Do you know the actual dimensions of the yard? Photos can be misleading to size, but help greatly to see how items may effect plants :D.

Renee, good question. I'll have to find out as I have no idea.

Is the soil sandy, compacted, or soggy? How patient are you?

If I was in England, I'd totally go for variegated English holly. Small shade tolerant evergreen tree that provides year-round privacy. Slow growing, so you would need patience. (Anything fast growing would probably either outgrow the spot fast or be short lived)

Some kinds of magnolia would likely work.

English holly is not a very friendly gardening tree :-) Leaf drop is nearly year round and they are SHARP!! If there are children present - and the photo would seem to indicate that - prickly holly is not a great choice. They also grow to a rather significant size and faster than you might expect.

It seems that the primary screening need is to hide the view of the large structure behind the swing set and for that you would need a relatively large but not necessarily wide tree. I really like European hornbeams for this function, especially the very narrow, columnar ones (Carpinus betulus 'Frans Fontaine'). While they are not evergreen, their very twiggy, dense and upward branching habit provides pretty effective screening even in winter when they are out of leaf. I might add some other more shrubby evergreen plant material in other areas to soften the fence line and provide some additional privacy from the neighboring properties. Most broadleaved evergreen shrubs will tolerate routine pruning well to keep size - and this case, spread/width - in check.

There doesn't seem to be much of anything other than lawn growing back there :-) YOU need to make the choice of how much of that real estate can be given over to planting areas versus how much should be reserved for the kids' play area. If you can find a copy, John Brookes' Garden Design Workbook (a UK publication), will guide you through the process of converting a rather compact walled back garden into a very lush, private and useful garden sanctuary.

Personally, in a small garden with kids I wouldn't plant holly because of the leaves. They are very painful to tread on and to handle when gardening and they fall all year round. (However, I have to confess a personal dislike of variegated hollies, they're basically tough old car park fillers imo) But you might think they're worth it ;-)

I'd look at Arbutus unedo, small cultivars of evergreen magnolia, Ceanothus 'Trewithin Blue' or Cotoneaster salicifolius. Bay is easy and useful and Loquat is hardy in most areas too. In the unlikley event you have acid soil and are in fairly mild area Eucryphias are lovely.This is the RHS list of trees for small gardens.

This is an Arbutus unedo growing near me. Probably about 30 - 40 years old and it won't get any bigger. Lovely bark, evergreen, white flowers and orange red fruits.

You could also add trellis to the walls and grow a wide variety of climbers. There are several evergreen ones you could grow. eg Clematis armandii or Akebia quinata.

So no idea about climate for you but...

For a deciduous option, Cornus mas 'Golden Glory' may be worth considering. Typically shrub/multi stem versions are available.

Another deciduous option that has more multi seasonal interest and won't get nearly as tall, but will get close to their mature heights rather quickly.

http://www.classicviburnums.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/plants.plantDetail/plant_id/7191/index.htm

http://www.classicviburnums.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/plants.plantDetail/plant_id/7053/index.htm

it won't get any bigger

So, what, it's made of plastic or silk?

No - you are being disingenuous Embo. You know perfectly well an Arbutus unedo is never going to get much bigger than that one. It has reached its maximum size. Yes, it will continue to grow in tiny increments but it will not get much bigger than it is now. Perhaps I should have said 'taller' rather than bigger. It might spread but it will never be a forest tree.

I gave all evergreens suggestions, as requested. There are dozens and dozens of deciduous options. Sorbus, Malus, Crataegus, Betula, Prunus etc. Viburnums prunifolium and dentatum aren't widely grown or available here but plenty of others are. I wouldn't use Cornus mas in such a small garden due to its lack of interest when not flowering and its spread. I agree that something fastigiate in the far corner would screen the side wall of the house beyond. Prunus amanogawa is one possibility. The RHS list I linked to has many others.

p.s. GG and I must have been posting simultaneously before. We clearly agree on the unsuitability of Holly.

I like edlincoln's suggestion. I am thinking about planting some variegated english holly myself. I would go with some fastigiates (do you want shade?). There are some nice fastigiate english oak and one of my favorites European Beech 'Dawyck Purple'. If you want shade, you could go with some maples, like 'Autumn Blaze.

Cornus mas has flowers, berries and bark interest. That equals mas interest to me.

You can occasionally get decent fall color as well.

Also 'Golden Glory' is a narrow selection.

Just sayin, since you called it out!

Cornus mas is a nice tree, but I don't think it will really work for privacy. They will probably only get a few feet over the fence/wall.

Heh?

Its actually a fairly fast grower when young and will achieve upwards of 20'. Similar to Carpinus caroliniana. But yeah it won't quickly block that building.

Just throwing an option out there for babyindie to consider.

It would be nice for the middle of the yard, to provide some shade and spring interest.

The OP is in the UK. In our climate Cornus mas is not a reliable fruiter and Autumn colour is also not a given. It depends very much on the weather. Fall colour is a biggy in the US but here, although nice when we get it, for most species it is not a major criterion for plant choice, unless there is some other interest. I would only grow it, even this particular cultivar, if I had a lot of space to play with. Because it is native it isn't much used in gardens. If you click on the link to the RHS list of suggested trees for small gardens there are several Cornus mentioned but not C mas. There are far more interesting choices imo. But the OP can decide for him/herself. We don't know where they are located. If we did there might be some gardens to recommend that s/he could visit to get a few ideas.

