We will soon have a new 2nd story deck, and along one side, we want to plant something tall to block the view of our neighbor's house. To do this, we'd like to buy a few large pots or planters to put along the railing on the deck's floor and plant either a tall shrub or small tree. We don't want to have to build a lattice above the railing for vines ... we prefer a small tree or shrub. This part of the deck is shaded through at least 50% of the day, so it should be a shrub or tree that can tolerate partial shade. And it should be suitable to be grown in a large planter or pot, so that rules out anything that has a large root system. Ideally, we'd like it to grow to about 6 feet or more. We live in Minnesota (is that zone 4?), so it needs to be a pretty hardy tree or shrub.
Can you think of any tree or shrub that would work? Preferably it should be fast growing and kind of dense, so it blocks the view of our neighbors house. Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated! And any tips you may have on what pots or planters would work particularly well for the recommended tree or shrub on the floor of a deck, would be welcomed!