yes they are green giants. Just soo small right now. We planted in October and no growth yet, I guess bc it’s been winter

This would be a very good post for you to read.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/small-yard-how-should-i-create-privacy-dsvw-vd~5617034

Green Giant Arborvitae have a mature height of 50-60 ft and a spread of 10-12 ft. Unless the stem is at least 5 ft from the fence, they've been planted too close. From your photo they look very close but maybe that's just the photo.

Of all the "neighbor's eyesores" that I've seen on Houzz, that's the least objectionable. Maybe it looks worse in real life than in the photo. Although if it bothers you, that's really all that matters.

You might not be able to make your fence taller. In my township the max for a fence allowed is only 6 ft along the sides and back of a house.

Eyesore I guess is in the eye of the beholder. : -)

I would have positioned the playset off center or to the side in the yard so it was not the main focus of your backyard.

My neighbor has a very tall grass, it must be 10 feet tall. If you put something like that in large pots (e.g. a half barrel) and set a few of these along the edge of your patio, it would block the view from both the patio and the house. Because they're closer to the house, the pots will give you privacy even at a lower height.

I don't know what particular plants would work in your area, but your local garden center could probably recommend something appropriate.

You've already established two solutions -- the fence and the green giants -- to deal with the problem. You'd be shooting yourself in the foot to squeeze in another solution when it could only rob the light that the green giants get, nullifying their contribution. You need to develop some patience as they are fast growers and will take care of the problem before all that long.

Unless, Yardvark, the breen giants are so close to the fence they’ll have to be moved or removed by the time they’re tall enough to do the job... unless it’s possible to shear their backs without compromising their integrity or locks? Can conifers be espaliered? That would be very useful information for many of us.

I like kitasel’s question

Thuja is fast growing, but not that fast! I would start with older trees. With some taller specimens, you will have a start to your screen. Then build forward, the more interest you have on your side, the less attention the house behind you will have. Create a multi height bed in front of the thuja. Consider hollies, azaleas, hydrangea, acuba, or photinia , all do great in Virginia.

If you’re impatient to hide the view of the house you should buy a few mature arborvitae that are already taller than the fence. Mature trees can be $$ but i don’t think it makes sense to invest in anything else.

I feel like unless those neighbors treat every day as World Naked Gardening Day, you're going to feel like a line of Green Giants is overkill when they start getting big. We usually try to plant something to address the major sight lines (from the patio, inside the house, etc) without creating a continuous green wall. "Narrow" growth habit for a green giant still means 10-12 ft wide.

@kitasei there are a couple of great books on the Japanese pruning technique of niwaki. There's some absolutely wild stuff that can be done with conifers!

I feel like unless those neighbors treat every day as World Naked Gardening Day, you're going to feel like a line of Green Giants is overkill when they start getting big. We usually try to plant something to address the major sight lines (from the patio, inside the house, etc) without creating a continuous green wall. "Narrow" growth habit for a green giant still means 10-12 ft wide.

@kitasei there are a couple of great books on the Japanese pruning technique of niwaki. There's some absolutely wild stuff that can be done with conifers!

I feel like unless those neighbors treat every day as World Naked Gardening Day, you're going to feel like a line of Green Giants is overkill when they start getting big. We usually try to plant something to address the major sight lines (from the patio, inside the house, etc) without creating a continuous green wall. "Narrow" growth habit for a green giant still means 10-12 ft wide.

@kitasei there are a couple of great books on the Japanese pruning technique of niwaki. There's some absolutely wild stuff that can be done with conifers!

Those trees are all wrong and will be the right height after you have moved away. Why not just something like this with even a vine on it it to hide more.

I've been gardening all these years and never knew that there was a World Naked Gardening Day. First Saturday in May.

I thought it was a joke. Wouldn't that be fun when you disturb a nest of yellow jackets, or fire ants.

Ivy fence

Suggest keeping roots enclosed somehow,because it spreads.

Grows fast,but needs to be maintained.

Tall evergreens.

Plant bushy trees in a row. Keep pruning them to grow togeather.

Also, Crepe Myrtles grow well here in VA. All white or the dark red ones in a row would be gorgeous.

If planning on being there for years, it would be a nice gift to yourselves to pay a Pro landscaper to set up the perimeter for you & be done with it. Once it is done, you can enjoy your oasis & it will improve home curb appeal for resale.

"Revolutionary Gardens

I feel like unless those neighbors treat every day as World Naked Gardening Day, you're going to feel like a line of Green Giants is overkill when they start getting big."

And luckily, that's exactly the kind of privacy screen I wanted. I planted 14 in my back yard in 2011-12. They're finally covering everything. It's a lush green row of beautiful trees that don't need trimming to look neat. Mixed screens always look sloppy to me, like a being in a forest. My privacy is neat, clean and I spend time gazing at them while working at my computer.Everyone that visits wants to know what they are, so they too, can block their neighbors out. This is the best hybrid they've ever come up with

Do you have code enforcement in your area? Can you ask the governing agency to visit? I realize when a home gets this bad a city "clean up" ticket might not have much effect, but it's another direction you can take.

huge fast growing bamboo [tall variety] in large pots so it doesnt spread