Logan, shade is of limited interest in our climate.

Here is a wild Cornus mas growing on the banks of the River Thames. Photo taken in the first week of March.

Wow, thank you all so much. Lots of ideas to ponder over. Just for information. I'm in Kent, not far from Canterbury. We get some good spells of sun this way but also the wind can get pretty strong too. Any ideas what to do with the front. Couple of suggestions were for pillar shaped evergreens either side of the door and a climbing rose or similar along wall. I would love to have some type of evergreen on the house or something like wisteria or Ivy? Good idea or too much? The yellow bricks are a public path. Everything behind the railings and along wall I can plant something.

Since you have a neo-Georgian front I think the clipped evergreen cones or balls in containers would suit very well. Bay or Box would be the classics. Choose a good sized, good quality container. Small ones, especially plastic (aaarrgghh), can look pathetically stingy and out of scale. Versailles tubs look great but aren't cheap.

Any climber will need regular maintenance. Most posters here are in the US and lots of them have a deadly fear of Ivy and Wisteria and also of anything sticking to the house walls. ('Siding' is a big issue). So they may come back with negative responses on those ideas. You need to differentiate between things which would stick by themselves and those which you would need to provide support for. Roses and Wisteria would be in the second category. If you face South or West Fremontodendron californicum is an evergreen option in your neck of the woods. Whatever you choose make sure the support is robust and well anchored. Nothing looks worse than flimsy trellis half hanging off after a year or so. Horizontal properly strained wires would be best. Research how to do it properly. Having said that what might look good on a formal front is espaliered fruit trees like Plum, Apple, Cherry or, if you face S and are prepared to spray, Grape, Peach or Nectarine. However, the windows would present a challenge to training.

I would suggest you look around at other people's wall shrubs and climbers and see if there's anything you fancy. You live in the Garden of England so there should be plenty to choose from. Can you get to Sissinghurst? You can find gardens to visit here: National Gardens Scheme, Kent.

The other question is how much effort you want to put in. Formal hedging goes well with the Georgian Style but looks terrible if you don't put in a lot of effort to maintain it.

Edlincoln, I don't think I'll have the time for much formal hedging with two small kids running round, as much as I love the idea.

Babyindie1 - I wouldn't worry about maintenance. It really isn't that big a deal. We aren't talking about a whole hedge here. And even if it were that is little effort with a hedge clipper.

A few box balls don't take much maintenance. I have several and clip them once or twice a year. It takes minutes. Espaliers or climbers would demand more work. But not a huge amount of time would be needed. Maybe a couple of hours a year.

Formal hedging is nothing. Walk the yard and prune off small sprouts as they appear (maybe weekly) and it will never be too much work.

True, I don't travel a lot, not enough money (plus I'm not getting on a plane LOL). This is why I suggested the english oak and european beech because I thought that they may be well suited to your british climate. Please correct me on this if I am wrong.

'Please correct me on this if I am wrong.'

OK. You are wrong, Logan. Oak and beech, even fastigiate ones, are totally ludicrous suggestions for this tiny suburban garden. As too is Autumn Blaze. Did you look at the size of the plot? It isn't at all helpful to make such suggestions to someone who may not be well versed in gardening and could be utterly misled.

I've been thinking about Ivy for the front of the house but a little worried by its reputation, is there any other evergreen climber I could use for the house to give it a similar look ?

NO NEVER IVY! I have seen it cover 80+ft tall trees (norway spruce).

Logan, ivy is a very common adornment to structures in the UK, where it is a native species and does not have the rapacity of growth it does in many areas of the US. Once again, an ill-advised statement concerning growing conditions you have no knowledge about.

btw, the OP was not asking about planting it to grow up a tree............

Imagine it growing up a house. Over the windows.......

I may have overreacted with my statement but I wouldn't call it ill advised.

Sorry, Logan. Wrong again. Ivy grows to the tops of trees here too. But it is a native species with an important ecological role. So please don't spread damaging misinformation. 'Imagine it growing up a house.' No need to imagine it, Logan. Plants are frequently grown up buildings here and, amazingly, we have the sense to trim them around the windows.

babyindie1 - ivy is a possibility but obviously it will need regular maintenance to keep it away from windows and, eventually, the roof. There are variegated and fancy leaved cultivars if that appeals. It will not damage the house provided your mortar is in good condition, despite what some people will tell you. That said it is not a very interesting choice. Parthenocissus quinquefolia, P henryana or P tricuspidata are other self clinging creepers which you could try but they are not evergreen. There are cultivars of variegated Euonymus which are evergreen. Emerald Gaiety is one. If you are prepared to provide a trellis Clematis armandii, Freemontodendron californicum, Ceanothus and Trachelospermum jasminoides are all evergreen and will flower too. Other possibilities are trained Pyracanthas and I have a personal soft spot for Cotoneaster horizontalis, although it is very common. At this time of year a Winter Jasmine growing through whatever else you decide to grow it always a cheerful sight. I would really suggest you visit some gardens and take a look at some of these plants growing in situ to get an idea of what they will look like in a few years.

It can become a nuisance in the landscape. Native or not. That's like saying I will plant virginia creeper and poison ivy to grow up my house because they are wonderful natives.

Logan - perhaps it has slipped your mind that the OP is in the UK and it is his/her garden under discussion. Your last post is wrong in every particular for UK conditions.