Heritage house (1843) located on Yonge St. With Yonge St on the easr side, a pub and parking lot on the south side, it can be extremely noisy and litter can build up quickly. To the north of the parking lot on the property there are several garden areas requiring partial sun (peonies, spireria, bee balm). What trees would be best to reduce noise, hide litter and allow some sun on the gardens, would prefer a heritage evergreen. Zone 5, moist garden soil, no clay or sand. Thank you
How lovely to live in a heritage home. It is unfortunate to have to deal with noise and litter, and to have any obstruction of neighbouring gardens.
Below is an article written by Toronto Master Gardeners which lists evergreens suitable for barrier hedging. A dense hedge would also help to prevent litter from making its way into your garden.
In regard to allowing sunshine into the neighbouring gardens, this would depend on the height of the trees and their proximity to the other gardens. Trimming the hedge to keep it to a reasonable height may help in not limiting the light reaching the garden beds. evergreens for hedging
You might consider planting a deciduous hedge, such as a beech hedge or hornbeam. These can also be trimmed and kept tidy, will block wind and thus hold back the litter. A beech variety with a purple leaf will add colour to the yard.
Interplanting various flowering shrubs would add visual interest. Lilac, ninebark, sambuccus, all have various leaf colour and flower at various times.
Planting a hedge of native shrubs, such as serviceberries, would allow filtered light in, provide a barrier to the litter and have the added bonus of leaf colouring the fall, along with spring berries for the birds.
We wish you every success in choosing the right plants to meet all of your needs.