Well that’s my privacy gone

[frostedviolets]

I know I am probably going to be told IBU but I am so so upset.

Neighbour behind has rows of mature massive trees.
Mostly planted right against my fence so they lean in and left unpruned they cover almost half of my garden.

I constantly have to prune them back to the boundary which is a real pain in the arse but I love the privacy they provide, without them i can see straight into their house and garden and they mine.

Every year they get some bodger with a chainsaw to behead them all about half way down in a straight line so they look utterly ridiculous now they appear to be chainsawing them down completely.

All my privacy gone.
I’ll no longer be able to go into my living room or bedroom or garden without being clearly seen now.

I have an espalier tree growing in front of the fence that I am very careful to keep in a single flat layer so it doesn’t fall onto neighbours to have to keep pruning it but it’s small, it’ll be fucking years before it gets anywhere big enough to provide me with some screening.

WIBU to plant bamboo or even the devils work, leylandii or something?!
What grows mega fast and mega big..?

I’ll keep the side trimmed back so it doesn’t cross their boundary.

I need privacy!

The trees would have been there before the fence. Their trees their decision to remove.

Get some fencing or trees of your own for your privacy. Or blinds

Bamboo!

Put a couple more trees in and espalier train them to provide your screening? Might take a little while but in the long run it would be more beneficial.

Of course it is their decision.
It’s their garden, their trees.
I just feel really upset about it.

And yes I will be planting replacement trees though have no idea what type to plant or how long I’ll have to wait for it to provide screening 🙁

If you choose bamboo, plant it in pots or it will grow out of control and you'll have problems controlling it!

If they were really big trees then they might have had TPO orders on them and this means that they shouldnt have been cut down. I would certainly try and check with your local council if this is the case or not. you can sometimes check on line on their planning portal or e mail in. people are still working so you should get a reply.

If they were really big trees then they might have had TPO orders on them and this means that they shouldnt have been cut down. I would certainly try and check with your local council if this is the case or not. you can sometimes check on line on their planning portal or e mail in. people are still working so you should get a reply

Massive.
Taller than the house massive.
I’d be too scared to report though as they’d probably know it was me!

Bamboo will not grow out of control if you plant the right bamboo. And while it can be quick groing, Ive know it put up shoots that go to six foot in months, it will still take some time to provide a decent screen

how high do they need to be so you have privacy?

reporting is all very well but doesn't bring them back!

If you planted Leylandii, it would fuck up your garden first. And as the fine for refusing to comply with an instruction to keep them below 2m is pretty hefty, you'd have a shit garden, lots of costs to deal with them, a potential fine and still no privacy.

Bamboo will also fuck up your garden. And everybody else's. As will Cherry Laurel (which has the added bonus of being poisonous).

Both will significantly affect the saleability of your house. Nobody wants to be dealing with those things.

Have you considered purchasing some curtains and voiles? It would be much cheaper.

Well, because of the layout of the houses, anything under about 15 foot provides a clear view into the upstairs of mine and the neighbours house.

The existing trees must have been around the 30 foot high mark, maybe more before they were cut.

You could throw money at it and get something nice and also mature e.g. Silver birches. They will grow nicely and provide a bit of privacy.

Are both of your houses higher up than the bottom of the garden? Not sure why a nice fence won’t help at all?

Honestly, I’ve had this happen and you DO get used to it and will find a solution in time. But I sympathise because you feel very exposed to start with.

If you planted Leylandii, it would fuck up your garden first. And as the fine for refusing to comply with an instruction to keep them below 2m is pretty hefty, you'd have a shit garden, lots of costs to deal with them, a potential fine and still no privacy
Hmm.
Well that’s leylandii as an option out of the picture then.

Bamboo will also fuck up your garden. And everybody else's. As will Cherry Laurel (which has the added bonus of being poisonous)
I shall have to go for something else then, maybe more espalier sad suggesed up thread though I’ll have no privacy for quite some time!

Have you considered purchasing some curtains and voiles? It would be much cheaper
My living room looks out into my garden, I don’t really fancy having to have my curtains drawn across 24/7 if I want to move around without been seen.

And even if I have the curtains drawn 24/7 it still means no privacy in my garden.

I know it won’t matter to a lot of people but I am an intensely private person.
I can’t stand the thought of being overlooked.

www.lovethegarden.com/uk-en/article/fast-growing-hedges-privacy

People at end of our garden - it's part of thier side -joins on to about 4 from our row as odd angle - have fir trees if they ever cut them down the entire row will see into our garden.

We'd have to get rid of very small wall garden in front of the boundary garden wall prevous owners put in to plant anything- so kind of hope they keep them.

It so fucking annoys me to see all these recent threads about trees being chopped down, right when birds are nesting. If they were big trees it's almost certain there would have been some nests in there.

Are both of your houses higher up than the bottom of the garden? Not sure why a nice fence won’t help at all?

Yes, i would post a picture but I don’t really want to be potentially identified.

There is an existing 6 foot fence there already but if I stand at my living room window you you can see everything over the fence and into the neighbours downstairs.

In the meantime some of that rush type roll fencing tacked to that fence might provide privacy, just check on the max height you are allowed in your area as if the fence is already 6 foot high, there might not be anything you can do.

maybe the neighbours didn't like the tree being trimmed right back to the fence on your side - I have a mental image of the tree being a P shape on their side, or thought it was a lot of effort for you and so not wanting the trees particularly themselves, have removed them because they were bothering you too.

Oops. cross post. If the fence is already 6ft then I think it's going to be a case of putting up with it until your tree is big enough to provide the screen. I find it baffling tbh that you don't want the tree overhanging your garden at all, but are upset that the neighbours have removed them.

Put trellis on the fence. It will at least cut down on the open view. Or bamboo screening.

Yeesh get some net curtains; you can still see out, they can't see in, job's a good 'un.

A trellis well on your side should help. There could be a path (two feet wide?) between it and the boundary to help with pruning on each side. Pyracantha (blossom in spring, berries in autumn) is great but viciously thorny. 'Mile-a-minute' is just like its name - grows very fast but you may regret it. Passionflower is good and is a vigorous grower. Honeysuckle and roses look lovely and smell great - the world's your oyster really.

An attractive shed or summerhouse by your boundary is useful too.

I had this literally days after our house sale went through. Annoying for a month but not our problem long term.

Not more trees, what is it with them and mn.

Net curtains will give you privacy inside the house.