Shrubs should be planted in such a way that when they are mature, they do not touch the side of the house. So, you need to figure the mature wideth and plant accordingly. Of course, it will look small and lonely for awhile, but plants mashed against the side of the house are bad for the house and bad for the plant. They don't look very good either.

Thought this might be interesting... Here's a list of the officially approved small city street trees for the city of Philadelphia (the entire list, including larger trees, is linked below). I don't 100% agree with all of the selections on the list. Some are less urban tolerant than others, and several have shown invasive tendencies that I'm not comfortable with. cb Small Trees - (mature height under 30') Acer buergeranum -- Trident Maple Acer campestre -- Hedge Maple Acer ginnala -- Amur Maple Acer tataricum -- Tatarian Maple Acer griseum -- Paperbark Maple Amelanchier x grandiflora -- Serviceberry Carpinus caroliniana -- American Hornbeam Cercis canadensis -- American Red Bud Chionanthus retusus (tree form) -- Chinese Fringetree Chionanthus virginicus (tree form) -- Fringetree Cornus florida -- Flowering Dogwood Cornus kousa -- Kousa Dogwood Cotinus obovatus (tree form) -- American Smoke Tree Crataegus crusgalli var. inermis -- Thornless Cockspur Hawthorn Crataegus laevigata "Superba" -- English Hawthorn Crataegus x lavallei (tree form) -- Lavalle Hawthorn Crataegus phaenopyrum (tree form) -- Washington Hawthorn Crataegus viridis "Winter King" -- Winter King Green Hawthorn Oxydendrum arboreum -- Sourwood Prunus serrulata "Shirotae" -- Mt. Fuji Cherry Prunus subhirtilla "Autumnalis"-- Autumn Flowering Cherry Prunus subhirtilla "Rosy Cloud" -- Rosy Cloud Cherry Prunus virginiana -- Common Chokecherry Prunus virginaina "Schubert" -- Canada Red Chokecherry Stewartia koreana -- Korean Stewartia Stewartia monadelpha -- Tall Stewartia Syringa reticulata "Ivory Silk"-- Japanese Tree Lilac Syringa reticulata "Summer Snow" -- Japanese Tree Lilac Here is a link that might be useful: (entire) Philadelphia Street Tree list

teka2rjleffel, Japanese Fern trees are pretty common, so you should be able to find them at most nurseries that sell trees. If not you can try a place out in Loxahatchee called D'Asign Source Botanicals. Don't know how big your budget is, but if you are looking for a really cool looking tree you might consider Caesalpinia ferrea (Leopard Tree), Bulnesia arborea (Vera wood tree) or Guaiacum sanctum (Lignum Vitae). All have the lace like leafs you like and all can be pruned to keep them small. Another really cool tree, but more of a statement then a shade tree is Brya ebenus (Jamaican rain tree). This is one of my favorites. It is overwhelming how many cool tropical trees there are.

Thank you for the suggestions. I went to the nursery today and couldn't find any of those trees, but I saw a crab apple tree (Malus floribunda) that might be suitable. I understand they can be heavily pruned to maintain the desired shape. It is a deciduous tree but I guess that's ok. drrich2, do you think the fence would be a problem or would shaping the tree and cutting off branches keep it under control?