A pic or two of the area would help. How close to the fence are you talking as “close to the fence” and “spreading canopy” are usually mutually exclusive.

tj

Thanks for your suggestion. The fence is about 5’ from the rockery. I was hoping I would find An ornamental that wouldn’t mind my pruning some lower branches to get the canopy to start higher. I’ll try to get out to take a better pic tomorrow (I drew all over this one) as we’re in the middle of a blizzard now.

Anything fastigiate, eg 'Goldspire Ginkgo' by definition wont have a spreading canopy. A 4 ft fence is nothing that will bother the trunk of a small tree, like a red bud, if they are recommended for where you are. Look into what trees under 30 ft will do well in you area.

The orientation of the site is vital information. If you only have 5 feet between the fence and the rockery any trees you plant will shade the rockery unless they are due north of it. Many, if not most, typical rockery plants prefer full sun. You might need to forget the rockery if you want trees there.

how big is the yard ...

i suspect you do not have room for anything sold as FAST GROWING ...

in my z5 MI ... ginko are very.. very .... slow ...

you might need to move the rockery in the long run ...

also.. what are the hours of sun ... someone already asked about orientation ...

redbud MIGHT be an option ????

ken

Is building a decorative aerial structure instead of planting trees an option? Flowering vines could be planted around it to grow up or not, and can be as long as you want. It’s an option to add interest, soften view and not take up half of your yard space doing it. This wouldn’t hide the new houses but would soften view & give the eye something to rest on. The photos might help describe what I’m suggesting. We had these built above a 6’ fence on two sides of our yard. The larger 3 section structure with the leaded glass window in it hides an unsightly view we get from inside our house directly over the fence & into a property that is lower elevation than us. The smaller 2 section structure only partially visible in second photo provides privacy from neighboring yard that is higher in elevation than ours. The neighbors loved that we added this piece which now has a small Japanese maple in the center of the planting area on my side. These are older pictures so plantings have grown or been replaced but the structures are still in place after 8 years.