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!

activewindowfilms.co.uk/58-mirror-silver-privacy-one-way-pro-window-tinting-tint-film-solar-control-sticky-back-51-76-100-152cm.html?gclid=CjwKCAjwwMn1BRAUEiwAZ_jnEvI2hMlHxkVtuND7sfY1eOvaHpzbrchVhEG4k0aB4sR8U9ZxzlEtdBoCDTwQAvD_BwE
Something like this might be an option instead of plants.

I have tried them, but this company is often recommend for mature trees (budget allowing)

www.barcham.co.uk/buy-big-mature-trees/

Lleylandii do not have to be below 6 ft in height. It depends on the lie of the land eg we live at the bottom of a hill, neighbours garden high above ours so hedge is a lot higher on our side than theirs. I did speak to the council who, aware of High Hedges legislation, said it was a misconception because they take many factors into account including the way the land lies. If hedges were to be below 6 ft in height, they would only be at the height of a fence wouldn't they, therefore providing no privacy benefit if your garden is not flat. I can see it is an accepted height in normal gardens.

That said, they need to be kept under control as getting hedge/tree surgeons in is pricey.

If your garden is large enough perhaps plant the gold leylandii which is slightly slower growing but keep on top of it. This will provide privacy but sadly it will still be a couple of years before it knits together and provides a dense screen.

I had all this in a previous house where the elderly neighbour used to cut back his awful hedge like he had butchered it. One look at my face and he asked that in future could I perhaps cut it? A resounding yes.

Install curtains at the end of the garden. Old theatre curtains with a remote control.

Phyllostachys nigra (aka black bamboo) is non-invasive, evergreen and easy to care for. Can grow very tall. Makes a good screen, not dense enough to be overbearing, but good enough for privacy at a distance.

I planted some just because I like it. They've been no trouble at all. The only care they get is watering in a drought, snow knocked off after a rare storm, and I thinned them out slightly last year for the first time since planting them ten years ago.

We bought laurel caucausnia standard trees. They are awesome for screening. Nicer than cherry laurel and not poisonous. We paid about £120 per tree and the same again to get them planted

I planted some mixed trees to hide my fence. Hawthorn is good, native plant with flowers, out now and berries for the birds. The small plants I put in last January are now 3/4 feet and off you trim them back a bit in the autumn will bush up quite a bit.

Trellis & Buy a ''Mile a minute'' ( Russian Vine)
You'll have it covered in no time

The [[https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/12869/Phyllostachys-nigra/Details
RHS]] differ on this.

Phyllostachys are attractive, large, evergreen bamboos with running rhizomes, although in cool temperate climates may initially behave like clump-forming genera.

I suspect everybody down one side of the road round the corner differs in their opinion as well. Either that or every single house has bought the same plant and deliberately chosen to have it come up through their paths and under their doorsteps.

Posting to also advise caution with the bamboo. We bought a house with two different bamboos. One is pretty, slow growing and stays where it is, but the other one had me digging runners up from all over the garden every year for years. I spotted a new shoot at the original location this week.

OMG yes! Russian vine is your friend! It is a massive thug though so you will need to keep it under control.

Eucalyptus trees. Fast growing and evergreen, without being too dark/oppressive. Lilac bushes. Fast growing and pretty. Evergreen Clemetis with large Jasmine Scented blooms on a wire/trellis. Grows like mad. Very dense. Smells amazing. With all of these you will see a difference by next year.

littlejalapeno if no one is allowed trees, where will the birds nest?

Trellis on top of the fence. And clematis, it grows fast & is very pretty. Voile comes in lots of plain or pretty patterns meanwhile. You'll forget its there after a week & it won't seem odd anymore if you're not a fan of it.

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

You need to make sure you get the right type of bamboo! My neighbours have bamboo (taller than the trees) and I spend all summer trying to control the growth on my side of the fence - it drives me mad! It grows under the fence and pops up in the lawn, under the path and comes up in the garden - grrrrrrr........

@PotholeParadise - I feel your pain. Thank goodness we are in autumn here and I can have a rest (although I had to spray a few rogue shoots last week).

Would something like this be an option worth considering?

www.filmcote.co.uk/privacy-window-film/one-way-window-film/

NB- I have not affiliation with the company it was just what I found on google.

Trellis and plant a fast growing vine cover, like Virginia creeper, ivy or Russian vine. Or honeysuckle if you want flowers, and another good choice would be buddleia, as it grows very fast each year. These last 2 also attract bees and butterflies.
Buddleia isn't evergreen though, and benefits from being cut back every year, so maybe not ideal (although the shoots can grow 6-10 feet in one year! )

Only trouble with those is that you'll have to keep them in trim but you could have them for a starter cover while you grow some other bushes in front that will eventually give you more cover - pyracanthus, berberis (the larger ones) etc. will all do the job, plus help keep intruders at bay (spiky!)

I would go for trellis and clematis too.

Net curtains, lace curtains have their place with the right sort of window.

Bamboo is great if you use the right sort, take professional advice about species and where to plant. Friends bought some pretty tall stuff which was great and definitely gave them nearly instant privacy but it was pretty pricy. We had an informal agreement with our next door neighbour to keep some shrubs/climbers growing between us but on their side of the fence. New people moved in and removed every blade of green in their yard the second day they were there in what is one of the leafiest suburbs of Sydney, they had moved from Hong Kong and said they were afraid of what might be lurking in the leaves. I pointed out that the reason the greenery was there was that without it we could look straight into their living room from our balcony which use constantly - didn't matter a jot to us. They had to put in a blind which must make their house really dark. We get on really well with them now and things have re-grown over the years but I don't think the woman on the other side ever spoke to them again.

I completely get how upsetting it is to have the outlook of your garden changed so suddenly and permanently in a way that is to your detriment.
BUT YABU. I have been the neighbour who has cut down big trees on the boundary too. The trees shaded about 75% of our garden all the time to the point that not even the grass survived. They were big and required a lot of ongoing expensive maintenance work, which it sounds like your trees did too?
The neighbours on one side were complaining that our tree dropped ‘prickly’ leaves that blew over the fence and hurt their children’s feet if they played outside barefoot yet never offered to contribute to the costs of trimming. When we cut the tree down they were taken aback because it left their verandah exposed. Meanwhile in their yard there were three small shrubs. They now realise they too are responsible for creating privacy, have started gardening and planted some nice trees on their side of the fence.

@frostedviolets

Short term, Get some one way privacy screen

www.amazon.co.uk/Silver-Reflective-Film-Control-Privacy/dp/B00GC9AKR6?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_4&tag=mumsnetforu03-21

You can see out, they can’t see in. Only draw backs are it doesn’t work if inside is lighter than outside (night) but you’d have curtains drawn, and it makes the room a bit darker.

We have leylsndii screening the back

They have been topped once the whole time we’ve lived here.
Not touched them in last 3 years.

Why are they such an issue for some?

How about bleached photonias? Instant screening

Apologies, I can see others have suggested before me.