Is there a fence along the 85' line (W)? Any trees already there along the 85' border? A neighbor on the other side of the boundaries? Is additional privacy needed to W or N??

My first thought, if privacy is needed to add a border of trees or shrubs, probably evergreen.

But if would be nice to know more about what's needed.

Thank you @Jeff Smith. The fence is what you saw on the photo, the 85' line (W). There are neighbors on the other side of the boundaries. And yes, additional privacy is needed to W, where the fence line is. Not the entire 85' line though, just maybe the width of 3 fence panels.

Here is where I need for the privacy:

I have planted a river birch here but I am considering moving it to the pointy corner on the far right as there is more space over there.

I can add a border of trees or shrubs or evergreens here. Can you provide a suggestion on what to plant? Should I plant them behind the hydrangeas? Or do I have to take some out?

Thanks again!

Well, you all have a good start anyway. I see why you want the privacy in the 3 panels (red) area. One can see to the patio (glass doors) of neighbors.

My suggestion for privacy, all in right zone for Toronto (6), all evergreens so you have winter privacy, too:

* Moonglow juniper. we've planted these in a couple of places and they are very hardy and very fast growing. This link is reference only - we didn't purchase from here:

https://www.fast-growing-trees.com/products/moonglow-juniper-tree

* Wichita juniper. The "blue" type doesn't get as tall. We have some of these planted and they are tough.

* Holly trees, not too tall, like this type: https://gardengoodsdirect.com/collections/holly-trees/products/nellie-stevens-holly

Good luck!

Thank you @Jeff Smith! Let me look into the junipers a bit. Between juniper and holly tree, I think I like juniper better. I like the foliage and it is more "narrow" and takes up less space. I am debating between junipers and cedars (i.e. Emerald Cedar). Both of them look nice! What do you think? Would you swap a few hydrangeas and put in the junipers? Or would you move the hydrangeas to the front of the junipers? That might look a bit crowded as limelight hydrangeas can get quite big ... Another question, how many junipers would you put in? Would you put them side by side to each other? Or would you put, let's say, 1 juniper in the middle of every panel and let it grow big so that it blocks some of the view from the neighbors?

Apologies for my many questions... Appreciated again for your kind response!

Thank you @Jeff Smith! That looks terrific!

It looks like the arborvitae cultivar is already present, on the other side of the fence. So those will show you what it looks like and what it does. Specimens that size will of course have taken many years to develop - this will also be a factor with any screening plantings you install now. That is you will be waiting a long time for something planted along the fence to make those houses disappear. So that maybe you will have to do something over where you are looking from instead, which would certainly also be more efficient. As in screening plantings, wooden lattice panels etc. - hiding the viewpoint instead of the view, which tends to be a lot bigger. Same as with putting blinds or curtains in a window.

Thank you @Embothrium. I know it takes years for the cedars to develop that height but I would probably still plant them. For winter interest and I love natural barrier. For the time being, I like your suggestions - wooden lattice and blinds. Well, we already have blinds installed but we like to roll up the blinds during the day so we can see our garden (but we don’t want the neighbors to see everything happening in the house). I have googled the wooden lattice, they look nice! How/where do I put them?

I mentioned blinds to illustrate what I was talking about in terms of the garden. That is putting screening where you are looking from instead of where the unwanted view is.

Here's another comparison: you can block a lot more of what you don't want to see by holding your hand up in front of your face than by walking over to where the thing you don't want to see is and trying to hide it with your hand.

I realized my initial ask was "too sunny" and ended up sidetracked to privacy barrier (even though that is something I'd like to resolve). I am wondering... for a backyard that gets full sun... would you plant trees in the middle of the yard so you get shade eventually or what else would you do?

Here is some reliable info on Moonglow juniper, including size. It sounds like it gets really large, 20’ tall x 8’ wide in 10 years. One thing to consider is that this is a species of the mountain west, and may develop fungal diseases in our more humid environment.

https://conifersociety.org/conifers/juniperus-scopulorum-moonglow/

Hydrangea arborescens Annabelle will appreciate afternoon shade. Hydrangea paniculata Limelight will be fine with all day sun, so organize them accordingly.

