Here is a photo of the new tree that will provide some shade in a few years. I cannot get a good photo due to the sunrise glare in the way.
So, I need a tall-growing evergreen plant along the fence that will grow well without much shade other than being in the shadow of the fence, but will also be able to continue living without issues when there is some overhead shade when this tree matures.

I'm afraid I have to harp on again about my biggest landscaping gripe: forcing too large a plant into a confined space. Just leave the thujas as they are. Be patient, as it will not take ten years for privacy. Five years for a beautiful and full shape, but in landscaping terms, that isn't very long. BE PATIENT.

I wouldn't dream of planting a large deciduous tree that close to a fence and right next to a patio. For onew thing, the tree won't like it, but your patio might also be damaged by tree roots growing under it. And in several years' time, most of the leaves from that tree will end up on your neighbors' property. Would you want them doing that to you?

By the way, if that stone mulch is sitting on top of weed barrier fabric, don't expect anything to thrive. It's easier to deal with weeds. If the stones are just sitting on top of the soil, they will eventually find their way down into the soil. That is a nightmare. I would replace all of that with mulch, which makes it so much easier for air and water to reach the plant roots.

In other words, do what is best for the plants, and not what is convenient for the gardener.

In previous posts jaxo has clarified that the corner where the tree is does not abut a neighbour's garden but has a sidewalk and road on the other side of the fence. We don't know what that tree is so it's hard to make assumptions about its suitability or about how big it is going to get.

But I would leave the Thujas alone - they'll grow soon enough.

A neighbor has the exact same type of ornamental pear tree planted and it fits fine. It is a "Capital Pear."
Their tree is already about 20 ft tall and the trunk still is only about a couple feet or less around, there are not any surface roots and the branches don't start until several feet above the fence line. So, neither the trunk, nor the branches, nor the roots have a problem fitting in the space.. The branches grow in a V shape, so they do not hang low over the road/sidewalk and probably will never need to be pruned.
Their tree fits well in the almost identical yard. That's why I decided to get the same tree.

The Emerald Green grows 6 to 12 inches per year. If these grow on the low end, it will take 12 years for them then to add another 6 feet of height, which would just barely start adding privacy from those upstairs windows.

Maybe these Thujas are not the right plants to do the job of privacy at all, and I should get a shrub rather than a conifer?.
I could always add a circular cutout around the trunk and remove the decorative rocks from directly next to the trunks if it is a problem. It would also make it easier to check the soil.

What about privet and boxwood?
I'm looking for something that would grow to about double the height of fence so it can block the view of the windows shown in the first photo.
Would there be l lot of pruning involved with privet and boxwood to keep the depth at around 3 feet and height in the 12 to 15 feet range?
Is there another type of shrub that will get the height of well over 10 feet and not more than 20 feet without too much pruning to keep it from having growth sticking out very far into the patio area or growing into the fence on the other side?

We rented a place where the landlord had put up a 12-18 inch lattice atop the fence line, then trained star jasmine grow along it all across the back. I have no idea how that might work for you or how long it would take, but it came to mind when I saw your picture.

Boxwood grows slower than just about any other plant I could name - you will be waiting for years for boxwood to get anywhere close to 12-15 feet. The arbs will take NO time compared to that. And because it grows so slowly, purchasing mature boxwood shrubs of any size is cost prohibitive.

I'd consider Pittosporum tenuifolium or bamboo (clumping would be my choice) for your screening needs. Both are evergreen, grow fast, provide great privacy benefits and with the exception of an annual pruning to keep the pitt in a slim profile, are pretty low maintenance.

Privet is fast growing and will get tall, but it is a lot of work to keep under control if you want it to stay "slim and trim." It will want to grow out as well as up, so guess who will be forever clipping and coaxing it into the desired shape? :)

In the tall/skinny/no pruning category...Greenspire Euonymous, Sky Pencil Holly, or Green Tower Boxwood won't get as tall as you want, and no instant gratification there either. There are plenty of big shrubs out there...Mock Orange, American Holly, etc, but again, they will naturally grow wide as well as tall. Bamboo is a nautral choice for a fast growing screen. Just keep your eye on it, because it can go wild!

