Decorating Dilemmas

Here is a picture of what my yard looks like after what the neighbors did. I have roses and some shrubs on the left and agapanthas on the right. It's even worse after they painted their other fence white. It totally doesn't match and looks out of sync. I could probably paint my side white, but why should I, when I never wanted it that color in the first place? They are so rude and inconsiderate. I also had liked the way my green bird bath looked against the brown fence, but that red fence just totally ruins it for me. I hope you can give me some advice on what to plant to cover it all. They make me so mad I really just want to cover their whole side of the yard now.

Thanks

Hi goddessmommy ~ Welcome back,

I totally understand your being upset about your neighbors, I basically have the same thing next door!!! 3 years ago when DH & I moved in to our house our neighbor died, long story short the house ended up selling to total slobs! The house is falling apart, needs painting & lots of other work inside & out but they dont give a darn.
The hardest part of the whole thing is there is nothing either you or I can do about our neighbors decorating style ugh. So heres what I would do if I were you.
Is that short red / brown fence yours? How about putting up some kind of lattace and planting some pretty flowering vines? The only other thing I can think of at the moment is plating some big flowering bushes along the short fence, give them lots of Miracle Grow and pretty soon they will be so tall that you wont be able to see their ugly fence.
I dont know what state your in so I dont know what will / wont grow but heres a beautiful flowering bush called a bougainvillea that grows very quickly & would block your view of their fance.

More.............

As you can see they come in many many colors.
Let us know what you think..........

Hi goddess! So, they are still at it huh! So sad to get neighbors like that.

I agree with Pam, there are many fast growing privacy plants you can plant all along the fence. If you don't want flowering vines I would go with some Italian cypress shrubs that you can trim to any height and width you like. Planting them close together all in a row will make them grow together and toping them will make the bush out faster.  I planted some 2 feet high all along the side of my last home that faced my nasty neighbors junky messy carport. They were on sale in Home Depot and I bought 10, in no time at all they were 5 foot high and acted like a living fence.

All about Italian cypress: http://www.fast-growing-trees.com/ItalianCypress.htm

All about Privacy Plants:

http://www.ehow.com/about_4595876_privacy-plants.html

Pam's idea of bougainvillea is great hung on some trellises. Just be aware if you plant these that do have huge sharp thorns and if you don't keep them trimmed they can take over your whole side yard in no time at all as they are very invasive plants.

You could also go with some pretty privacy screening between the yards as there are many outdoor types. If Hubby is handy you could even build a nice one with planters at the bottom. Like these:

http://www.solutions.com/jump.jsp?itemType=PRODUCT&itemID=1552

http://www.luxuryhousingtrends.com/archive/2008/04/wooden-privacy/

http://green-fab.com/blog/2008/03/30/site-design-a-personal-work-in-progress/

http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4579867_outdoor-privacy-screen-work.html

This site is a little slow but good:

http://www.woodworkersworkshop.com/resources/index.php?search=privacy%20screen

http://www.betterimprovement.com/resin-outdoor-privacy-screen/

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/outdoor-privacy-screens.html

Or a inexpensive one with bamboo:

http://www.improvementscatalog.com/home/improvements/792928619-slatted-bamboo-privacy-screen.html

So sorry you have to go through this, but if it really bothers you then I would take the matter into your own hands.

Good luck and we would love to know what you decide to do.

I'd paint it white or put in some big flowering bushes along the fence line.
Heres what I found out about bougainvilleas in So Cal.

Bougainvillea comes in many colors, and is growing in popularity here in California. You can choose from white, pink, rose, purple, red, and many shades in-between. Bougainvillea can give your home a tropical or Mediterranean feel. The vine is evergreen in Southern California but can go dormant in the northern half of the state because of cold weather. Bougainvillea prefer a hot spot in the garden. Use a southern or western facing wall so they will benefit from the reflected heat. Heavy watering of these vines produces lush growth, but less vivid colors. You can remedy this by watering less during the long blooming period.

Bougainvillea in full, glorious bloom.