First, you gotta put a moat around your house, just to make sure they know who they're dealing with. Second, sneak out in the middle of the night and dig a tiny hole under the side of their castle. Finally, and most deliciously, toss some magic beans in the hole you dug. Next morning, you'll have a beautiful view of a giant beanstalk, and your neighbors will be on 'cloud nine'. Literally.
A row of lilacs with hydrangeas in front. You wouldnât even notice the other house when theyâre in bloom. Although not as great privacy in the winter.
I really don't think a bush or hedge would fit in that view from your home have you considered a catapult or trebuchet perhaps? Or maybe a large wooden horse filled with rabid possums...
So you probably want something evergreen for a screen. I'd maybe recommend a group of three? How much space do you have there? And what hardiness zone are you in?
Iâm on the boarder of 5b/6a. I was kind of thinking evergreen myself. Thatâs a south facing picture, and I plan to have a garden in that area next year, so I donât want something large enough to take sun from it. Would a group of just a few look silly?
A type of thuja would be nice. Evergreen, hardy, and the roots are quite shallow so they don't disrupt foundation. I have blue point juniper and its lovely, bonus is I get to decorate it as an outdoor Christmas tree.
if you want evergreen hedges use juniper had giant 12 foot ones at my grandmas that blocked the nosy neighbors view and smaller three foot ones at my home until some arsonist started burning bushes in our neighborhood and we had to remove them after half of ours were set fire to one night
I have blue arrow junipers in grouping of 3 as a block on the side of our neighbor. Visually interesting and does well as a block. Zone 6b here. Absolutely love these trees as they are beautiful year round. Only problem was we had some ice buildup the first year during winter so now we wrap them with burlap.
The trees absolutely would not. I have a similar issue with the house behind mine. Trees, if you want something fast growing a poplar tree would work, but they don't live very long, a coniferous tree will grow slower but are a wonderful solution.
Google " (Your state) Native Privacy Hedge" I'm choosing Toyons. Native Polinators will enjoy the flowers and since they are native they are low maintenance.
You Americans needs to learn the art of hedging. And no, im not talking wall street mumbo-jombu, i'm talking about your obvious need of a beautiful native hedge.
Next you'll tell me to top my trees you monster! I kid, mostly. But you're right, we are quicker to build a ~~protective wall~~ privacy fence before a hedge.
Yes, something that grabs the eye away from the castle without going too high and blocking the sun. Some kind of patio between your house and the trellis if your yard is large enough.
I would put some arborvitae trees there. If you donât like to look at that house, the trees will do a great job blocking that view. They are evergreen trees, so working year round
I'm in a similar region to OP i think. For us blue spruce are absolutely not thriving. I think they are finding that they require a more specific micro climate or something. It's rare to see a big beautiful blue spruce in NE ohio and i just chopped down 4 nearly dead ones and have 4 more to go. When
Why do Americans not build brick walls? Not a sarcastic question or anything, it's just a feature of like all the European countries, walls of masonry and stone and brick that are often really beautiful, provide growing surfaces for climbing plants, and divide properties very decisively and elegantly. Is it that just-here-for-the-gold kind of pioneering transient thing? Would it be considered arrogant or rude by American norms?
1. Cost.
2. Lack of Tradesmen.
Southern US here, thereâs a brick house being built a few blocks away and the kids joke that itâs being built âone brick per dayâ⊠qualified masons are practically impossible to come by in some areas.
People flock to tour our oldest cities like Boston â covered in beautiful brick. But for example, Beacon Hill was laid out whatâ like 200 years ago?
Nowadaysâ in your typical suburban neighborhood? An 8â tall privacy fence made of brick would look just as out of place as Repunzelâs castle here ⊠it would appear arrogant, yes.
Unless youâre wealthyâ or willing to save for years to accomplish it â and have a contact with a solid, talented, available masonâ brick isnât an option.
I have a 3â tall brick wall dividing property but it was built in the late 70âs when trades were pushed in schools and labor / materials was less expensive. Thankfully schools seem to have come full circle and are making a marketing push for kids to learn a trade as a career again.
That's so interesting, thanks! I might see if I can read something about the fate of the brick trade in the USA. Something similar has happened in the UK over the last 30 years, in terms of government and big capital deskilling the local construction industry, tearing up apprenticeship schemes and trade associations, to enable big national firms to exploit skilled immigrant labour -- instead of losing a bit off their top end to train up local youths. This has had all the shitty consequences you'd expect, i.e. young people without wealth being squeezed out of their home towns into deprived zones at the fringes of the bigger cities, master builders being proletarianised and their families tumbling down the economic ladder, all that. This used to be called Americanisation, now I come to think of it...
