Yes, I'd hesitate on yews with their oh so tempting and toxic berries if my children were still that age... But what about beech, as Fairygirl suggests, which keeps its leaves in the winter? Slope the front face of it when cutting so as much sunlight as possible reaches the lower stems. With conifers, shade can often make them die in patches, other than yew, as mentioned. Also beech can be fairly cheap to put in.
As to your other view, since you already have trees either side I would be very careful about adding more trees between. They expand faster than you know--if that's a Magnolia grandiflora on the left, just look up the adult size (though, pro tip: you can shape this beast to size when you eventually need to). So, that leaves you with another kind of infill, and I totally agree with adding a line of trellis to the top of the fence, waving your neighbour a fond farewell as you put it up. Then the world is your oyster--put in some horizontal wires, and you can grow a wide range of climbers, deciduous or evergreen, and wall-trained shrubs. Eventually the trees will crowd these out, but not for a couple of decades.
thanks @Songbird-1 and @Cambridgerose12. I'm going to go for a trellis fill as suggested, then make a call on the yew/hornbeam/beech for the shady area next to the house
Yes, that's a grandiflora to the left of the gazebo and a Hoheria Sexstlosa on the right. I then have a Rowan, a pink strawberry tree and a damson next to that which I'm now worried are far too close to each other 🤔🙈
For the gap between the two trees, I would make a nice evening seating area with a canvas triangle over the top adding a bit more privacy and that way you can view the nicer parts of your garden which get light whilst sitting in a shaded area in the summer if the weather gets too warm.
Edit: You could even have a pergola above the seating area instead of the canvas which would still give you some privacy, but it would also allow you to grow plants up the pergola to a higher position where light levels would likely be better which would give you more growing options for that position of your garden.
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Fastigiate basically means upright growing.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
As to your other view, since you already have trees either side I would be very careful about adding more trees between. They expand faster than you know--if that's a Magnolia grandiflora on the left, just look up the adult size (though, pro tip: you can shape this beast to size when you eventually need to). So, that leaves you with another kind of infill, and I totally agree with adding a line of trellis to the top of the fence, waving your neighbour a fond farewell as you put it up. Then the world is your oyster--put in some horizontal wires, and you can grow a wide range of climbers, deciduous or evergreen, and wall-trained shrubs. Eventually the trees will crowd these out, but not for a couple of decades.
Yes, that's a grandiflora to the left of the gazebo and a Hoheria Sexstlosa on the right. I then have a Rowan, a pink strawberry tree and a damson next to that which I'm now worried are far too close to each other 🤔🙈
Edit: You could even have a pergola above the seating area instead of the canvas which would still give you some privacy, but it would also allow you to grow plants up the pergola to a higher position where light levels would likely be better which would give you more growing options for that position of your garden.