nothing really stops growing at some magical height ... most height estimates are at 10 years... and they chug right past that forever.. at the annual growth rate ... plant something that excites you .. and in 10 or 20 years ... remove it.. rather than go with something ugly because it fits ... now.. a few more facts besides height and light.. and maybe we can help better .... shade is really hard to describe in words ... what if any actual sun??? you might want to check in the tree.. and conifer forums also .... redbud is a smallish tree.. that flowers in spring.. understory aka shade tree ... though deciduous in winter .. ken

I think you will probably get privacy the fastest by installing a trellis, even if your evergreen climber will take awhile to cover it. The trellis can be really "closed," or tightly-built, so the trellis itself is screening you off. Unless you can afford really large shrubs, you will have to wait many years for them to attain a good height for screening. You could always install some bamboo fencing in the meantime, (inexpensive, pretty easy to install) just for the seating area, and remove it when the shrubs are tall enough. Evergreen trellis vines: I can think of climbing hydrangea, and akebia. BUT, akebia seems to be a thug/invasive for warmer zones, I don't know if you count. Here, it's not. A note about bees: if you are not allergic or truly afraid of them, I don't think you need to be concerned about their presence. I have dozens of bees in my Agastache, and I brush past it several times a day and they don't move. But my BF got stung by walking barefoot on the grass (by a yellowjacket, not a bee). Just something to think about! (and no, he doesn't walk barefoot anymore)

sky pencil holly.

Have you thought of trying Ceanothus thyrsiflorus? This small tree might not get as tall as you want, but can easily grow to 20ft. It grows fairly quickly and has wonderful blue flowers. This plant is a native to coastal Southern Oregon, but can take quite a bit of cold so it might do well for you. I can't imagine them being very expensive either. Ligustrum lucidum is another fairly fast broadleaf evergeen that works well as a natural or formal hedge. It does much better in Southern Oregon than in the Seattle area for some reason. Here is a picture of a Ligustrum lucidum a couple of hundred yards from my house. It was cut down this year unfortunately. Here is a link that might be useful: Ceanothus thyrsiflorus