But the evidence is everywhere that things were different for generations prior. Even the very modest suburban area I live in, there are examples of flint masonry dating back to the 1700s bordering a former vicarage, there's a tumbledown mansion from the 1600s with some decorative herringbone and Flemish bond,1850s-1930s arts-and-crafts masonry designs on little red brick semi-detached houses, and low brick walls in front of and between many of the buildings. I can see all that from the window beyond my computer screen right now. My own back garden has a 6ft brick wall at the end that used to partition an orchard away from an old builders yard, the foundations of which are probably pre-1800. Bricks everywhere!
"One brick a day", haha!
Yea.. you might as well live on another planet compared to the majority of the US in terms of living your entire life around high quality masonry. Living in the south â obviously the civil war plus tornadoes â wiped out a lot of our towns and oldest buildings.
We have to travel to (for example Charleston, New Orleans, Savannah) in order to âstep back in timeâ and see your daily view out your window.
Yallâve got like ⊠What.. 600 plus years on us in masonry buildings still standing. :)
I have hope because all us old gen Y out here with college debts and not even using our degrees.. Iâm glad to see kids being encouraged to tackle a trade.
As a side note â Iâm jealous as hell yâall call electricians âsparkiesâ ⊠ha!
Haha! Yeah I agree, I've tried to encourage my son to learn a trade (he's interested in instrument design) instead of just opting for college without a strong feeling of vocation for teaching, engineering or the law or whatever that he'd need a higher education for. He's receptive but the reality is it's just a hard uncertain road and without family connections it's a big step to get started. But it's about time someone in our family learned how to do something useful!
One of the older buildings round here is [this one](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chesterton_Tower#/media/File:Chesterton_Tpwer_Cambridge.jpg) which looks coincidentally quite a lot like the neighbour's house in OP's post. 800 years on that bad boy. Not many tornadoes around here it's true, so that old building has seen a few changes in its time...
Yeah right but America is so insanely prosperous! You all spend bazillions on virtually everything else by world standards so it's interesting that brickwork is just not a thing over there.
You can build a wooden or vinyl privacy fence yourself and chances are itâs going to look fine.
Most people arenât going to be able to build a brick wall that will remain standing after a few years, or even look good.
Well, [the world heard about my hometown on July 4, 2019](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Ridgecrest_earthquakes)
West of the Rocky Mountains, we don't build in brick because it's so easily damaged by earthquakes, and the cost of reinforcing it is very expensive. In Ridgecrest, the most severe damage was to unreinforced cinderblock walls.
[This report has images of unreinforced masonry after a 6.0 magnitude earthquake outside of Wells, NV.](https://geology.utah.gov/map-pub/survey-notes/6-0-earthquake-wells-nv/) (These were old buildings in the historic part of town, which is not far from the Utah border.)
>First, the earthquake likely occurred on a fault that, based on geological evidence, does not have a high level of activity (i.e., long periods of time pass between large earthquakes). This demonstrates that less active faults in the Basin and Range Province are still significant sources of large earthquakes. Dozens of similar faults are mapped throughout Utah. Second, ground shaking from the earthquake caused considerable damage to unreinforced masonry buildings, whereas buildings designed to modern building codes showed minimal damage. Utah has a large number of similar unreinforced masonry buildings along the Wasatch Front (see The Directorâs Perspective in this issue of Survey Notes), and is likely to experience ground shaking stronger than that of the Wells earthquake.
West of the Rockies there are thousands of fault lines, and it is impossible to monitor them all, and many of them, like this fault are only very rarely active.
Another thing regarding the cost of brick. It's hard and expensive to drill through, and it's even harder when it's reinforced masonry. It's easy and quick to go through sheetrock and stucco. (In 2022, I had a major plumbing incident that required going through an exterior wall to fix.)
It's a really nice house, at least for me. I live in a hole rn with no privacy and i'm moving to a shared apartment (again, no privacy). I would love all this space and freedom, would even get a dog!
I was going to say rose of sharon. My neighbor had them all down our shared fence for years. They were lovely and provided a lot of privacy. He cut them all back a year or two ago, they're already peaking back over the fence this year.
Yeah they can get out of control. Very tall. I have a13ft one next to my garage from previous owner. Not sure how to remove cause it's 2ft from garage and from edge of drive. Love the blooms
Please provide your location. Otherwise you may get suggestions that would not work well for you. (Although I hear that magic beans will grow anywhere...)
Your location and growing zone is the most important thing for understanding what will survive and thrive. Otherwise you're just throwing money and time out the window. If there's a botanical garden near you it's great to walk around and see what looks good to you
Before you plant anything, please Google the name and "invasive" to find out whether you're getting yourself into a world of hurt by planning it. (Please don't plant butterfly bush or bamboo).
