Am I a CF if I plant trees in my garden?

[BigBlueBubble]

Hallo lovely people, can you please tell me if I’m being a CF?

My house is on a hill and NDN is further up the hill. My living room with big French windows opens into my garden. I have a 6ft fence which prevents NDN seeing into my living room if they’re in the garden. If they’re in the house the slope of the hill means they can look out of their window and just about see over the fence but that’s never been a massive problem.

However .. NDN has recently installed a raised deck so when they climb on it their heads pop above the fence and they peer over. And now they’ve put up a massive ugly orange gazebo tent right next to the fence and the peak is so high, because of the slope it feels like it’s towering over my house.

I can’t make the fence taller, it’s already the permitted legal maximum of 2m. But I’ve been advised that I can plant a row of tall trees and NDN can’t do anything about it because as long as it’s not evergreen there’s no legal restriction on the height. It will have leaves in the summer which solves my problem because NDN aren’t sitting out on their deck or putting up their gazebo tent in the winter.

My question is, am I a CF if I plant trees along my boundary to give me some privacy? NDN probably won’t be happy because I’m on the east and they’re on the west so the trees will cast a shadow over their deck and part of their garden. But they’ve already invaded my privacy with their deck and gazebo otherwise I wouldn’t be considering this as a solution.

So the trees would be only 20 - 25 foot from your house, ie about 7 metres? You need to be careful what you plant, as that's pretty close.

www.bickersinsurance.co.uk/about-us/latest-news/property-owners-news/a-list-of-trees-and-the-recommended-safe-distance-from-buildings/

I'd borrow an air rifle and pop a few holes in it one night when they're not there
I’d love to but then the “chlamydia soup” would flow downhill under the fence into my garden

Please please make a play list you can have on full volume whenever they use the sex pond.
All Night Long - Lionel Ritchie
Like A Virgin - Madonna
Anyone add any?!

BigBlueBubble paintball gun

Plant away - preaching is best but expensive.

Good point about Hornbeam. I planted a tiny tiny sapling about 5 inches high 6 years ago. We drove past our old house the other day and it was easily 7 metres high.

Fargesia bamboos are clumping and non invasive and you can get some really pretty varieties. I have some in my garden and I quite like the sound of it swishing in the breeze.

Pyracantha is also an option - with the added bonus that the sharp thorns will discourage any attempts at over the fence conversation. Plus birds love it. You'll need leather gauntlets for pruning it though as it is very spiky!

Why don't you plant some bamboo in containers? That way it wouldn't invade.

* Fargesia bamboos are clumping and non invasive and you can get some really pretty varieties. I have some in my garden and I quite like the sound of it swishing in the breeze *

Yep, I've come to say exactly that. I have some in raised beds and it's lovely.

I would say plant - but not bamboo. I bloody hate it and it looks horrible.

My neighbours have a pleached hedge/frontage to their house and now it's grown in, it looks lovely.

There is a tree nursery here that sells quite mature laurel - about 1.8 metres. It makes a good hedge.

Pmsl at sex pond. Will be known as that henceforth. Presumably sound of bamboo will drown out sound of activities in the sex pond. Personally I wouldn't want to be dtd so close to neighbours garden but that's me.

Plant away.

I like the idea of hazel and rambling roses.

Plant laurel trees. Thick, evergreen and not too tall but tall enough.

pleaching - not preaching (obs) 😂

Buddleia are beautiful with lots of colors to choose from and grow super fast! You can go from having a small plant to a full grown tree in just a couple years and huge range of purples, blues, whites and orange flowers to choose from.

To the PP who asked, yes all bamboo is exempt as it’s classed as a grass not a hedge.

I’ve had some for over 10 years and haven’t found it invasive.

DisplayPurposesOnly I've got some 'Red Dragon'. I really like it - the culms are a gorgeous dark red/purple and it's evergreen so gives a great splash of colour all year round.

I think bamboo gets a bad press. The phyllostachys variety is very vigorous and requires regular intervention to stop it taking over. But the fargesias are much less work and if you strip the lower leaves off so that you can see the culms it can look quite elegant.

Worth noting though that we are coming to the end of the growing season for bamboo so varieties will increase in price and be harder to get hold of. So if you are considering it OP you'll need to get an order in now!