Help! What would you plant here?

[Whatwouldnanado]

We need a small tree, things to soften the fence without taking up too much of the lawn and ideas for the edge of the pond. Really want to create privacy too.

First which way does it face?
Second do you really want a tree or would a shrub/bush do as it would cover the fence so softening the whole way down?

Thank you for responding! We are starting again after extending our kitchen. The back of the house faces south, so the fence area is quite shady. We removed an apple tree which had become unproductive from the corner so need something else to blot off the gable of the nearby property but not sure what? We really don't want a hedge. We have been given a white camelia though, unsure where this should go.Thinking more a mix of climbers?

crab apple tree has nice flowers in spring.
rowan tree (sorbus) has nice berries in winter.

Both are good for small gardens & won't get too big.
Plant a tree now for it to get started before winter.

For climbers - clematis are always good but some can get much too big.

For the Camelia - do you live in an area with acid soil? If so, you could plant it as a wall shrub in front of the fence. it likes shade in the morning. But if you don't have acid soil, then keep the camelia in a big pot with ericaceous compost.

Betula utilis var Jaquemontii is another possibility - a silver birch with stunning white bark. Being a birch, the foliage isn't too dense, so the effect is to break up the eyesore rather than block it out, and to bring the eye forward to focus on the bark and the tree, rather than the eyesore.

If it were me, I'd plant the tree a bit forward of the corner, in line with the edge of the gable and that area of blank wall above it, then the natural thing to do is to look at the tree, and although the gable is still visible to the left, the eye isn't drawn to it.

When you say "ideas for the edge of the pond" what do you mean? Do you mean the bits where there are no slabs around the base?

Thank you. We had considered a Sorbus, lovely, but wanted something a bit more unusual (lots of Rowan around here) so the Silver Birch idea is great.
We had been encouraged to include planting pockets at the base of the pond so yes, suggestions for the gaps please!
We intend to make a narrow bed along the long edge of the grass on both sides. We like white, soft pinks and purples with reds for Autumn. I had considered an evergreen honeysuckle for the fence behind the swing seat and a David Austin Gertrude Jekyl / Mostom Hall combo with some catmint and box in beside it. Don't want anything too messy at the end of the pond.
Also any ideas for a focal point in the middle of the fence? Thank you! My family are rather leaving choices to me so it's nice to have fresh ideas.

Jaquemontii birch is much more popular than it was when I planted mine- you now see it even in commercial plantings.

Another possibility is a maple - perhaps a snakebark species with a green trunk with white markings. They don't like full sun or wind, so I'm not sure it's suitable.

Round the base of the pond I'd be putting something low and slightly creeping, so it would cover the edge of the planting pocket and look as if it had arrived by itself. Aubretia, maybe a thyme or golden marjoram, that sort of thing. In a similar position in my garden we have alpine strawberries - they did just arrive by themselves!

If you've only got a narrow bed along the fence, you won't want shrubs or vigorous perennials - they'll grow over the lawn and it'll be difficult to keep the grass tidy. Perhaps climbers or things that can be espaliered. Lonicera henryii is a lovely evergreen honeysuckle with subtle peachy flowers followed by black berries, but is very vigorous - you'll have to be careful to keep it in check. Mine has now rooted over a length of 20m, and the trunk is 6inch dia. There's another evergreen honeysuckle with much smaller leaves, and that has cascades of purple berries.

Think hard about the box. There's some pest/disease rife, and the RHS has been running trials of suitable alternatives. They suggest alternatives like the small shrubby Loniceras or Ilex crenata.

Thank you! Funnily enough I was given a tiny Alpine strawberry plant grown from seed by a friend and it has thrown out lots of runners. I wondered about something taller in the pockets by the pond too, with wildlife in mind...