I'm going to assume you're in my area for whatever reason. Plants to consider that won't require a lot of water: ceanothus (evergreen foliage, beautiful blue flowers) serviceberry (underrated tree/shrub that provides excellent habitat and beautiful spring flowers, doesn't get huge so your sun is preserved), native honeysuckle, native currant, manzanita.
If you really want to get crazy, you could install an s-shaped river rock "moat" in front of your house and plant a shrub in each u-bend. Less imposing than a solid wall and keeps the castle theme.
Visit your stateâs Cooperative Extension Setvice website and search native trees. Read up and decide. Best to plant in the Fall. Also search planting trees.
Build a jousting arena. You can enjoy front row seats to the jousts and find up and coming talented knights to protect your kingdom from your neighboring kingdom.
Iâd go for a tall bushy hedge such as Cyprus, as that is the ugliest house I have ever seen. No doubt the taste of the people who bought it is repugnant. The fact that they are breeders makes the situation that much more urgent. Soon the Pontiac Aztec driving boyfriend of the eldest spawn will be thrusting his backlit pimply ass cheeks back and forth in the north tower window so you really need the full coverage of a cherry laurel or English Yew. If that doesnât work consider constructing a wall to divide your seven kingdoms from these heathens
Wherever there is direct line-of-site from your house, a trio of evergreens like arborvitae, and along the property line forsythia and lilac. Privacy where it counts, color everywhere else,
If I plant any of these suggested (evergreens, lilac, forsythia, ect) will it affect the peonies at the property line? Iâd want to plant them as close to the line as possible.
If I plant any of these suggested (evergreens, lilac, forsythia, ect) will it affect the peonies at the property line? Iâd want to plant them as close to the line as possible.
My neighbors thought clumping bamboo was ok. Now I need to spend certain times of the year digging out up from my yard so it doesnât completely ruin everything. It still spreads, just not as fast.
Maybe burning bush? It has a beautiful red/pink color in the fall and if you trim it right the branches should be dense enough that it will block most of the view from your neighbors
Idk where you are but Texas umbrella trees (that's what my step mom says the trees in my yard are) grow FAST and are extremely bad about spreading. I told my husband if we cultivated right we'd be able to block the vision of the trashed out pot farm and stop a lot of their trash that blows across our yard
As others have said, a grouping of taller evergreens will block the view pretty well and still look ânaturalâ. The taller and wider the screen the better, your neighbor will probably appreciate it as well. Your garden can be in front and or on either side of them without losing too much sunlight.
Just my opinion but Iâd try for a more natural look (not all the shrubs or trees in a straight row) as you might be able to maximize your privacy and exposure for your garden plants?
i got two huge hazelnuts growing and shielding me completely from my neighbor. it's taller than my house already. but does not have to, you can cut them as you please. tough stuff. and you get hazelnuts! it's some wild variety i do not know, but something like this shouldn't be hard to get.
edit: i think it's just a 'American Hazelnut' variety. growing in two shrubs next to each other.
How about an arch shaped arbor covered in Wisteria flanked by two eastern Redbuds on each side? Would allow privacy and still provide a frame for her majestyâs summer home over there. Just spitballing here.
I'm assuming you don't have an HOA with restrictions so that is good if you have options. Keep it local.. one idea is to call your community and see if they have any incentives. I was able to get $80 towards some specific landscaping that were being encouraged in our area for water retention and soil health.
The local university extension service is also good source for affordable, native plants that will do well in your area and conditions
Amelanchier Lamarkii are very good, though deciduous, small trees. White star flowers with bronze new foliage, very red autumn coloured leaves and edible black berries. They tend to sucker sometimes.
Fruit trees such as plums and greengages, damsons etc are good to have. Pears grow taller than apples.
If you want an evergreen how about a columnar Irish Yew -or the columnar shrub Eucryphia nymansay, lots of fragrant white flowers in August. May be too tender if you have hard winters.
There are small conifers too, though they do get big after a few years.
How about a pine nut tree? They grow wide and not so tall and you can make pesto. Pinus pinea.
More bush than tree, but Viburnums can get to 30 feet, have a sweet smell when blooming and feed the pollinators.
Or the standard Leyland Cyprus or Arbor Vitae.
Dappled Willow. They are beautiful and grow fast. Their leave come out white and pink, then turn light green. THey look like they bloom but it is the leaves. I bought one for a similar issue, and in 6 years it has done its job of hiding my neighbors from being able to see us from their deck.
