AIBU to block this off? ( diagram included)

[yorkshireyummymummy]

I’m being driven demented by people walking across my block paving driveway. They peer into my window, often very brazenly staring. Their dogs sometimes cock their leg on the pot plants infront of my window. Recently a neighbour stood on my drive about four feet from my window with three other school mums for 40 mins chatting! I almost went and asked them if they wanted tea or use of the loo! If there is a wedding at the church then wedding guests stand on my drive, infront of my window peering in , smoking and sometimes putting their fags out in my pot plants in front of my window.

I want to put something along the edge of the driveway ( marked with xxx) but hubby isn’t keen as he thinks we will annoy people! I am as yet unsure as to what we could put up as it’s block paved so no planting of anything. All I can think of is trough like pots with something that grows to about 1m high and is a bit bushy. Cars often reverse up the path to church though and depending on the ability of the driver they often end up perched on my drive, so I do run the risk of plants and pots being damaged.

My point is that if it wasn’t block paved and it was grass with plants nobody would walk across it. Just because it’s block paved doesn’t make it less my property though!

What should I do? Just Seethe silently and live with it so as not to upset the offendors? Or put a demarcation line of - something- there?
Does anybody have any ideas of what I could put there?

As I have written this somebody else has just stopped in front of my window, looked in at me and scratched his arse. I rest my case!

If it's yours use it how you want. Although there may be restrictions on fencing.
Near us there's a row of houses with block paving area in front of each, and a public path in front of that, used by cyclists as well as walkers.
A few years ago the house owners got pissed off with everyone wandering onto their property.
Now there's garden furniture, large planters and huge rocks round the edges. Cyclists complained it was dangerous in the dark and asked for everything to be cleared.
Instead pretty fairy lights have been put round the perimeters, leaving just a narrow path for people to get by.
All looks so much more interesting than a boring expanse of block paving .

Planters won't work unless they're in a compact row, touching. People will happily walk between them, especially if that area has been their regular cut through. A fence is a big investment but defined borders add some value to a property.

That would annoy the hell out of me.

Bamboo in long planters. Grows tall, thick (but still lets some light through) and very fast! Plus its quite nice to look at.

Build a little wall. A foot high is plenty.

monkeywithaCowface
I like the posts and chains. Thanks for the link, will show DH and cost it up.

Medeci
I also like the garden furniture/planters mixture. Might cost that up too. Would look interesting I think.

GetspostByOwl
If I do go down the planters route you won’t get a slug between them never mind a —nosey old bugger and their dog— person.

Why are my strike thoughts not working on my new iPad??

An electric fence topped with razor wire would not be OTT.

It would drive me potty having people brazenly using my property like that!

could have a row of these www.amazon.co.uk/Wooden-Garden-Planter-Trough-Metre/dp/B00BY6TESS?tag=mumsnetforum-21 ? Could put gravel and alpines in to keep low or small shrubs for more height?

Why are my strike thoughts not working on my new iPad??

The double - - gets merged into one — so it no longer works.

bizzieb33
Yes, that’s the type of thing I want. At about half that price though!!

We have a big patch of green out front (small block of flats) with a waist high wooden fence separating it from the path...people simply just hop over the fence & use it as a cut through to the alley. It is highly infuriating. Can't offer any suggestions other than what pp already have, but sadly it won't guarantee people stop cutting over

Sod worrying if you would annoy people, I'd be totally pissed off if I were you.

You can get fence posts that screw into concrete, so you could put it on the block paving, like this photo

Autocorrect now changed two dashed into a n-dash. So MN strikethrough is foiled.

How about putting great big stones along there. People won't want to drive on it then!

ilovewelshrarebit

Yes, I like those huge rocks. Where do you get them from though??

What about a couple of these? Plant with holly or Berberis, nice and spiky.

www.argos.co.uk/product/2967017?storeID=175&cmpid=GS001&_$ja=tsid:59156%7Ccid:596650041%7Cagid:28594343605%7Ctid:pla-186035604805%7Ccrid:95889016045%7Cnw:g%7Crnd:5739396161564850885%7Cdvc:t%7Cadp:1o5%7Cmt:%7Cloc:1006674&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9M2Bw9eg2QIV6JztCh1d1gACEAQYBSABEgLNJfD_BwE

Yes you can make them yourself. Large planting troughs will work out really expensive but are easy to make from decking boards and the bonus is you can make them exactly the size you need with no gaps.

www.instructables.com/id/Make-A-Garden-Planter-From-Decking/

It sounds as though there is a clear 'desire line' across your garden! Some planting would sort this and look lovely. The RHS have got a campaign called 'greening grey Britain' trying to persuade people to get rid of very paved/concreted gardens and to green them up instead. You may find some useful ideas on their website!

How about some cheaper planters with a layer of gravel at the bottom before topping up with soil and plants? That could add some serious weight and bring your costs down a bit.

It's good for drainage too.

Bamboo would be great. It grows fast and spreads to fit the space allocated. One container plant can be split it up and divided amongst 3 or 4 pots, would really take off in the spring.

You can make planters quite cheaply from old pallets.

I like this kind of thing.....

So you are allowed to be annoyed, but not other people. Strangers? I would do a row of pots bolted to the ground and if they do the job you can always get a wall of fence put in along that side. It will be cheaper to replace the odd broken pot than a smashed corner of a wall or fence, just in case someone thinks they are in a tank and can't negotiate that corner.

planters with prickly plants
pyracantha is a favourite fir a small prickly hedge (and brilliant for wildlife).
with garden furniture I would be worried that people would be grateful to have a place to sit.

Large plastic planters will be much cheaper so if they're damaged by people reversing badly or by general vandalism it won't be the end of the world. Once they're full of soil they won't be very moveable. There are some quite classy ones out there. The bigger the better to cut down on watering! I wouldn't go for garden furniture in that area or some cheeky people will just sit on it!

If you do manage to find a solution, could I ask how you get your car onto the drive? Is the space open on both sides of the triangle in your diagram?