Have you considered just buying the tallest thuja you can? Or a more work intensive approach: you could build a simple raised bed along that fence and re-plant...it could give you 2-3 extra feet. And thinking of options like that, the "sit back and wait" approach sounds better, right? ;)

This post was edited by jadie88 on Sun, Oct 20, 13 at 16:01

I'm not sure bamboo can handle a cold snap of several days in a a row of frost at night.. In January and February we can have a week or more of overnight frost with occasional dips well under 20 degrees
Also, isn't there an issue of unwanted invasive spreading of bamboo if you are in an area where it does survive the winter?
I have heard of people who got bamboo and could not get rid of it once it got established.

Yes, I will consider getting bigger Thuja's, but the local nurseries don't have any 15 gallon sizes.
They say have some 5 gallons that are "big for a 5 gallon." They said they can get 24 inch planters trucked in from another city for about $250 a piece that may already be over 6 feet tall. They can get them in week.

I have 4 small Thujas now, but maybe I could get 3 of the big ones and spread them out a bit more than than these were.
I'd like to see if there are some better choices.for less money before spending that much..
I'm also considering Italian Cypress if I can find the variety that stays around not much over 3ft around even a full maturity.

Some bamboos are hardy down to zone 5 - if it can grow in the Midwest (and it does!), California is a piece of cake!!

There are clumping bamboos - much like tall ornamental grasses - as well as running bamboos but even running bamboos are very controllable if one follows reasonable procedures. They sell containment products for this very purpose and a few bamboo nurseries in my area even have maintenance services that go out annually and make sure the bamboo is behaving.

btw, I know CA is expensive but $250 for a 6' arborvitae is ridiculous!! We sell 10 footers for about half that and both Lowe's and HD offer 6' arbs for around $75 from time to time.

I'd suggest you go a bit further afield and see what you can find. It may be very wwell worth your effort to take a drive to some other areas to see selections and sizes available at other garden centers.

It's possible that they are much bigger than 6 ft. They would be the size that goes into a 24 inch planter.
So, they should be much larger than the size you get in a 15 gallon pot.
I will verify the minimum sizes before committing to a purchase.
I will also investigate bamboo if can find one that will neither die in the winter, nor have out of control growth and spreading into unwanted areas.

As soon as I looked up bamboo, one of the first things that came up was an article warning of the dangers of planting bamboo.

See the link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Do not plant bamboo article

I was at Home Depot to buy some lumber and I saw they had a "holiday" stock of evergreens...I didn't look very closely, but I know there were some arbos that were around 8 feet tall and I didn't see anything over $125. It would be worth looking into!

First, that is an extremely alarmist article that contains a lot of misinformation. If you are going to research bamboo, research it from the source - the American Bamboo Society or various bamboo grower websites.....heck, even GW has an active and articulate Bamboo forum that will provide you with much better information that that! And there is NO concern about clumping bamboo escaping or causing problems. NONE!

I'm not sure why you think bamboo won't overwinter for you - it grows here in the PNW beautifully......sometimes too well if not maintained correctly :-)) Bamboo can be a lot more cold tolerant than folks think - certain species can even grow in Alaska without much concern! There are dozens of very hardy bamboos that will thrive for you - most of the clumping forms are very cold tolerant.

Here is a link that might be useful: cold hardy CLUMPING bamboo

I agree about the bamboo article. It is rather extreme and misinformed. Sounds like a bad experience with bamboo really soured the author. :)

Still, bamboo can be grown in containers to keep it from escaping...it could look pretty cool and it would preserve more of your lateral space.

That picture looks nice, but the cost of getting a raised planting bed installed plus the hassle of losing the drip system I have now and having to hand water may not be worth it.
Probably be cheaper and safer to just buy three or four 8+ ft Thujas even if I have to wait a few months to find them..