Amazing the many shades of green in nature. Great picture! DL

No, don't apologise, this is fun!.. As I think you can see in the Redoute painting and the photo I mentioned earlier (I'm sorry, I'm too techno-challenged to even know how to post a link!) whole new little flowers can come through the button eye; the phenomenon was known as 'childing' by early botanists (as in, making baby flowers...). I think from studying photos, etc. that the first bits of green that poke through may be sepals which can potentially surround/develop into buds of a new 'child'. There certainly seems to be a lot of feathery green action going on in some gallica/damask/centifolia examples - you can see this better in another Redoute painting: Rosa Agatha Prolifera in WikiGallery ... But I'm no expert; I've only seen it in the R. paintings and in a few photographs, and read up on it a bit. Comtesse :¬)

Maybe something like a grouping of 3 columnar hornbeams would work. I use these frequently in designs for privacy screening as they are available in a decent size already for a modest cost, grow pretty rapidly, do not take up much real estate and are less oppressive than a planting of coniferous evergreens. I favor Carpinus betulus 'Frans Fontaine', which comes highly recommended for this area by Great Plant Picks. Readily available at 10-12' to begin with, should hit 20' within 5 years. And stays quite tight and narrow...the crown seldom wider than 10'. And while they are deciduous, the have such a dense, upward growing branch structure they provide decent screening even when leafless in winter (and when privacy concerns are less pressing). Bright gold fall color and virtually NO pest or disease issues. btw, I used 3 of these for fenceline screening in a back garden one quarter the size of yours!! On their second year, they have already put on about 18" of growth and the client loves them!

I was searching for a source for seeds earlier this year but didn't have any luck. If you do find seeds, please post!