Hot afternoon sun is problematic. Here in my area (zone 7a, central Delaware) nandina would thrive in this placement. Camillia would be doomed. Hollies, boxwood, pieris, all are good shrubs which will perform adequately in afternoon sun. Where are you in Georgia? Georgia ranges for zone 6b to 8b, I believe. This is a big range. You have an automatic sprinkler system? How often do you turn it on and for how long? For shrubs, once established, an infrequent but deep watering is preferable to frequent shallow watering which would promote surface roots and lead to drought intolerance. Improper watering can contribute to difficulty with shrubs. Pictures are most helpful. Christine

It really is ideal to leave 3' between the house and your shrubs. Try to picture as the new shrubs get larger you will have no space against your house at all. Consider making your foundation bed deeper and move the yews farther out so that you can put the upright shrubs against the house and still leave 3 to 4' for air flow and maintenance access for your house. No shrub wants to be jammed up against the wall of house with no circulation. I think the cannas you had there were flopping over because they were reaching out for more sun(they were too close to the wall). Also most houses have a roof overhang that keeps the area right next to the house dry-- too dry for most plants. That all being said some columnar plants... Juniper "sky pencil" or "Blue Arrow" (to 12') Buxus " Green Tower" (to 9' tall) Barberry "Helmond Pillar" (burgundy foliage-only to 5') Rhamnus "fine Line" (to 6'- not evergreen but a nice Lacey contrast to the yew) Good luck!

Sky Pencil Holly is really hard to find in the UK. I've tried. Degroots Spire also. I've not found any sources for it. Juniperus Sky Rocket will get much more than two feet in time and can end up 25 feet high. Is it your fence? If so I'd really consider getting that fixed first. Even a narrow plant will have roots going under the fence. And how will you maintain a ramshackle fence with something growing in front of it? You could try pleaching something i.e. having the trunks in front of the fence and the tops above it. Alternatively how about trellis and some sort of climber? Or I've seen a really successful fedge using ivy trained on wire netting. (And before we get a chorus of ivy hatred remember the OP is in the UK where ivy is native and not a problem.) I have a Cupressus sempervirens 'Totem' in a similar position but that is 90 cm from a well-built wall. Here is a link that might be useful: Totem

Degroots Spire evergreens can make a nice thick and narrow hedge of trees. They also can be used alone as accent trees or to soften the look of hard lines or corners often found in buildings. They are expensive, but will be well worth the investment if you purchase ones that are 5-6 feet tall, B&B ones that have been potted in 25 gallon containers, while being left in their burlap. Ask your nursery man how far to space them for the screening affect your desire. If the soil where you want to plant them drains fairly quickly then make certain to keep them watered when the rainy season is over. Do this summer and winter at least for the first three years after planting, and there after if you see any of their inner, or even worse, lower leaves turning brown. They probably would suffer too much of planted in soil that stays saturated for long periods of time.