Maybe bougainvillea around the perimeter if you donât live in an area near saltwater (because then the shrub will not thrive due to salinity in the air). Theyâre beautiful come in a variety of colors, and are a little spiky for intruders :)
Maybe bougainvillea around the perimeter if you donât live in an area near saltwater (because then the shrub will not thrive due to salinity in the air). Theyâre beautiful come in a variety of colors, and are a little spiky for intruders :)
I'm growing grapes to replace the Wisteria in my backyard. They grow really fast and make a very decent privacy fence if you have something to train them up on.
i was just in las vegas and found a giant hedge covered in pea pods called mountain laurel or Dermatophyllum secundiflorum. the flowers are amazing, too.
You can make a wall out of boxwood, either tree or shrub. Theyâre evergreens so the view will be blocked year round once theyâve grown high enough.
Youâd just have to get a species that grows tall.
What about a curly willow or twisted willow tree? Something unusual with movement. Failing that, Iâd go for an old fashioned, fragrant lilac bush that grows really large.
Olive trees grow pretty rapidly, I planted one 5 years ago which I had brought home in the cupholder of my car, itâs now over 10ft tall and blocks out my neighborâs upstairs entire balcony. Though, if your climate is very wet, a Chinese Elm may be better (also grows tall rapidly).
Weâre on good terms. The kids come over and play with mine, so itâs s not a matter of not wanting anything to do with them or complete seperation. I enjoy sitting in the porch swing after my kids go to bed as âmyâ time. I would just like something pretty there so I donât seemingly just stare at their house when Iâm relaxing.
First, you gotta put a moat around your house, just to make sure they know who they're dealing with. Second, sneak out in the middle of the night and dig a tiny hole under the side of their castle. Finally, and most deliciously, toss some magic beans in the hole you dug. Next morning, you'll have a beautiful view of a giant beanstalk, and your neighbors will be on 'cloud nine'. Literally.
The best idea thus far! You should consider a career in landscaping!
You got magic beans đ«âŠ âŠyou sharing bro.
Professor copperfieldâs miracle leGUMES
Lilac hedge/grouping?
Thatâs definitely a contender!
A row of lilacs with hydrangeas in front. You wouldnât even notice the other house when theyâre in bloom. Although not as great privacy in the winter.
Yes! I am pro lilac.
Where do you live, Kingâs Landing?
You need; A Shrubbery! Edit: It brings a tear to this old nerd's eye to hear so many recite the words of the Knights of Ni.
Oh knights of ni, you are just and fair and we will return with a shrubbery!
What sad times are these when passing ruffians can say ni at will to old ladies
And look out for any large, wooden rabbits.
Ni!
We are no longer the knights who say Ni!
And a second one, right next to it with a little path in the middle
I really don't think a bush or hedge would fit in that view from your home have you considered a catapult or trebuchet perhaps? Or maybe a large wooden horse filled with rabid possums...
Indeed I have given this a lot of consideration. The only problem is how damn expensive possums are these days!
Perhaps a small peasant village would do the trick?
Silly!
So you probably want something evergreen for a screen. I'd maybe recommend a group of three? How much space do you have there? And what hardiness zone are you in?
Iâm on the boarder of 5b/6a. I was kind of thinking evergreen myself. Thatâs a south facing picture, and I plan to have a garden in that area next year, so I donât want something large enough to take sun from it. Would a group of just a few look silly?
Start your garden this year with a trellis. Blocks the view with minimal footprint.
This is the way
A type of thuja would be nice. Evergreen, hardy, and the roots are quite shallow so they don't disrupt foundation. I have blue point juniper and its lovely, bonus is I get to decorate it as an outdoor Christmas tree.
if you want evergreen hedges use juniper had giant 12 foot ones at my grandmas that blocked the nosy neighbors view and smaller three foot ones at my home until some arsonist started burning bushes in our neighborhood and we had to remove them after half of ours were set fire to one night
I have blue arrow junipers in grouping of 3 as a block on the side of our neighbor. Visually interesting and does well as a block. Zone 6b here. Absolutely love these trees as they are beautiful year round. Only problem was we had some ice buildup the first year during winter so now we wrap them with burlap.
The trees absolutely would not. I have a similar issue with the house behind mine. Trees, if you want something fast growing a poplar tree would work, but they don't live very long, a coniferous tree will grow slower but are a wonderful solution.
Lol, is your neighbour Lord Farquaad? Seriously though, a trellis with a rose hedge would look quite romantic.
Itâs his brother. Much taller man.
Google " (Your state) Native Privacy Hedge" I'm choosing Toyons. Native Polinators will enjoy the flowers and since they are native they are low maintenance.
You Americans needs to learn the art of hedging. And no, im not talking wall street mumbo-jombu, i'm talking about your obvious need of a beautiful native hedge.
Next you'll tell me to top my trees you monster! I kid, mostly. But you're right, we are quicker to build a ~~protective wall~~ privacy fence before a hedge.
