lilacs

A lilac tree? Just did some quick reading--sounds like a great possibility--I like that the tree is fragrant. Is there any particular variety that you would recommend? Thanks again.

don't do any ash....wont last at all

Love crepe myrtle but had read that the branches can be weak. Are they ok next to the house? Will consider next to the fence. Do they grow well in shade?

Redbud is too small and Ash wouldn't last.

Carpinus caroliniana ?

What about an arbor with vines as a temporary solution?

crape myrtle won't flower much in shade, if at all. their branches are not weak but they will drop a good bit of litter from the spent flowers, seeds and small twigs.

japanese maple sounds ideal. i would choose one that has an open form with horizontal branching. 'dura heat' river birch might be a possibility. supposed to grow smaller than the species and certain other cultivars. mine is a single-trunked specimen and has grown fast. disease resistant, too.

american hornbeam prefers some shade and grows to about 35'.

for the fence border, japanese yew would be an alternative. taxus cuspidata grows to about 40' but there are cultivars available that are smaller growing.

Something tall enough to block that view is going to also get wide. And for that space, you may not have room to plant something else closer to the deck.

For along the fence, maybe Cryptomeria or Thuja 'Green Giant'. But they are going to get over 10 feet in diameter, so you'd need to plant them at least 6-8 feet out from the fence. Other evergreens that you might consider would be Koehne hollies, Nellie Stevens holly, Oakleaf holly, Teddy Bear Magnolia, possibly Chindo viburnum if you are in a milder region. Of course plants in shade will not be very dense, nor grow as quickly.

Maybe you'd be better off with just one large yard tree like a full size Southern Magnolia that has ample room?

Crepe myrtle:

'Dynamite'

'Carolina Beauty'

'Natchez'

Is that overhanging your fence!? It really does look bad.

I would avoid ash. The borer is a plague to those. You might consider honey locust. It's shade tolerant and fast growing, although the spread might be too big for the space you have and it will only give you dapple shade rather than a dark shade.

I believe the only way you are going to get privacy on your deck is to plant something on the deck side of your yard. It looks like the house is being built on a fairly high foundations, plus the about 20' of house. (In looking at the pictures, I believe the house has two floors with high ceilings, not three.) Based on the viewing angle, you will need something a lot smaller at the deck. The small tree bush will take up less of your yard, and you will have your privacy quicker.

Depending on how high your deck is, the crown of a flowering cherry several feet from your deck would relatively quickly provide the privacy you need. Our 8 year old Yoshino Cherry is about 14 feet high, and it crown has grown large enough that in your space would provide the privacy you want.

It appears the house is quite close to the lot line. What are the building restrictions in your area. In our area permanent structures have to be a minimum of 10' from the lot line.

This is one situation where a wall of Thujas is a good idea. What are the setback requirements in your town? Did the builder follow them?

I think any medium flowering tree(s) planted along the side of your deck will be good. Redbud (not too small) and flowering dogwood both grow naturally in part shade, so would be good choices. You can check out magnolias as well, though I don't know about their sun requirements in your zone.

NHBabs, everything you suggested should do fine in zone 7. Depending on the amount of space magnolia x grandiflora may or may not be a good idea.

Thank you all for the wonderful ideas. I've requested that my husband and kids take me tree shopping for mother's day!

The builder did follow the setback requirements, which allow building quite close to the property line (7ft), and bays can even extend beyond that. Added to that our street is on a a slope, so next door the house is higher than ours. And worse yet, there is a bonus room one floor up that hasn't yet been framed.

We've scratched ash from our list and added some that were suggested. We plan to track the path of the sunlight in our little yard to get a better sense of how much sun that area will get, as well as how much light tree(s) would block in the rest of our yard and deck.

In the short-term, we will figure our a screen or trellis for the deck--as a couple of you suggested.

Thank you again for all of the suggestions. I really appreciate all the ideas.

Consider the evergreen Myrica cerifera (Wax Myrtle). Evergreen, should grow well in that protected area, can be heavily pruned as needed to control and tighten growth, lower branches on trunk can be removed if desired, very fast grower, tough large shrub/little tree. Needs a bit of extra moisture.

Put up a 30-foot wall and send the bill to the builder. On a serious note, you might want to get a petition going that sets a limit on the allowable maximum height of residential buildings in your town (in the interest of brevity, I'll refrain from expressing my personal opinion regarding the moral and ethical issues as they relate to these monstrosities).

Pretty obnoxious to just build a house with windows overhanging someones yard like that but it is what it is I guess, right? I have somewhat similar issues but knew so when we purchased.

It's not what I would have chosen but we live in a densely populated area with small lots...we try to focus on the benefits (like being able to walk to work) and have our fingers crossed that we'll have nice neighbors.

Nandira, thanks for the suggestion of the wax myrtle--didn't know about them. Seems to me that they have the shape of a deciduous tree but is evergreen...intriguing possibility. I can't tell from picture--are the leaves prickly (if you stepped on it with a bare foot)?

Yeah for sure. We are in the same predicament where we are. Have you thought about adding a privacy screen to your deck? The thing with trees is you might be waiting a decade to get what you want.

Like I said we are currently in a similar position so have been working a privacy screen. We also planted emerald cedars but it will be sometime before they do much good.

Frazzlehead...In answer to your question...Wax Myrtle has a very smooth leaf surface. Safe to plant where children and pets live.

Yes, some privacy screening is a must.

Thanks. Durkadurka, we are definitely considering a privacy screen. We were thinking of a solar screen but I am intrigued by the outdoor curtain idea too.

Cherry Laurels love shade and grow fast once established (evergreen shrubs to small trees) but are poisonous to dogs. I planted a row of them on my north side to block out a purple house on the hill, and will just take my chances that I don't get a stupid dog when I get another dog :) Camellias also love shade and they flower in the fall and winter. They are shrubs but really they are small trees, they do grow slow however. Tulip poplar would grow very quickly to reach for the light, and the leaves would get rather large in the shade. That tree gets big though! Also, a thought: drive around and look for houses in similar conditions... What is growing in those situations?! I “cheat" all the time this way with landscaping. Also, maybe you could befriend the new owner and convince them to grow cross vine or Virginia creeper on the side of their house? Think understory trees too, several people have mentioned some great ones (especially hornbeam/ironwood/musclewood, dogwood, and redbud). I would add serviceberry and beech to that list (although beech eventually gets large. It keeps its leaves in the winter).

Also, black gum is a pretty tree that is shade tolerant. I have had luck with mine putting on four feet of growth since I planted it last April.