Privacy problem (see pic)

[whatisthisinhere]

My not so pleasant neighbour and her family, her visitors, etc. watch me from a second floor window every summer. I spent last summer trying to create a private space at the bottom of the garden which I did by making a woodland glade area and putting a bench behind a multi stemmed tree. But they can see me when I'm at the other side. They have an out building from where they watched me at the house end of my garden and I blocked their view with a crab apple and a parasol. I'm thinking of building a pergola with the help of a builder friend over the deck and adding a second one at the bottom of the garden.
Will this block their view from the window a little more?
I know this seems ridiculous, but they are awful and make comments and insult me, and have now moved in to my teen age daughter. I really need to block their view more fully.

They watch you? You mean, just stand there looking out at you? I'd set up a camera pointing at their window - possibly not a wise suggestion though.

Yes. I spent last year ignoring them, hoping they'd get bored. But it's relentless. I do nothing exciting in my garden. They were apoplectic when I set up a paddling pool for my youngest autistic son during the heatwave and went in it with him. I'm fed up of them restricting my life, and want my daughter to feel able to relax in her own garden and have her friends over without a heckling audience.

I'm sure a pergola would help lots with your privacy. Maybe some tall screening plants near the bottom of the garden, something like clump forming bamboo. Some kind of screening between your deck and the grass area also. It doesn't need to be thick, just enough to obscure their view.

More knowledgeable people will have answers. I would be looking at pleached trees in the beds along the fence for starters.

Your can get something called a sail to attach to posts/trees/house. Much cheaper for you.

I've thought about a sail, but thought a pergola would be nice with evergreen climbers, and a climbing rose, perhaps Madame Alfred Carriere, I've had one before and it was amazing but too big for the space, I loved it

You should watch your garden made perfect. It might inspire you. Sorry about your nosey neighbour.

I'd wave at them.

I have been, but just can't translate the ideas to my very small budget for this year. Last year I put in some trees, which I love. I'm. Ow thinking of adding some structures around the trees. I probably should" have built structures first, but was desperate for some leafy things.

I tried being friendly when they first moved in, but they're so unpleasant, it's impossible.

I was thinking I could attach trellis or screening panels to the pergola posts. I like a kind of wild unkempt look, so something I could grow climbers up

Chuck a sail up now and give yourself and your budget time to work out what you really want - we bought a couple of trees and put them in large pots for a year so we could let them get established and now they are planted out and look great. Bamboo would help but put it in planters or it takes over. Benches with 6 foot trellis behind them would help too but it would screen off your own view down the garden.

Charlie Dimmock et al do amazing stuff on the telly with gardens at the minute.

You can only see them looking out if you're looking in.

I know they're watching though. Especially when I hear then insulting me and mocking my children.
A whole summer trying to ignore it has been difficult. I want to be able to relax this summer in my own garden.

How about a nice fast growing evergreen conifer strategically planted ? Plus pergola.

I like the sail idea too

Isnt it harassment if they know they’re making you uncomfortable but continue to do so?

Here is a from the Middle Size Garden. Practical, as ever.

How do you hear them insulting you?

So they hang out of their upstairs windows insulting you? They sound batshit. Why do people do that?!
It's very hard to argue with people who are insane.

Do you have a neighbor with a similar layout?
If you can look out of their window you can get an idea of how much of your garden they can actually see to then plan where to put structures to block their view.

Bamboo in large pots. You could even put them on those small wheeled platforms and move it to suit.

they sound horrible. It’s really uncomfortable knowing you’re being watched. They must have really dull lives.

I would do whatever I could to move from there. I know it's expensive but I wouldn't be wasting money on the garden, I'd be putting it into estate agents' fees.

A pergola with a roof rather than just rafters would give you a lot of privacy, lots of videos on YouTube of people doing this. Or rafters closer together so less gaps. You can add side panels too for more privacy. Or a gazebo like this one

dunsterhouse.co.uk/garden-structures

You can buy mature "instant hedging" plants if you have money to throw at it. You can get over 2m high ones.

www.paramountplants.co.uk/evergreenscreening.html

They must have very sad lives if you are their source of entertainment. They clearly have low self esteem to feel the need to mock and ridicule you. I too have been on the receiving end of this sort of behaviour. We moved though. Sorry.

Sorry you have such crap neighbours. I'd move the path to the centre of the grass and then do a couple more trees next to the one you have (assuming the existing tree is not going to get bigger, I'm not good with identifying trees). Failing that, if the photo is taken from where you sit, a shallow pergola shaped arch would work. I'd go with an evergreen climber for that one and the roses on the bigger pergola where you sit.

I've seen pictures were parked put an inner 'fence' a metre (or so depending on permitted development) inside the normal fence, but much higher (3m or so) than normal posts and no fence panels at the bottom, then above 2m put trellis with climbers, and you can even add pergola 'roof' pieces going in towards your garden from the top.

I will try to find a photo, or at least draw a diagram later.

If they’re insulting you and your children that’s harassment and you should be reporting them to the police. Totally unacceptable.