- we are about 15 feet from a rural highway
- there is a giant window in our living room allowing everyone who drives by to see in
(obviously we have curtains, but my boisterous border collies keep knocking them down!)
So we really need the privacy of the buckthorn until I get something new in there

I don't think an evergreen would be a good idea because I have been told they don't do well in our area (ottawa valley) and although we have a few Norwegian pine on our property they are dropping and we havn't been able to find out why. Cedar is an option, but I'm under the impression they grow quite slowly.
Does anyone have any suggestions? I would like something that grow fairly quickly if possible, but because it is close to the house it shouldn't get too big.
A shrub would also be a good option as long as it will get tall (and we have both a lilac bush and a couple honey suckle that do quite well).
It's a NE exposure so doesn't get very much sun and does get quite a bit of snow & wind. Also it's at the top of the ditch so the water drains off.
We do have some beautiful silver maples I could easily get seeds off & plant, but again I'm worried they would grow too slowly & definitely get too big for the front of the house. There are two maples in front of the dining room that are quite lovely.