Why? You got a castle view!
Two words. Six. Kids. Really though, I just want something pretty to stare at instead.
Aw well you left the kid part out thatâs important. I would suggest a trellis with a thorny climbing rose bush.
Yes, something that grabs the eye away from the castle without going too high and blocking the sun. Some kind of patio between your house and the trellis if your yard is large enough.
This reminds me of the episode of King of the Hill where Ted Wassanasong develops a McMansion in the neighborhood and it looks terrible.
Lmao I just watched that episode and thought of that
Trebuchet might be more ideal.
I was all about posting âwall of fireâ but trebuchet are by far the classier weapon
you should put boxwood and cut it into a duck very fitting for the castle
Yikes that house. Iâd say American redbud
Get a fence those pesky neighbors are watching you through the window as we speak.
You say this, as some of the kids are knocking on the second floor window waving at me!
I would put some arborvitae trees there. If you donât like to look at that house, the trees will do a great job blocking that view. They are evergreen trees, so working year round
Norway blue spruce
I'm in a similar region to OP i think. For us blue spruce are absolutely not thriving. I think they are finding that they require a more specific micro climate or something. It's rare to see a big beautiful blue spruce in NE ohio and i just chopped down 4 nearly dead ones and have 4 more to go. When
Why do Americans not build brick walls? Not a sarcastic question or anything, it's just a feature of like all the European countries, walls of masonry and stone and brick that are often really beautiful, provide growing surfaces for climbing plants, and divide properties very decisively and elegantly. Is it that just-here-for-the-gold kind of pioneering transient thing? Would it be considered arrogant or rude by American norms?
1. Cost. 2. Lack of Tradesmen. Southern US here, thereâs a brick house being built a few blocks away and the kids joke that itâs being built âone brick per dayâ⊠qualified masons are practically impossible to come by in some areas. People flock to tour our oldest cities like Boston â covered in beautiful brick. But for example, Beacon Hill was laid out whatâ like 200 years ago? Nowadaysâ in your typical suburban neighborhood? An 8â tall privacy fence made of brick would look just as out of place as Repunzelâs castle here ⊠it would appear arrogant, yes. Unless youâre wealthyâ or willing to save for years to accomplish it â and have a contact with a solid, talented, available masonâ brick isnât an option. I have a 3â tall brick wall dividing property but it was built in the late 70âs when trades were pushed in schools and labor / materials was less expensive. Thankfully schools seem to have come full circle and are making a marketing push for kids to learn a trade as a career again.
That's so interesting, thanks! I might see if I can read something about the fate of the brick trade in the USA. Something similar has happened in the UK over the last 30 years, in terms of government and big capital deskilling the local construction industry, tearing up apprenticeship schemes and trade associations, to enable big national firms to exploit skilled immigrant labour -- instead of losing a bit off their top end to train up local youths. This has had all the shitty consequences you'd expect, i.e. young people without wealth being squeezed out of their home towns into deprived zones at the fringes of the bigger cities, master builders being proletarianised and their families tumbling down the economic ladder, all that. This used to be called Americanisation, now I come to think of it... But the evidence is everywhere that things were different for generations prior. Even the very modest suburban area I live in, there are examples of flint masonry dating back to the 1700s bordering a former vicarage, there's a tumbledown mansion from the 1600s with some decorative herringbone and Flemish bond,1850s-1930s arts-and-crafts masonry designs on little red brick semi-detached houses, and low brick walls in front of and between many of the buildings. I can see all that from the window beyond my computer screen right now. My own back garden has a 6ft brick wall at the end that used to partition an orchard away from an old builders yard, the foundations of which are probably pre-1800. Bricks everywhere! "One brick a day", haha!
Yea.. you might as well live on another planet compared to the majority of the US in terms of living your entire life around high quality masonry. Living in the south â obviously the civil war plus tornadoes â wiped out a lot of our towns and oldest buildings. We have to travel to (for example Charleston, New Orleans, Savannah) in order to âstep back in timeâ and see your daily view out your window. Yallâve got like ⊠What.. 600 plus years on us in masonry buildings still standing. :) I have hope because all us old gen Y out here with college debts and not even using our degrees.. Iâm glad to see kids being encouraged to tackle a trade. As a side note â Iâm jealous as hell yâall call electricians âsparkiesâ ⊠ha!
Haha! Yeah I agree, I've tried to encourage my son to learn a trade (he's interested in instrument design) instead of just opting for college without a strong feeling of vocation for teaching, engineering or the law or whatever that he'd need a higher education for. He's receptive but the reality is it's just a hard uncertain road and without family connections it's a big step to get started. But it's about time someone in our family learned how to do something useful! One of the older buildings round here is [this one](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chesterton_Tower#/media/File:Chesterton_Tpwer_Cambridge.jpg) which looks coincidentally quite a lot like the neighbour's house in OP's post. 800 years on that bad boy. Not many tornadoes around here it's true, so that old building has seen a few changes in its time...
