I agree, all evergreens back there would be too much. I would probably not plant any evergreens and cover it with a mix of the maple and oak you suggested. I would favor the maple though because it fills out more and has better fall foliage. I don't know which evergreens you are referring to in your last question, the established ones in the other row or the hollies you wanted to put in with the deciduous trees. If you were referring to the hollies, you should be ok since the deciduous trees will get taller than them but it would be hard to be sure about the other row without a picture.

it sounds like you are limiting your planting zone to the property line..

is there any reason you can go a bit more 3D???

ken

I've got a relatively small property (1/3 acre) and two small kids who love to run around the back yard. I'd like to maximize lawn area.

I like to plant so that I retain as much of the southern winter sun as possible and also have some summer shade. That comes out to deciduous trees to the south and evergreens to the north. Any evergreens to the south would be the shorter growing ones. Winter sun here in western Washington State is real important as most of Wa. St. is north of most of Maine.
Mike.

Yes, if height and darkness of tall evergreens is a concern plant deciduous trees with evergreen shrubs underneath. Otherwise, when planting evergreen trees and deciduous trees together, in rows or similar configuration you definitely want the evergreen behind, with the deciduous in front of those.

Positioning the two types around the edges of a lot so that you have evergreen trees cutting the north wind and deciduous ones blocking the summer sun but letting winter light in IS perfection. In the climate here it can be quite pleasant on the south side of tall evergreen screens on many winter days.

On urban or other small lots too bad for the neighbor to the north(!), but a towering wall of greenery is out of scale in a narrow space anyway.

I just read your post and I am in the same situation right now! I realize this post is from 5 years ago so I'm wondering how it worked out for you? Do you have any pictures? My backyard backs right up to the side of my neighbors house and I don't want to plant anything that will intrude too much over the fence and therefore onto their side but I also want to keep as much yard as possible on my side all while getting some privacy screening. I've been going back and forth between evergreens or deciduous. All the quick growing evergreens would provide great privacy but are all so wide especially at the bottom I feel like it would take a great amount of our yard away. We also get full sun along the fence line too. Anyway I read your question and I thought yes this is exactly what I am wondering about! haha anyway if you get a sec let me know how it worked out!

thanks!