Hey sorry took so long to get back. I'm actually in zone 5 we do get snow in the winter over here. the soil is kind of compact with rocks 6" down and mixture of clay. it rains mostly in the spring time with little snow. I live in an area where there is no HOA so that wouldn't be a big problem on the tree size. was thinking of a tree that could be around 20ft high or so just something to get some shade and block neighbor view. color doesn't really matter possibly something low maintenance. the yard is about 61ft side to side and from the patio to the fence its about 30ft. I was planning on just putting the trees in and deciding if i wanna just put planters around them or just maybe killing off the grass back by the fence and putting something in, not really sure yet. might expand my patio in the future but nothing in the work, no deck or covering. Thanks everyone for the help!

I also have seen reports that 'Smaragd' Emerald Green do not go brown in the winter. There are some other arborvitae cultivars which are reported to brown in the winter. That person may have gotten the Emerald greens confused with those cultivars. It, also, could be that in your area the Smaragds get so stressed in the winter that they do turn brown. I have a screen of thuja 'Green Giants' which all winter stay a nice color for me situated on the north side of our neighbor's two story house. But my friend has a 3 foot high row of the same cultivar of my trees planted along the south side of her 7 foot tall privacy fence. Her trees while they were trying to get established did change color last year. Not exactly brown, but more of a burgundy shade. They greened back up the following spring and summer, and we are still waiting to see if hers will stay green over the coming winter.

I wouldn't recommend quaking aspen due to it's spreading habit. Some trees I think would look good are: cercis canadensis cornus florida cornus florida 'rubra' magnolia x soulegna acer palmatum 'bloodgood' cornus alternifolia I know someone will suggest them so I will go ahead and throw it out there: Fruit trees (even ornamentals) have numerous diseases that cannot be controlled without a spraying program.

Well, we are putting in new sod so I was going to have the sod extend out further to this side of the fence and have a 3 foot planter area put in along the fenceline. I would like to put some sort of tree along this side of the fence for privacy from the main road that is behind our back fence. I'm unsure where to place the trees for it to look balanced with the existing plants (crepe myrtle and large mock orange) that are on the other side of the light pole. Is a 3 foot planter sufficient for trees? I was thinking smaller, narrower trees that wouldn't overcrowd the space but provide some shade and privacy from the road. For visual interest, I would like some perennials in the planter too. Hope this helps.