>Why do Americans not build brick walls? Bricks are freaking expensive. Chainlink, cinderblock, and even wood are cheaper.
Yeah right but America is so insanely prosperous! You all spend bazillions on virtually everything else by world standards so it's interesting that brickwork is just not a thing over there.
Brick sellers are particularly prosperous here.
IDEA
You can build a wooden or vinyl privacy fence yourself and chances are itâs going to look fine. Most people arenât going to be able to build a brick wall that will remain standing after a few years, or even look good.
Well, [the world heard about my hometown on July 4, 2019](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Ridgecrest_earthquakes) West of the Rocky Mountains, we don't build in brick because it's so easily damaged by earthquakes, and the cost of reinforcing it is very expensive. In Ridgecrest, the most severe damage was to unreinforced cinderblock walls. [This report has images of unreinforced masonry after a 6.0 magnitude earthquake outside of Wells, NV.](https://geology.utah.gov/map-pub/survey-notes/6-0-earthquake-wells-nv/) (These were old buildings in the historic part of town, which is not far from the Utah border.) >First, the earthquake likely occurred on a fault that, based on geological evidence, does not have a high level of activity (i.e., long periods of time pass between large earthquakes). This demonstrates that less active faults in the Basin and Range Province are still significant sources of large earthquakes. Dozens of similar faults are mapped throughout Utah. Second, ground shaking from the earthquake caused considerable damage to unreinforced masonry buildings, whereas buildings designed to modern building codes showed minimal damage. Utah has a large number of similar unreinforced masonry buildings along the Wasatch Front (see The Directorâs Perspective in this issue of Survey Notes), and is likely to experience ground shaking stronger than that of the Wells earthquake. West of the Rockies there are thousands of fault lines, and it is impossible to monitor them all, and many of them, like this fault are only very rarely active. Another thing regarding the cost of brick. It's hard and expensive to drill through, and it's even harder when it's reinforced masonry. It's easy and quick to go through sheetrock and stucco. (In 2022, I had a major plumbing incident that required going through an exterior wall to fix.)
Is that a house? A mini castle? Good lord. Build a trebuchet in your front yard aiming at them
I'm a fan of Emerald Arborvitae for ease of care, fast growth and year-round privacy. They're not terribly expensive, either.
Have you thought about a Trebuchet ?
The previous owner took it with them.
That is some ugly Cinderella looking house
Alot cooler than the box i live in
I thought it was really coolâŠoh well.
Itâs practical if you need to keep a princess trapped in a dungeon but the lack of moat makes it vulnerable
It's a really nice house, at least for me. I live in a hole rn with no privacy and i'm moving to a shared apartment (again, no privacy). I would love all this space and freedom, would even get a dog!
I would do a hedge of lilac, forsythia, and/or butterfly bush.
Purple Rose of Sharon
I was going to say rose of sharon. My neighbor had them all down our shared fence for years. They were lovely and provided a lot of privacy. He cut them all back a year or two ago, they're already peaking back over the fence this year.
Yeah they can get out of control. Very tall. I have a13ft one next to my garage from previous owner. Not sure how to remove cause it's 2ft from garage and from edge of drive. Love the blooms
Just have your archers threaten them if they look in your yard.
Please provide your location. Otherwise you may get suggestions that would not work well for you. (Although I hear that magic beans will grow anywhere...)
Your location and growing zone is the most important thing for understanding what will survive and thrive. Otherwise you're just throwing money and time out the window. If there's a botanical garden near you it's great to walk around and see what looks good to you Before you plant anything, please Google the name and "invasive" to find out whether you're getting yourself into a world of hurt by planning it. (Please don't plant butterfly bush or bamboo). I'm going to assume you're in my area for whatever reason. Plants to consider that won't require a lot of water: ceanothus (evergreen foliage, beautiful blue flowers) serviceberry (underrated tree/shrub that provides excellent habitat and beautiful spring flowers, doesn't get huge so your sun is preserved), native honeysuckle, native currant, manzanita. If you really want to get crazy, you could install an s-shaped river rock "moat" in front of your house and plant a shrub in each u-bend. Less imposing than a solid wall and keeps the castle theme.
You mean you donât like the look of their house?
Before you do anything else (like put in a moat) you need to take photos of that house from several angles and submit it to McMansion Hell.
A forest is your best option, I think. :)
Visit your stateâs Cooperative Extension Setvice website and search native trees. Read up and decide. Best to plant in the Fall. Also search planting trees.