Thank you @NHBabs z4b-5a NH. It seems like my area favors more for Cedars than Junipers. I was able to find Emerald Cedars in different sizes but not much selection in the Junipers. I ended up buying 5 cedars. Spaced them about 3' apart. Just planted them yesterday. I have also transplanted my hydrangeas to fit the new layout more nicely.

Here is the how the garden looks on the left side:

Here is how the garden looks on the right side:

This side along the fence gets morning sun and mid-day sun and afternoon shade. I think the hydrangeas will do fine. I have another limelight planted in a corner that gets mid-day sun and afternoon sun (morning shade). I hope it is going to survive...

My Annabelles were planted this March and ever since then, they have not grown much. I hope this is normal for the first year... I am not sure...

Anyway, many thanks for your info! Appreciated! :)

Limelight should not have any issue with too much sun in New England. Be sure that you are watering your plantings long and slow so that water has a chance to soak in deeply, down to the bottom of the root ball. Less often but for longer is best. This has been a very dry year in my of New England, with hotter temperatures in many areas. The mulch you have will help keep things moist. After establishment, the Limelights should be fine with little supplemental water, but they need attention to water the first couple of seasons.

It is perfectly normal to not see much growth in a shrub or tree the first year or even two. They are growing roots and settling in. Some plants don’t bloom the year after planting because energy is going to roots instead of flowers, though I have not found this to be the case for your two species of hydrangeas.

Be sure that you have researched the width of your particular plants at maturity. For instance, Limlight can get to about 10’ in most settings, so should be at least 5.5’ from the fence to prevent rot on a constantly damp fence. And similarly, do research on the Thuja aka arborvitae (aka cedars). Be sure to use a reliable site such as a botanic garden, not just taking the tag which will give you size at 5-10 years, but not necessarily mature size.

Thank you NHBabs. This year has been an abnormal year for Toronto as well, very hot and dry. I feel I had used at least twice the water usage to keep my plants alive.

I’m fortunate that both species of my hydrangeas are blooming this year. The limelights are growing pretty vigorously with sturdy stems but annabelles are kind of opposite... their stems are pretty flimsy, like on any bad windy day the wind can easily snap the stems off. I’m wondering if there is anything I can do to make them grow more sturdy? Or stalking them is my only solution?

I used the tags on the plants (as well as advice from the garden centre) for my reference when I spaced them. Can you share what you use for researching the plants? I planted my limelights 5’ from each other and 4’ away from fence (I can increase the distance to 5’ or 5.5’ if necessary) and for annabelles I gave them 3’ from each other and 2.5’ away from the fence. I heard that one can “squeeze” the annabelles (ie. they don’t require so much solid spacing as once the stems mesh in they can support each other), not sure if this is the same for the limelights? What do you think would be a reasonable spacing for limelights and annabelles? Spacing from each other and spacing from the fence? I know you’ve advised 5.5’ for the limelights. How about for annabelles? How long does it take for the limelights and the annabelles to get to their maturity sizes?

Thanks a bunch! :)

Aritz, I could have sworn I saw a question from you about Limelight size And Annabelle flopping. Scroll down in the thread linked below to August 2018. There is a post from “unprofessional” of his/her 9 year old Limelight hedge, pictured in comparison to his/her child. It gives a good idea of size. S/he posted annually for a number of years, and somewhere in the thread gives the spacing used. There are also lots of photos of younger Limelight hedges.

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/1992345/how-are-those-limelight-hedges-looking-pic#n=114

IME Annabelle will take as much width as you allow her. Twice my single Annabelle has gotten large enough to totally fill the area it is in, 10’ wide, overrunning almost all the surrounding plants. Both times it happened when I was unable to work in the garden for a season or two, and a sharp bladed shovel or pruners to remove unwanted suckers solves the problem. Mine is wedged between a large rhododendron and a spirea, and having a thicket of stems does help with support.

NHBabs, I suppose I did. Spacing has been my biggest issue with these flowers because I received different information from different sources and the garden center folks told me these flowers don't get as big as stated on the tags when planned in urban gardens. So I am confused! The link you have provided is very helpful! I will re-space my flowers. Thanks again for the details! Much appreciated!