Do you have any pictures and a plan that shows the house and property line?

Canadian or USDA Hardiness Zone 5? The two systems do not fit together like hand in glove and that may be where you have had some problems, due to not understanding which zone assignment was in use when reading plant descriptions.

In terms of planting trees to hide the development when you look straight at it it's going to take decades for any kind of tree to get tall. Even a fast growing one. So you are pretty much stuck with other solutions such as modifications to your house and its immediate vicinity - that is where you are looking from, instead of where what you are looking at is - to get more visual separation.

What kind trees are in those woods? Plant more of those in the 28' between your house and the property line. The forest is now the roof of your garden instead of the back wall.

Thanks for responding. @ladybug A 9a Houston area . I will post some pics soon. Waiting for the carpenters to clear out their equipment to get better shots.

@Embothrium, Yes I am referring to the Canadian Hardiness Zones. Zone 5 American is warmer than Zone 5 Canadian, hence my mention of Zone 4. Should have specified USDA.

I get your point about differentiating between looking from and looking at. That is what I meant when I said I need to something to distract me from the view of the condos. Nothing is going to completely hide them from view. What I want first off, is to not see my neighbours on their back deck, every time I look out. I have maybe 2 years to accomplish that.

I am looking for suggestions to help me find the right combo of trees, bushes and perennials to create something pleasing to look at in the short term but will grow to create more privacy over time.

@Christopher CNC Good suggestion, I wish I could. This strip of land however is the only access to the back area of our property. I have to keep it open enough to allow small equipment to pass through for future work in the back. I really can't plant trees closer than 10 -12 feet from the house.

You have 28' of depth to plant in and want to leave access for machinery. You have plenty of room to do that. The drive in could look nice if you have big boulders to drive around as scenery. I suggested looking to the trees in the woods as a method of plant selection, not how they are arranged.

What you need is a well designed tree and shrub border to create the scene you want to look at and that works on your specific site. For that you need a landscape designer with good knowledge of the local plants. Even a one time on site consultation with a knowledgeable local plant person would serve you well.

Thank you so much Christopher. That makes it very clear. Our last little bit of the nest egg we built this house with is not as large as I would like. When it comes to gardening and landscaping we have always done everything DIY. We have not done badly at it. So I was hoping to muddle our way through this too on our own (with the help of the smart people here on Houzz). That way would have more to spend on the actual landscaping.

But I guess you are saying I am being pennywise and pound foolish?

You can muddle your way through on the internet and spend $100 on a local consultation that will jump start the muddle and still DIY. You could probably get a drawn design for $500 and DIY.

If you have been gardening this piece of land for 40 years, you should be able to design a layout for a tree and shrub border with your own intimate knowledge of the land.

Are you just wanting a list of plant choices? This is where good local plant knowledge is worth the investment and better than strangers on the internet in far away places.

Other places to look. Agricultural extension service data bases, botanical gardens, quality nurseries.

Plenty Canadians on this site. Maybe one will come along and fire some tree and shrub names at you.

How someone could garden for forty years and never plant a tree is pretty much a foreign concept to me.

You can do it. It's never to late to plant a tree.

If you could see our property, you would understand. We are surrounded on two sides by woods, the third side had lovely , large trees planted by neighbours . The fourth side has a very long cedar hedge. that is at least 10 ft high. Our own property was graced with many mature trees also for many years. So we have never had the need.

But it is never too late. A new chapter.