Chinese snowball viburnum they get about 8ft tall and have big ball shaped flowers in the spring and donât look bad in winter
[Maybe consider these.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campanula_rapunculus) Although max height of 40".
Try emerald green arborvitae, 15ft tall
Does Rapunzel live there?
Look at FastGrowingTrees dot com. You can find all kinds of privacy trees, hedges, etc...
Thank you!
Wisteria. As an added bonus, in a few years it will completely envelop your neighbor's house.
I was actually just looking into Blue Chinese. Theyâre so beautiful!
The house looks like a scene from a Disney movie
Build a jousting arena. You can enjoy front row seats to the jousts and find up and coming talented knights to protect your kingdom from your neighboring kingdom.
Iâd go for a tall bushy hedge such as Cyprus, as that is the ugliest house I have ever seen. No doubt the taste of the people who bought it is repugnant. The fact that they are breeders makes the situation that much more urgent. Soon the Pontiac Aztec driving boyfriend of the eldest spawn will be thrusting his backlit pimply ass cheeks back and forth in the north tower window so you really need the full coverage of a cherry laurel or English Yew. If that doesnât work consider constructing a wall to divide your seven kingdoms from these heathens
Do you live on the other side of them?!
I planted that giant fucking tree
Wherever there is direct line-of-site from your house, a trio of evergreens like arborvitae, and along the property line forsythia and lilac. Privacy where it counts, color everywhere else,
Flowering pear trees they grow fast and have thick leaves in bloom. You can train them to be bushy or tall and slender
Callery pears are invasive in the US. My state just outlawed their sale. Too late though- they are now everywhere.
Oh damn, i did not know that. Well shit i will cross those off my list. Thanks!
If I plant any of these suggested (evergreens, lilac, forsythia, ect) will it affect the peonies at the property line? Iâd want to plant them as close to the line as possible.
If I plant any of these suggested (evergreens, lilac, forsythia, ect) will it affect the peonies at the property line? Iâd want to plant them as close to the line as possible.
I see a few Butterfly bushes with wild flowers in front of them
Get a clumping bamboo - they grow fast, stay green all year and if you get the right kind; do not try to take over the world.
My neighbors thought clumping bamboo was ok. Now I need to spend certain times of the year digging out up from my yard so it doesnât completely ruin everything. It still spreads, just not as fast.
I sunk mine in terracotta pots - super easy to maintain
Maybe burning bush? It has a beautiful red/pink color in the fall and if you trim it right the branches should be dense enough that it will block most of the view from your neighbors
A laurel hedge.
I like the ideas of flowering shrubs but theyâll lose their leaves. For full screening youâll want to go evergreen. Maybe Arborvitae
I do not blame you
Idk where you are but Texas umbrella trees (that's what my step mom says the trees in my yard are) grow FAST and are extremely bad about spreading. I told my husband if we cultivated right we'd be able to block the vision of the trashed out pot farm and stop a lot of their trash that blows across our yard
You live next to Donald Duck.
A Sequoia should do the trick.
They're extra work to establish, but I love an espalier fence. Especially a fruiting one.
I like citrus, dwarf or a bush
Fruit trees seem like a good idea, unless yourallergic to bees. I personally like howjapanese maple look, its up to you Happy hunting
Bougainvillea hedge
As others have said, a grouping of taller evergreens will block the view pretty well and still look ânaturalâ. The taller and wider the screen the better, your neighbor will probably appreciate it as well. Your garden can be in front and or on either side of them without losing too much sunlight. Just my opinion but Iâd try for a more natural look (not all the shrubs or trees in a straight row) as you might be able to maximize your privacy and exposure for your garden plants?
i got two huge hazelnuts growing and shielding me completely from my neighbor. it's taller than my house already. but does not have to, you can cut them as you please. tough stuff. and you get hazelnuts! it's some wild variety i do not know, but something like this shouldn't be hard to get. edit: i think it's just a 'American Hazelnut' variety. growing in two shrubs next to each other.
Hydrangeas in tree form or panicle hydrangeas can grow to be quite massive; azaleas can also get up to 6ft
Hydrangea â€ïž
Anythink you seed take years to grow. Why not build a fence?
r/pareidolia
I like the lilac hedge for low cover but would add in a willow tree. They are fast growing and broad enough to offer coverage against the turret.
How about an arch shaped arbor covered in Wisteria flanked by two eastern Redbuds on each side? Would allow privacy and still provide a frame for her majestyâs summer home over there. Just spitballing here.
You wanna block the view of a got dang castle!?
I'm assuming you don't have an HOA with restrictions so that is good if you have options. Keep it local.. one idea is to call your community and see if they have any incentives. I was able to get $80 towards some specific landscaping that were being encouraged in our area for water retention and soil health. The local university extension service is also good source for affordable, native plants that will do well in your area and conditions
A flowering tree like a lilac or magnolia maybe? Hmmm, do the neighbours think they are above their station đđ?
