Knowing where you are in zone 6 might matter and a few pix would help us envision your vision.

tj

Also knowing something about the spacing between the property line and the deck would help. It would also help to know if the terrain is flat or you are on a hill side where your neighbors are looking down into your deck

If you are 4' from the line that dictates one solution, if you are 400' from the line that is something else all together.

4' about the only thing that would work is a bamboo mat hung on that side. 400' and there is an infinite number of solutions.

with trees and conifers.. we talk in tree time ... which is counted in decades ... and thats a very long time to grow something to 12 feet and then lets say 8 feet beyond that.. to actually create the sight line screen ...

even if you start with huge very expensive transplants.. its still going to take a long time for them to get fully established and start growing again ...

big city name.. will hone us in on where you are ...

most likely .. your quick fix is something like this .. which will give you the years you need to grow the trees you will need .. you will have an instantaneous solution to your problem ...

ken

https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffnt&q=patio+drapes&iax=images&ia=images

Thanks! I totally spaced on that! Will try to get a decent picture when I get home.

We are in Kansas City region, at the closest point to the deck, the fence is probably 21ft from the deck, it then widens from there like a pie piece. At the back end, we do have a sunset maple that is probably 20ft from the fence.

Was thinking of having some plants in containers on the deck, while things in the yard grow :)

I am very fond of Carpinus 'Frans Fontaine' for privacy screening and use it often in my garden designs. It is easily obtainable in a decent size (10-12 footers are very common) and because of its narrow profile, can be planted in pretty tight spots. The canopy typically starts right about the top of most fence heights :-)

It seems counter-intuitive to use a deciduous tree for screening purposes but it has a very dense and upright branching structure that provides decent screening even in winter when the tree is out of leaf.

While the structure of the deck is wood, the floor of the deck is a wood colored synthetic material.

I went ahead and picked up 3 franz Fontaine hornbeams.

How far would you space them out on centers if I want them to be close, but still distinguishable as separate trees. (Don't want them to become an actual hedge per se)

Thanks!

what are hollies going to do...sneak into your house at night and murder your dogs and children?

you know some hollies are less spiny!