I totally agree bboy, that was one reason I started this post. He did such a nice job on everthing else, I don't understand why he tried to squeeze in such large shrubs. He used three total, two are elsewhere in the yard. I like the idea of using another Heptacodium, thought of that myself earlier. While it may not fully block, it will provide some screening and they are such nice trees. Or... Someone else mentioned Viburnum Prauge. I could replace all of the Portguese Laurels with V. Prauge, maybe adding a fourth near the Heptacodium. These would be more in size with my property and thus less pruning. I read these could be grafted or layered, tell me what does that mean? If I decide to order four of these I need to be sure what I'm asking for. Thanks again.

If oaks doing good there native kalmias and rhododendrons should live there as well. If you'll go for the mix of evergreens and deciduous shrubs/trees, add clethras that will suck extra moisture, if any. I have combo of evergreens (kalmias + rhododendrons + azaleas + leucothoe) and deciduous shrubs( kerria + iteas + clethras + buttlebrush buckeye + hydrangeas paniculata) in area where water could stay for a week or so in a spring and for couple of days after the heavy rain in a summer and all of them doing GREAT. Note: kalmias, rhodies and azaleas planted high, probably 7-8" above soil level. If you will be willing to settle for non-native, but very fast growing screening tree, you might be interested in Leyland cypress (Cupressocyparis leylandii). Research it well and plant at your own risk as most likely you'll have to prune it more often than you may expect.

Gosh that's tricky. I'm thinking of my own similar spots in our yard that have full sun. We've got a silverado sage in one tiny area, and I just prune it back once every few years. If you can wire the fence, maybe a lady banks rose. No thorns, evergreen, but you'd have to wrap it onto the wires initially and prune it heavily once a year to keep it from going too wild. Could you do a small tree that leaves head room for the walkway area? A lorapetalum pruned into a tree would work, and you could even prune a variegated privet into a small tree. Argentine Senna... can't remember if that's evergreen but I'm thinking it's not. Nandina is also a good suggestion. If you chop it back once a year, you could put a knock-out rose in that spot. Coralberry might not give you as much height as you want, but it's evergreen and gets gorgeous fuchsia berries. Mine are only in partial sun and are about 3' high. Virginia sweetspire? Not sure if it's evergreen here or not. Seems like it loses leaves at a certain point. Pyracantha? Cotoneaster?

Believe it or not, I have had luck with growing Rhododendron maximum around here - you do have to amend the soil a little bit, though. It's not technically native to Indiana, but it is native to Kentucky and Ohio - close enough for me! Another native evergreen is Mountain laurel, which actually is native to Indiana. It is slower growing than Rhododendron, but it is more adapted to the crazy temperature swings Indiana is known for.