Neighbour's huge new extension, how can I create privacy in the garden again?

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My neighbour has built a large new extension that now heavily overlooks my 30ft long garden. The end fence (which is theirs) is already slightly over 6ft tall as it stands on concrete gravel boards. The extension ground floor stands 3ft higher than the top of the fence as their land is higher. So they can look out of their huge kitchen window and see all of my garden. In addition, there is a large bedroom window above also giving a birds-eye view. I'm thinking the only thing I can do is plant trees but they won't totally disguise the house. My neighbour is against me planting any kind of dense hedging like Yew or trees because the fence is already at max hedge height 6ft and it would block out the sun to their tiny garden.

I thought about putting in some very tall posts with only thin wires between them and then growing roses along them, so it's tall but pretty from both sides. So perhaps adding another 3 -4ft higher than the fence. The extension is nicely built but it devalues my house now as I'm so overlooked. Any ideas?

In the short-term, I'd whack up some massive reed or bamboo screening panels right behind their fence. It's relatively cheap, instant and you can probably get away without attaching it to their fence if you put a couple of posts in.

I'd also be fairly unreceptive to any complaints. 'Sorry Victor, we're planning on sunbathing in the garden a lot this summer and don't want you lot peering at us so it stays, I'm afraid".

Panels are fencing. So 2 m max height. Trees are the andwer. Not laurels. They grow thick and high. Something with a trunk and leaves! Cherry trees work well if you get an upright variety like Amanogowa. Otherwise there won’t be much left of 30ft.

lets hope they dont have a penchant for morning cuppas while surveying the view from their picture window!

@Whiteroomjoy it really isn’t a lot of work. I have them in my garden. They are trimmed a couple of times a year. Takes no more than an hour each time. Two hours a year to completely block out next door.

You can plant trees just don't plant them too close together and not hedges as that causes a right to light issue if you let them grow over 6 foot

They can't do anything about individual trees

Is also trellis some climbing plants that will go a bit higher than 6 foot to block their view into your garden

Also you don't have to ask their permission to plant in your garden

You can make bamboo and fence post trellis not against their fence

What about erecting a few posts on your side of their fence and then wires across and train Clematis Montana along them. It's known as mile a minute clematis for a reason! Very pretty and becomes a 2D hedge after a few years

Bamboo sticks (Ie dead) not bamboo
As a gardener I'd never suggest you plant bamboo in a small garden!!

One of my favourite evergreens to plant is red robin

It spreads out wide, looks beautiful and you'll only need the one plant. Buy one that is grown a bit already.

Your neighbours will have no right to complain if it's just one plant (a hedge is 3 or more evergreen plants)

I'd them also put in a slow growing magnolia. 6 feet away from the first one or a tree. But be aware that trees have wide roots eventually. I'd pretend that the tree was always there and" they put extension in later"

If my neighbours built something that overlooked my garden I’d plant something to block it. Fuck um!

great thread

What direction does your garden face? This will be a factor in deciding what and where to plant.

I can't work that diagram out at all - can you take a photo instead?

They’re demanding we fell the trees and pay thousands compensation to them. Our insurance company is now involved 🤦🏻‍♀️

We have 3 trelis/planters with climbers along next doors fence. Similar to below. Planned and filled with our gardener.

If you plant one fast growing tree in the corner on the right won't that block off the entire view from their windows while leaving the rest of their garden free to get light ?

If they complain about it, you could ask them to put a screen up above the line where it says 3ft and another small, maybe a couple of ft trellis on the fence to the right instead. You really won't have to block much of the fence off to the right to stop them from viewing inside your garden while still allowing their garden to get light.

If they moan about it you could then threaten to go nuclear and block off the whole rear aspect with trees.

The diagram is my view when I step outside my back door.

I had a similar issue and planted some crabapple trees; they grow pretty fast. Also lilac. The bees and birds love the crabapples, which provide food year-round. (you have to be very selective and make sure to pick a type that makes small enough fruit for birds, and has the flower/leaf color you prefer.)

As pp have said, maybe identify certain "zones" of the garden where you'd like more privacy, and work on that first. But I'd still be tempted to put a big hedge right across the back. Who cares about their light issues? They weren't worried about your enjoyment of your space, were they?

Btw if it helps, out of several varities, the best crabapples for privacy, nice habit, fruit for birds, flowes for the bees and growth rate I have found to be malus Donald Wyman and malus Sugar Tyme. Donald Wyman grows a lot faster than Sugar Tyme; both have a lovely shape and make small bird-friendly fruits that stay on the tree all winter.

I'd get some bamboo. It can grow tall and give you the privacy but wont block much light to next door. It's also quite thin so won't take up much space in your garden. If you get bamboo make sure you either get one that doesn't run or keep it potted. It's notorious for sending out shoots all over the garden and you might find it popping up all over the place!

Bamboo will be perfect, we are lower down than our neighbours and have a screen of it planted against a fence. It grows fast , and will also let some light through , it comes in various colours, heights.

It needs little to no maintenance , you just need to cut the dead canes off at the bottom and pick fallen leaves up.

the only downside is installing a root barrier before you plant it, it involves a bit of digging, there are plenty of sites to show you how to do this and it’s not too expensive. It keeps the roots contained and then grows just where you need it to. The roots then try to grow over the barrier and you just snip them off.

I’ll find a few pictures of ours if I can.

We had to plant boundary screening when we moved into our house, garden is 12m x12m.

We already have a magnificent pear tree which is about 40 foot and goes straight up!

We ruled out bamboo, invasive and not the right look for our garden.

We planted:
2 small laurels. These have grown SO fast. Evergreen. We like them and manage them aggressively to stop them getting too large.

2 red robins. Beautiful and great value. Have also grown quickly. We prune at leas twice a year. Drop a lot of leaves but easy to gather up.

Trellis with pyracantha. Nice habitat, takes a while to get going.

1 rowan. Beautiful, taken a few years to get going. Think it will be gorgeous in ten years but has a very open habit, deciduous, not brilliant screening.

1 Cherry. Again, gorgeous.

1 hawthorn. Great screening in summer, nice habitat.

My conclusion is, laurel and red robin are cheap effective but needs you to maintain it a few times a year - it is not heavy work.

We removed birch and leylandii when we moved into our property as they had consumed our garden.

Only have couple when I was building the new fence ,

We have a similar set up downstairs and no they don’t really overlook. You’re mainly in the garden in the day in the summer when they are less likely to be upstairs. We have climbers along the fence, roses and stuff mainly and most stick up an extra couple of feet and are full of leaves in summer. They have put trellis on top of their fence which forand block light but gives them something to grow up.

I’m surprised about what people are saying about laurel. I’m in a similar situation to op where my neighbours plot id higher than mine, and on top of that they have put very scruffy fencing between our houses (it id only 6ft fencing but from my side much higher because it is on top of a 1m retaining wall.
I planted laurel hedging my side to just above the height of their fence and absolutely love it. It completely screens their ugly fence and looks beautiful all year round. I’ve never had berries or new shoots but I do get it cut back and shaped by a gardener once a year which might be preventing that. The only problem is that it is quite slow growing at first.
I wouldn’t plant bamboo directly into the ground as there is talk of it becoming the new Japanese Knotweed ie potentially damaging to property.