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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Rose advice to cover upsetting extension

123 replies

LucyCunninghamStill · 17/05/2026 08:40

Posting here for fastest replies as off to the garden centre at 10am.
Joined on (semi detached) next door neighbour's rear single story extension is officially finished.
I loathe what it has done to our garden.
We only have a small narrow garden and we are now boxed in by their extension. It's taken our garden from feeling open and with a view of trees to shaded in by their bricks. And although its only single story, it's really bloody high because the slated roof goes all the way up to their bedroom window ledge! It's enormous. I hate it. They've put in bifold doors which when fully opened up sit right up against our garden fence and tower above it, if I stretched my arm over our fence I'd be able able to wave my hand in the shiny new extension, that's how close their bifold sits up against the fence. And they've filled their gigantic roof with deluxe windows. They have their door fully open and windows fully open as we speak and their household noise - Taylor Swift playing, 1 DC playing keyboard very badly along to it, 1 DC having a screaming meltdown as per usual, the mother shouting at them "CHILDREN DON'T DO THAT" all in surround sound stereo flooding into our quiet little family life now that they've built an extension with full width bifolds and an opening roof.
I hate them for building so selfishly and I need to meditate in order to manage my irrational anger towards them. We are a peaceful, quiet little family who treasured our little quiet garden, it was previously my sanctuary where I de-stressed after recovery from a long chemo journey and the challenges of ND DC who are wonderful in every way but who require non stop input and support. They too crave peace and quiet, they are upset by the shrieking and overly loud music and keyboard playing next door as we speak. It sounds like it's all coming from our own house, only we'd never in a million years make this level of noise. And I can't even complain because they are not in their garden they are INSIDE their house but they now have a wide open house with no wall at the back of their house!!😭
Anyway I've cried for long enough and now I want to grow a massively fast growing huge rambling rose to cover the side aspect of their 4 metre extension and their roof up to bedroom window height that we now look at when we're in our little garden.
Our fence is 5 foot high and it extends out 4 metres along our fence and as high as the bedroom windows.
I know I can't grow a rose directly on to their brickwork.
Help me! What is the fastest growing rose i can buy? Is there a rose that will grow a lot even in this summer? And what can I use to support it growing really high without it directly on their brickwork?
I'm so stuck and so desperate to quickly cover this eyesore.
(BTW roses love our soil - seem to thrive in gardens around here.)

OP posts:
Thread gallery
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CopeNorth · 17/05/2026 14:22

Yes. Agree Clematis always grows fast

fashionqueen0123 · 17/05/2026 15:19

daisychain01 · 17/05/2026 11:09

They have their door fully open and windows fully open as we speak and their household noise - Taylor Swift playing, 1 DC playing keyboard very badly along to it, 1 DC having a screaming meltdown as per usual, the mother shouting at them "CHILDREN DON'T DO THAT" all in surround sound stereo flooding into our quiet little family life now that they've built an extension with full width bifolds and an opening roof.

this is something you can regain control on because it comes under Planning, re:environmental noise and disturbance.

Keep a diary for a few weeks about all the noise and disturbance you're experiencing and contact your Local Authority to ask them to intervene.

Be clear this is not a NDN dispute, it's a request for the LA to exercise their powers to ensure your neighbour isn't causing a disturbance over the allowable / permissible noise levels. You can remain anonymous and it will not only benefit you, it will also help other local residents who might also be suffering from their selfishness.

I don't think there is anything anyone would do unless it was after 11pm. People have loud parties and all sorts in the day which is allowed.

80smonster · 17/05/2026 15:26

Time to get the barbecue out, cook all meals on it: breakfast, lunch, dinner. Make sure to use coal and wood etc, not a gas one. Park it right beside the bifolds. Did you sign a party wall agreement? If not, then they shouldn’t have built up to your fence.

80smonster · 17/05/2026 15:33

Add a trellis, 5 feet for fences is v insufficient. I would go for an evergreen rose like Madam Carriere. Repeat flowers in white.

UtterlyUseless · 17/05/2026 15:45

ShowOfHands · 17/05/2026 10:58

You have my every sympathy op. We are in a semi and the neighbours started with a sex pond hot tub and its infernal hum. On Friday and Saturday nights we are treated to a splishy splashy "ooh Brian you are norty."

They then built a summer house and use it as a beauty treatment space. Whilst standing at our bathroom sink, you can open the window and be treated to a plethora of clients having various things waxed and plucked.

Next came the summer house at the other end of the garden which has a bar in it. Then a pole so Barb can dance for Brian before they heft themselves into the hot tub for a happy ending.

Then came the karaoke machine.

And now an enormous freestanding pool.

They have no room left in what is a bog standard garden. This is is all mere feet from my garden.

We've planted buddleia, lilac and a fig. We can't see it from the garden but can from any upstairs window and when they have their weekly parties, we can definitely hear them.

Oh and they also have a yappy dog, regular arguments and smoke under my bedroom window.

No !!
No !
No!! And you can even see clients being plucked 😳everything sounds awful !
And even a pole for her to dance ????

Laurmolonlabe · 17/05/2026 16:06

Ihate to say it but the time to complain about this has well passed. You will have been informed that your next door neighbour was applying for planning permission you should have studied the plans carefully and objected BEFORE the permission was granted.
It is almost impossible to object now- you have let it happen, the wait and see approach does not work with planning permission.
Your only alternative if you hate it tghat much is to move.

