Hello Moomin. Thank you for posting your query. A planting design takes time, weighing up the site, your style and maintenance. Year round structure for aesthetics as well as screening and privacy come first. Always a shame when planting is an afterthought after landscaping! However this is very common and I've had some experience of planting design commissions after landscaping has been done. My initial thoughts do not take into account many things which can't be conveyed in one photo provided here (as designers we take into account the various views within the garden amongst other things) but I will outline here a sketchy response to demonstrate some considerations. There have been some good suggestions made above. Jonathandb1972 has a good one, planting a carefully selected tree, so the canopy softens (but not hides) the view of the conservatory behind. Olive could be an option but depends on the aspect given that your a fellow Yorkshire resident! Alternatively there's Pyrus salicifolia, or Prunus lusitanica the latter responding particularly well to pruning to retain the size. Always talk to your neighbour about your careful choices and help them to understand that you've considered maintenance.... And the benefit of planting for them! For best results a planter at least 50cm deep and nearly as much wide to help a tree flourish. Deeper would be better. Keeping a collection of containers of the same/similar material would unify the view. Perhaps allowing a climber up the adjacent wall which faces you when descending the steps? A third container might fit in the corner in front of the downpipe? Although the dimensions of space available would determine if this is possible. The dark colour of the fence is receding and also provides a lovely neutral colour to show off the foliage of the specimen. A very rough sketch is shown here in a version of your photo below. I've just done it on the iPad so is a bit rough and ready. In order to avoid the tree becoming too much of a focal point (you're trying to avoid looking at the building behind) a bold evergreen plant to the left corner next to the steps would draw your eye within the garden. This could then be balanced out with another one to the right of the tree or possibly one up the steps against the fence. This all depends on scale and space available. This would be my first draft concept but might well come to a different response when seeing the garden for real. Happy planting!

While white fencing isn't for me in a back garden, I have seen loads of pics here on Houzz with white fences and, although they mostly seem to be over in the USA (let's face it - they tend to have better daylight in parts of North America than we do in the UK) I do like the look of it, though. I especially like the whitewash appearance if you're going for a Cottage Garden as it adds a weathered appeal. I went for black in my garden which looks pretty stylish, especially with the greens and whites in front of it. I used to live in a house with a roof terrace and we were advised at the time to not use white on the inside of the parapet walls as it would glare too much. The chosen option for the wall was pale grey (before it was fashionable) and it worked really well. For this reason, I wouldn't have gone for white fence or white furniture.

Thanks, all of the above I reckon! Between B&C would definitely do well with arches and climbers, it could turn into more of a haven for the Robins to nest, and the rear of that garden already has climbers.... On the bend, I'm going to double secure it with a secondary gate and may pay to put up some "private land" signs to make it clear its not part of BT and someone owns it. BINS! We generate an enormous amount of recycling, and our 11yr old can make a mess with it to boot. The bins do go down the main driveway and I wont change that since its the best route, however that is all at the front entrance end of the house, rubbish going out via the living and office. I was thinking about putting a tidy bin enclosure next to the gate which is at the house end of the drive, across the way from the house. While the big pile of soil is out front (left by ex owner from digging garage foundations), the refuse ends up right outside my lovely new entrance in a mess. The only reason I considered the path for rubbish was convenience, regardless that it would still go all the way down the driveway once a week, as taking rubbish out would be right by the laundry/kitchen door because that is where the path is. Neighbour #3 are new, moved in yesterday. They have unruly bamboo up against their back wall. With that part of the path being say between wall and curb stone, which should keep it contained, I could suggest to them that we re-plant it in my path an free up the end of their garden and be able to see the nice wall they have. These would be far easier to remove then tree would be a long time down the line..... I just REALLY dont want to become responsible to have to go into BT with a hedge trimmer though.... Ive already got an ENORMOUS garden to maintain......hmmm

Virburnum tinus - evergreen shrub with white flowers in winter/spring There is a great Story on Houzz by Patricia Tyrrell called something like 10 trees suitable for a small garden which may help. It’s just that a lot of trees grow enormous with time and can engulf a garden. I’ve noticed one of your neighbours has already put one in. There aren’t many evergreen trees unless you go down the conifer route which can be a minefield! There are many shrubs that grow to 8-10 feet which may suit your garden. The RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) have a great website where you can search for Tall Evergreen Shubs, for example. They also tell you how easy, or not, they are to grow. I see a lot of pleached trees on Houzz etc, but I’ve read they do need shaping and training to keep them in check, so do need maintenance, Heres a few evergreen shrubs that may fit the bill. Ceanothus - evergreen with blue flowers in May Mahonia - evergreen with fragrant yellow flowers in spring Mallow - evergreenish with pink flowers in summer