In feet exactly how far is it from your house?

From the photo it looks far too close, but measure to be sure.

It’s a good 20-25’ from the back of the garage (behind the shed) and at least that far diagonally from the house.

I responded on your duplicate post, here https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6254155/ok-be-honest-maple-location

You can put up to three forums on a post. Multiple identical postings can lead to repetition and confusion.

Thanks for the tip

I posted it and tried to edit to add the landscaping forum, but I’m unable to edit/delete the post via the iOS app

Since the Autumn Blaze maple will grow very large, a little farther from the house would have been preferable, but you can probably live with 20-25' if you keep it trimmed adequately. And since your back yard faces south the shade it provides will be welcome. The concern I had in your other post is its close proximity to the columnar Norway spruces which prefer full sun and can grow quite tall themselves, but will be shaded by the maple's branches.

Thanks. I’m just regretting having a giant maple there if it’s not even providing the desired privacy.

I’m having guys come in to add more thuja. So I can probably get them to take this out for something more desirable. Question is, what would look better?

I’m most likely going to put a couple of dappled willow shrubs next to the spruce and stone to give me the privacy I crave.

So what’s a nice tree for zone 5 with a smaller canopy than the maple?

Redbud? Kousa? Magnolia?

Any of those three would be good choices, but if you go with a dogwood I think I'd opt for one of the hybrids (rather than a straight kousa). Which one depends on the ultimate height & width that would best provide the screening you're looking for - the redbud and dogwood won't get as tall as one of the tree type magnolias. Another flowering option would be one of the tree lilacs. This one is 'Great Wall'

Something multi stemmed would be great there to provide privacy.

Wow that’s nice (the lilac)

L Clark….multi stem would be nice. Except I’m afraid of cutting off the shed area. It already feels awkward with the maple. I think I could squeeze something in front of the generator instead. The drain pipe is just to the left of it in the picture above. That way it opens that area up to the rest of the yard?

So I’m planning on replacing the maple with a pair of winter king hawthorns (one in front of generator, the other spaced a bit further down from it)

Is this tree an OK choice? Size wise, looks, etc

Seems like an evergreen is what you need instead of something deciduous?

Well I’m primarily concerned with privacy during the summer months. And, as this maple is proving, I don’t want to eat up space by the shed. Any coniferous large enough to provide me the privacy I need would make the area feel cramped.

I did consider spruces. But I think something with a wide canopy (not as wide as the maple will get) instead of a wide base would work best.

Is a hawthorn a good choice? Others I’m considering are dogwoods or magnolias…small to medium sized varieties

So after taking with the local garden guys, I’m having trouble tracking down a hawthorn.

My choices are putting in one or two of the following: dogwood, Japanese cherry, or ivory silk lilac. All are about 8-10’ tall

Here’s yet another picture. What I need to satisfy my need for privacy is something the size of a 10’ umbrella! That’s why I’m thinking a pair of trees placed several feet apart would help.

Which of the three trees would look/do the best? I’m just north of Toronto, and the garden centre said a Chinese dogwood would thrive whereas a pink hybrid dogwood would not.

Thanks!

What kind of Japanese cherry is available? Depending on the variety, a cherry might be closer to the shape you're looking for than the dogwood or Ivory Silk lilac.

Not sure. I think he just said “Japanese cherry”. I’ll confirm tomorrow

Meanwhile. Are all three species I mentioned considered “nice” trees? I’m sure all three look great in pictures. But in real life, down the road, any one better than the others?

Two lilacs would fill in the space great…if they look like the picture you posted above. But how realistic, and how long down the road is that?

So the cherry trees are a Kwanzan variety. They’ve also got a couple of redbuds.

So redbud, kwanzan cherry, or silk lilac. Hmmm?

Kwanzan is quite popular and showy in bloom, but IMO doesn't have the best habit of the cherries, and over time can occasionally develop pest/disease issues. Redbud would be OK, and would attain the desired size/shape quicker than the others, but it can also develop some issues as it grows older. I think I'd lean toward the Ivory Silk Lilac, although it can be a relatively slow grower, and wouldn't fill out to become wider than tall for quite a few years (photo below of a typical Ivory Silk habit as a younger tree). The 'Great Wall' Lilac in my earlier post is a faster grower than Ivory Silk and would fill the space quicker, but it's hard to find. 'Summer Charm' (same species as Great Wall) is probably easier to find, but IME can be a "floppy" grower. I'm assuming the location has decent soil with adequate drainage?

Arbordave to the rescue again! Thanks for the help. I too am leaning towards the Lilac for reasons stated. It seems everything I read screams Lilac. But my wife prefers the cherry, because, well, it’s reputation (cherry blossom season etc). I’m going to check out another nursery tomorrow. I’m in no rush seeing as I can leave the maple where it is for a season or two. Just want to make sure I get a pair of nice replacements. Any serviceberry or dogwood that might fit the bill?

Serviceberry would be less effective for screening purposes due to its relatively open or "airy" habit and less dense foliage. Some of the broader growing hardy dogwoods would work, but in general they're going to be as slow or slower than the Ivory Silk. A few of the Rutgers hybrids have very good hardiness and become wider than tall at maturity. They would also be disease resistant. Check out the photo of a 'Venus' (bottom of the page).

I don’t know why I do this. Everything is pointing to the Lilac as the perfect tree. Not sure why I’m waiting. Which I’m not any more. Just wondering, how close together can multiple Lilacs be planted?

The spacing would depend on how quickly you want them to fill in. The Ivory Silk I posted above is probably about 10' wide, but I think if I was planting two I'd space them at least 15' apart. Keep in mind that they will grow relatively wide over time.