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I added a small tressel this past weekend just to give the backyard some personality :)

A fence isn't going to do it, unless your zoning allows them 15 feet tall. As it is now, your yard is exposed because you don't have any trees. Figure out where you plan to sit/hang out/party/work when you are using your backyard, and then note where a strategically placed small to medium sized tree will block your neighbor's view of you, and yours of their windows. Then check with your local nurseries to see what is available that won't get too big for your small yard, won't create maintenance problems (messy fruit dropping, invasive roots or seedlings), research the trees to learn more about them (ultimate size, the truth about their habits that a seller might not want to tell you and kill the sale) and then choose. Beware of trees that are advertised as "fast growing" because some of them produce trees with weak wood that create more problems down the road in the form of holes in your roof and bills from the tree removal guys.

I've never lived in TX, so can't recommend a specific tree, but something that tops out at 30-40 feet, is pyramidal or slightly columnar rather than spreading in shape, and which throws a light rather than dense shade. I'd go deciduous, if possible. Or, you can get something that is more spreading and plan to limb up and sit under it rather than beside it, but it may take a long time to get tall enough if you don't buy a large specimen to start.

Thanks! I have a large side yard but directly behind the house that is pictured is where I hope to one day have patio furniture and maybe a small arbor for shade. One of the neighbors has 2 big weeping willows along the fence and it "protects" them some what. I wonder if there are some that stay green year round so I wont be bare in the winter??

Thanks for your advice on the trees - I was going to a different path and a tree or trees might be a better option. I will have to check with the local nursery and see if they will be upfront with me :)

Bamboo is a great source of privacy, fast growing and thick. Ask your nursery about what varieties would do well in your area.

Put in root barrier first if you plant any running kinds. Planting clumping kinds only would be safest.

Saypoint gave you some excellent advice above. I can understand your interest in an evergreen tree for 4-season screening, but I think you'll find that the appropriate tree (or trees) will give you the sense of enclosure and privacy that you desire, and you'll be surprised how effective even bare branches can be. There are many trees that have interesting bark coloration or other features for winter interest as well.

You might check with your local Agricultural Extension Office - ours put together a publication of 50 small to medium-sized trees especially well suited to the home landscape and our region, with thorough descriptions of each. Such a resource would be a big help to you. If there's an arboretum or botanical garden in the area you can visit to get an idea of how some of these look "in person" when they're mature. Trees are planted for the long haul ... do your research now for years of satisfaction ahead.

Evergreens are nice, but they are usually full width right down to the ground, which takes up additional space in the yard. They look best left natural, but even if you do "limb them up" to reclaim the space beneath once they reach a sufficient size, you are not going to be able to grow the lawn under them, because the shade is too dense.

Depends on what you want the end result to be.

Another option is an overhead structure like a pergola, but they can be very expensive for a nice one. A sail type sun shade is another option, you can do a web search, but I don't think they're inexpensive either. This would be more like hanging out under a large umbrella, but better than nothing.

A few hundred dollars will probably get you a good size specimen if you choose a tree, and even a thin, light canopy that is not filled out will give you a feeling of privacy that you don't have now.

Chinese Pistache fits some of the criteria.

For a wedding, you might also consider renting a tent structure that you could keep open on a couple of sides, but oriented so that roof and sides shielded guests from view.

Great ideas - thank you all for your advice! I have lots of homework to do now!!

I dont feel as "desperate" anymore and feel like I can get something accomplished without selling one of the children :)

thanks jkom but it looks like the oleanders are posionious and I have small dogs that are not smart enough not to eat plants :)

I am wondering if I did a Wax Mrytle if that might work - the man in the nursery said they do well in my area. I would probably only need 4 once they were mature and then could use the rest of the area for flower beds for color? I sure do wish I had a natural nack for this stuff!

Did you mention what part of Texas you are located in? As the state is so big, it is difficult to recommend specific plants that will do as well in all parts of the state. From your photo, it looks like you might be in the Dallas area? The other general question I would pose is whether you want year round shade from a tree/trees, or just summer shade? I'd suggest a great book on Texas natives, if you want to maybe use things that are really well adapted to Texas, although if you are keeping the lawn long term, you have more options, as you will be watering during summer. There is a book called Native Texas Plants, Landscaping Region by Region, authors Sally Wasowski and andy Wasowski, which you could probably find at your local library.

If you just wanted some fast growing screen trees for immediate impact, you might consider evergreens such as Callistemon citrinus/Bottlebrush, Eriobotrya japonica/Loquat, or Ligustrum lucidum/Evergreen Privet. Deciduous trees include a lot more possibilities, and Albizia julibrissin, Catalpa, Fraxinus, Gleditsia, Parkinsonia, Robinia, Sapium could all be considerations.

You could also consider planting a grove of smaller sized flowering trees as a backdrop to your patio and to frame views against the fence. Winter deciduous trees such as Crepe Myrtles or Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy' are both pretty fast growing without getting too big, and would still give you sun in winter, with plenty of privacy and color in spring/summer/fall.

If you tell us where in Texas you live, I am sure people could give you more specific suggestions appropriate to your local microclimate.

I can recommend wax myrtle which does well in my zone. They're shrubs that can be pruned to look like multi-trunked trees. They grow fairly quickly (I have some that went from 2-ft to 10-ft in about 5 years) but you might need to plant fairly large ones to have them growing above your fence in two years.

Wax myrtle, mixed with Duranta erecta--which is not evergreen, but grows fast and has pretty blue flowers followed by golden berries--along with a crape myrtle or two would be pretty.

Chinese pistache has lovely fall color, but is listed as invasive by the city of Austin.

It also helps to walk or bike around your neighborhood and look carefully at what is growing and looks good to you. Take a photo if you see something you like and get an ID here if you can't identify it yourself.

Especially in older neighborhoods, you can see what the plant will look like when it is mature and you'll have an idea how big it will eventually get.

Here in postage-stamp-lot land, people plant large trees and eventually spend a fortune on trimming or removal when what they really need for screening is a shrub in the 15-20' tall range.

Your comment that your neighbor has 2 weeping willows is a little scary. Those will get as big as your house eventually. I hope they are not too close to your property.