Whyarentyoureadyyet · 17/05/2026 16:13

I don't have any advice on gardening op as I am clueless, but you have all my sympathy. People who build things like this are disgustingly selfish. So are people who continually regularly create noise that can be heard outside their home

Whyarentyoureadyyet · 17/05/2026 16:16

I would say our local councillors tend to do everything they can to refuse these types of extension that ruin the neighbours quality of life

Gettingbysomehow · 17/05/2026 16:21

Woodfiresareamazing2 · 17/05/2026 11:10

I would plant jasmine ' it bushes out beautifully, so lots of greenery to cover the wall, it's evergreen, flowers a couple of times a year and smells amazing, and doesn't need deadheading.

You cannot plant jasmine in the shade. Ive tried it. Many David Austin roses will grow well in part shade. My last garden was a woodland garden as is my current garden and I have lots of roses in it.
What did you get in the end OP.

Igl00 · 17/05/2026 16:21

Generous Gardener rose, clematis Montana and pleached trees.

OtterandaRock · 17/05/2026 16:43

Generous Gardener lovely but not big.

Bellarella · 17/05/2026 17:14

We have had the same issue. We now have a covered pergola and honeysuckle with jamsine trained up a trellis to hide the smell of the weed they also smoke. This has helped with the noise and I am about to put in a large water feature right next to where the noise is worst, to hopefully drown them out. I also spoke to them about the music. They genuinely did not have a clue. It really upset me initially. Hopefully if you have a chat with your neighbours they may be a bit more considerate as I don't think people are aware of how noisy they can be, when their neighbours are quiet. The novelty may also wear off once the bugs etc start coming in the house! That is what has happened here!

Pickledprune · 17/05/2026 18:14

Some more suggestions Rosa wedding day is another huge rambler

Photania red Robin or pink marble can be good and trimmed into trees

Acer seiryu in a pot, they grow big and outwards and change beautiful colours. I own 2 in pots, they are good for screening

Igl00 · 17/05/2026 18:18

OtterandaRock · 17/05/2026 16:43

Generous Gardener lovely but not big.

Mine is!

Igl00 · 17/05/2026 18:20

It’s supposed to be 4.5 metres! Go on the David Austin site op and you can put in what you want, the sizes and best for what you want come up.

Seriouslyoverit · 17/05/2026 18:24

Rosesformygarden · 17/05/2026 09:08

Have a look at David Austin’s Bring Me Sunshine, it’s an apricot rose. Lots of YouTube recommendations. And it’s now classified as a climber as it grows so fast and flowers all summer. Also low on thorns and great fragrance. Or Gertrude Jekyll is also lovely if you like pink. PP idea of a water feature to give you some white noise is great. I agree with others that a 5 foot fence is too low.

Edited

I came to say David Austen my Gertrude Jekyll is absolutely beautiful and so fragrant too.
But also agree with others that you may find with some higher fencing and other strategic planting you can improve things even more.

Igl00 · 17/05/2026 18:34

My Gertrude is prone to black spot. I have 6 DA roses and it’s the only one that gets it.

OtterandaRock · 17/05/2026 21:10

Igl00 · 17/05/2026 18:20

It’s supposed to be 4.5 metres! Go on the David Austin site op and you can put in what you want, the sizes and best for what you want come up.

Rambling Rector easily does 6m!
Glad your rose is doing well...it is a beautiful one.

LozzaCh0ps · 19/05/2026 06:54

My mum has a Cecile Brunner that has climbed 30ft up a couple of yew trees and doesn’t look like it’s going to stop any time soon! The birds love hiding in it too.

LozzaCh0ps · 19/05/2026 06:54

My mum has a Cecile Brunner that has climbed 30ft up a couple of yew trees and doesn’t look like it’s going to stop any time soon! The birds love hiding in it too.

SardinesOnButteredToast · 19/05/2026 07:11

Seconding the recommendation to buy direct from David Austin (although I understand the feeling of hurry), and also R. Albertine. Most beautiful ballet pale pink rose.

MatCutter · 19/05/2026 07:18

For instant cover that you could then grow your roses in front of have a look online for "instant hedge" options. We had some work done to our drive and wanted some instant impact planting. We had 6ft cherry laurel which arrived lush and green and not spindly. They were about £75 each too. They also come in a ready to plant 1m bag with 3 or 4 plants depending on what you buy.

Cherry laurel will grow in shady areas too, they are easy to maintain as a hedge and evergreen. As part of another hedge we have laurel and red robin.

@Laurmolonlabe permitted development allows a 3m extension on a semi detached house so no planning required but also you can potentially extend up to 6m with planning depending on the extension. You can only comment on planning, not object. Even then the council only consider certain grounds for refusal, google lists them all out. I have had to submit comments to planning applications twice with 2 different properties. Our council no longer sends out any notifications so we have google alerts for our postcode and planning alerts set up too. I think a lot of people don't consider the impact of their extension on their neighbours.

CaesarAugusta · 19/05/2026 07:34

It sounds like it might be worth double checking the planning permission and whether they've complied with the plans they lodged.

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