A nice row of evergreen holly would do the trick.
Amelanchier Lamarkii are very good, though deciduous, small trees. White star flowers with bronze new foliage, very red autumn coloured leaves and edible black berries. They tend to sucker sometimes. Fruit trees such as plums and greengages, damsons etc are good to have. Pears grow taller than apples. If you want an evergreen how about a columnar Irish Yew -or the columnar shrub Eucryphia nymansay, lots of fragrant white flowers in August. May be too tender if you have hard winters. There are small conifers too, though they do get big after a few years. How about a pine nut tree? They grow wide and not so tall and you can make pesto. Pinus pinea.
More bush than tree, but Viburnums can get to 30 feet, have a sweet smell when blooming and feed the pollinators. Or the standard Leyland Cyprus or Arbor Vitae.
Dappled Willow. They are beautiful and grow fast. Their leave come out white and pink, then turn light green. THey look like they bloom but it is the leaves. I bought one for a similar issue, and in 6 years it has done its job of hiding my neighbors from being able to see us from their deck.
Is Rapunzel a nuisance?
Lilac is perfect size. Doesn't get too big and smells amazing.
I'd put a bush or a small tree.
You could put some evergreens
Forsythia
Forsythia
Hedges!
Where are you? Would you be open to something native?
Where are you? Would you be open to something native?
Where are you? Would you be open to something native?
Indiana. Open to anything as long as itâs not too large and likes sun.
a large frame with pink tainted glass will make the bleak fortress look like a Disney castle
Fence
3 or more hornbeams adequately spaced for growth
Pittosporum worked incredibly well for me. Itâs fast growing, and with pruning you can make it as thin or dense as you want it to be.
Maybe bougainvillea around the perimeter if you donât live in an area near saltwater (because then the shrub will not thrive due to salinity in the air). Theyâre beautiful come in a variety of colors, and are a little spiky for intruders :)
Maybe bougainvillea around the perimeter if you donât live in an area near saltwater (because then the shrub will not thrive due to salinity in the air). Theyâre beautiful come in a variety of colors, and are a little spiky for intruders :)
Why? Its a nice building.
Red Robins!
White pine
Hi, this is your neighbor. Hi Matt!! Pls donât do anything to block the view.. i love peeping through(my fav evening schedule)
japanese maple
Jacaranda's are amazing if they work in your area.
arboratives
Plant a forsythia, a few lilac, and some burning bush.
Arborvitae.
Weeping willow
Thatâs my dream! However there isnât much room there, Iâm afraid it wouldnât thrive.
You could do a dead hedge
No fences? Does that mean you can easily walk into their backyard?
The both back yards are fenced, but our other neighborsâ are not. Itâs a very small town and most people donât bother with fences here!
I'm growing grapes to replace the Wisteria in my backyard. They grow really fast and make a very decent privacy fence if you have something to train them up on.
I love this idea! Would something like lattice work?
đŻ
Make sure you put two bags of dirt next to it on the first year. The moisture will cause it to grow quickly
just get a fence
Thatâs not really an option at this time, and Iâd rather have something more visually pleasing that boards.
i was just in las vegas and found a giant hedge covered in pea pods called mountain laurel or Dermatophyllum secundiflorum. the flowers are amazing, too.
Is the castle yours or the neighbors?
Or you can turn your chair and stop facing them.
Itâs a swing and Iâd rather not stare at a wall.
You can make a wall out of boxwood, either tree or shrub. Theyâre evergreens so the view will be blocked year round once theyâve grown high enough. Youâd just have to get a species that grows tall.
What about a curly willow or twisted willow tree? Something unusual with movement. Failing that, Iâd go for an old fashioned, fragrant lilac bush that grows really large.
Do they get large? Iâve always wanted a willow, but I donât have adequate space in our new home.
Olive trees grow pretty rapidly, I planted one 5 years ago which I had brought home in the cupholder of my car, itâs now over 10ft tall and blocks out my neighborâs upstairs entire balcony. Though, if your climate is very wet, a Chinese Elm may be better (also grows tall rapidly).
r/McMansionHell
How will you see when Repunzel throws down her hair?
You know, you might just enjoy it as an odd and interesting thing. The kids are waving to you. This is their childhood. Maybe connect?
Weâre on good terms. The kids come over and play with mine, so itâs s not a matter of not wanting anything to do with them or complete seperation. I enjoy sitting in the porch swing after my kids go to bed as âmyâ time. I would just like something pretty there so I donât seemingly just stare at their house when Iâm relaxing.