Not to want neighbours to take my fence down?

[thedogwakesuptoodamnearly]

They're moving out. When they moved in, they sent me a note telling me I wouldn't mind if they took the fence down to get their sofas out, would I? (My house has a side gate, theirs doesn't).

I asked them to let me know when they wanted to do this. First I found out was looking out of my window to see a man in my garden with a screwdriver. Then he took my gate down too to make the space wider.

I had to hassle them quite hard to get it all put back up the same day.

So I'm expecing a repeat...but I want to make my garden nice this year and that will involve planting up against the fences.

Can I say no? I'm not sure they would pay attention even if I did...

There's a kind of bamboo which grows four inches per day.

Not sure where you'd get it though.

And it might attract pandas..!

I would agree if only they paid for any damages

Take a substantial deposit from them to cover damage/you to pay someone to reinstate?

Fallopia baldschuanica is your answer, aka Russian Vine. It grows like a bitch and will probably have the entire street covered in 3 months (slight exaggeration but god does it grow)

Just bear in mind you'll need to kill it after or it genuinely will take over the street

Fallopia baldschuanica? Didn't Dr Who go there?

I am at the thought of attracting pandas. Do you think they will come on the coach from Edinburgh?

I'd be tempted to say no, but sounds like they will just do it anyway! And you might not be home on moving dat to supervise putting it to rights.

Tell them no, and if you find them in your garden removing the gate again, you'll phone the police.

I might get a new gate. One with a padlock and security hinges that don't unscrew. whois, that was my worry when they moved in, having been told they intended to take the fence down. I rearranged a lot of stuff so that I was at home more.

I think I will just get on with planting up the garden and tell them no if they ask.

Russian vine, when established, grows like a bastard. One weekend I pruned it. The next weekend I measured the new growth. Nine inches in five days.

It took us years to get rid of it when the problem neighbours moved and we regained about five foot of yard space. The flowers are quite pretty, though.