A hybrid yew(taxus X media) would be perfect if you have good drainage, but it sounds like you may not. What type of soil do you have, and is standing water a concern in this area?

Hick's yew would be the best choice. It could achieve 8' height and be kept there with periodic trimming. In 95% of cases, they are sheared because only the most dedicated will devote time for the here-and-there snipping. If it is a foundation plant, it will be more reasonable to maintain if you can plant it 3 1/2' or 4' from a wall. They're pretty beefy.

Mens Totuosa, this is mostly clay soil. In fact, that's all it is from what i can tell with a little bit of topsoil but the roots will be in clay. I can amend the holes I plant with a couple bags of topsoil to promote better drainage which should let the roots be happy for a good five years but after that they will be growing down and out into clay.

Yardvaark, you think the Hick's yew would very fast in that much shade? Looks like it is available only in small sizes.

might help to know where you are ...

lack of sun.. affects vigor ... most things wont outright die in shade ... but they will not thrive ... and perhaps that is why you have noted the hemlocks look thin in too much shade ...

which mean... they thin out ... and the annual growth might be significantly reduced ... as compared to a sun plant ...

soo... worrying about maintaining height might be moot ...

NEVER amend the planting hole ... see link below for a general primer ... clay is a very nutrient rich soil ... the problem.. in bad clay.. is lack of drainage ... if you can transplant them.. and water them properly.. once they get their roots into the clay.. life will be good ...

the best place to start is by doing a perk test.. and finding out about how your soil drains ...

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=garden+perk+test&t=ffcm&ia=web

next ... is it bright shade .. or dark shade ... ???

maybe we could make better suggestions ... if you provide a pic or two.. of the project ...

topiary might suggest.. that conifers... aka evergreens.. can be pruned forever.. done properly... so when you get to that point ... perhaps you can come back for guidance ....

ken

https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub

I agree with everything Gardengal wrote. We have clay-based soil here in Omaha and hybrid yews do very well here. I see far fewer dead yews than pines, spruces, and arbovitaes(almost nobody grows hemlocks or hinokis here). As long as they are not in an area that stays wet and mucky much of the time, they should do fine. Look carefully at the labels because English Yews(taxus baccata) are not hardy in zone 5. Independent nurseries often carry larger stock than the big box stores, so look there if you haven't.

I bet you can find some shade tolerant rhododendrons that will work

"Yardvaark, you think the Hick's yew would very fast in that much shade?"

How fast is "very fast"? What good would other faster growing things be that couldn't stand shade? I've seen Hick's yew pump out over a foot of growth per year once established. How fast do you want it?

All of this advice assumes you don’t have deer! If you do, be prepared to wage war to defend yew, hemlock, or arborvitae from being denuded up to 6 feet, is there an ilex or cotoneaster that achieves that height?

Ilex/holly also gets denuded by deer, especially in winter.

Despite Yardvaark's experience to the contrary, most reputable conifer sources will indicate a slow to moderate growth rate for any type of yew. Hick's tends to the slower end, with 4-6 inches annually as the expected rate.

I know you say that, Gardengal, but I grew up in a zone 5 midwestern town and saw many years worth of established Hick's yews blasting out upward growth every Spring. Later, throughout the summer would come more, and all this easily added up to a decent foot of growth. Where you are, 4" to 6" may be all you get, but it's not what is typical of Hick's in the upper Midwest.

Here's a picture I snatched off of Google and you can see that there is easily more than 6" of new growth. It is not fully expanded and will become even taller. It is merely one flush of growth whereas there would be 2 more lesser ones coming before the summer growing season is finished. It adds up. It really doesn't matter what "reputable conifer sources" say when one can see endless examples to the contrary right in front of their eyes.

All I would add is that here in the PNW, one of the most ideal growing zones for just about anything, any yew regardless of variety is a slow grower. And with all due respect to Yard, I would take the information provided by the American Conifer Socierty, Michael Dirr and a whole host of conifer experts with a lot more weight than any anecdotal reports.

btw, there is no way to tell from that photo how much of that is current season's growth.

Post this in the Conifers forum if you have further questions.....there are many conifer speciallists that post there and you will get accurate information for your specific location.

There is a way to tell. The new growth is bright green. It changes within a few short weeks to the very typical Yew dark green, as it hardens. And I am fine with you relying on someone else's written descriptions.

What about a sky pencil holly? I think holly tolerate shade.

Japanese holly is not reliably hardy in zone 5 - most sources rate 'Sky Pencil' only to zone 6. And will not do well in full shade. They also stay very narrow so you would need 3-4 to get the same effect as a single Hick's yew.