Suggestions on hiding extension

1886

Hi,

My neighbour has a relatively large brick building at the bottom of their garden. We bought our house six years ago and it was there already.

I have gradually been getting my garden to where I want it to be and would like to hide the building as much as possible.

I did'nt mind it to start with but now I find it quite ugly, the front looks very nice but I only see the side.

A friend said why don't I ask if I could paint the side but I don't really want to go down that route.

I'm looking for suggestions incase I've not thought of anything. I planted a buddleia last year which has started to grow up this year but the neighbour in question has reached round and cut two pieces off it which I'm not very happy about.

The only reason I planted it was to try and hide the building and it was not even on their side of the fence or particularly visible.

I have considered bamboo but my Dad has a number of bamboo and they have a habit of growing very fast and aggressively and can start coming up anywhere and everywhere.

I am going to ask my neighbour why they cut some sections off the buddleia as it was'nt even on their property. It seems as if anything that goes higher than the fence they don't like.

I had to speak to them once before when they had building work done on the roof of the building and the builders dropped a load of brick and concrete in to my garden and left it.

I want to keep things nice between us so I'm considering my options at this point. I just want to mask the side of the extension as much as possible but this won't happen if bits of the buddleia keep getting cut down.

ScorpiondeRooftrouser

Well, clearly they can't go cutting down your plants. Tell them to stop.

Mossfarr

You could install some open trellis panels on your side of the fence and train a couple of clematis to grow up. They are very fast growing and lots of colourful varieties available. If you deadhead them you can get a couple of flowerings in a season.

Buddleia branches tend to bow when they get tall so they may have been hanging over your neighbours side.They are perfectly within their rights to snip the overhanging branches off.

ScorpiondeRooftrouser

Mossfarr wrote: »

You could install some open trellis panels on your side of the fence and train a couple of clematis to grow up. They are very fast growing and lots of colourful varieties available. If you deadhead them you can get a couple of flowerings in a season.

Buddleia branches tend to bow when they get tall so they may have been hanging over your neighbours side.They are perfectly within their rights to snip the overhanging branches off.

He just said they weren't overhanging.

" ....it was'nt even on their property. It seems as if anything that goes higher than the fence they don't like."

If you let them cut things like that they can just as well cut the plants off your trellis.

Red-Squirrel_2

ScorpiondeRooftrouser wrote: »

Well, clearly they can't go cutting down your plants. Tell them to stop.

They can cut any bits that hang over into their garden, but with a tall enough shrub that shouldn't be an issue, it will still hide the view eventually.

getmore4less

A couple of tall posts with wire to stop anything drooping over their side might be an option.

That buddleia will do the job just be proactive trimming back from the boundary so the main stalks thicken and tend to stay on your side.

ScorpiondeRooftrouser

Red-Squirrel wrote: »

They can cut any bits that hang over into their garden, but with a tall enough shrub that shouldn't be an issue, it will still hide the view eventually.

I know they can; he specifically said it wasn't doing that, and " It seems as if anything that goes higher than the fence they don't like."

ScorpiondeRooftrouser

getmore4less wrote: »

A couple of tall posts with wire to stop anything drooping over their side might be an option.

That buddleia will do the job just be proactive trimming back from the boundary so the main stalks thicken and tend to stay on your side.

You're missing the point. it wasn't overhanging and they cut it anyway. The issue here is a neighbour doing something they have no right to do.

Red-Squirrel_2

ScorpiondeRooftrouser wrote: »

You're missing the point. it wasn't overhanging and they cut it anyway. The issue here is a neighbour doing something they have no right to do.

He didn't say it wasn't overhanging, he said it wasn't on their property.

Red-Squirrel_2

ScorpiondeRooftrouser wrote: »

I know they can; he specifically said it wasn't doing that, and " It seems as if anything that goes higher than the fence they don't like."

If it goes higher than the fence it is likely to overhang into next door too.

If they're cutting back more than the bits that are overhanging, yes that's wrong, but its not 100% clear that's what happened.

Davesnave

1886 wrote: »

Hi,
I have considered bamboo but my Dad has a number of bamboo and they have a habit of growing very fast and aggressively and can start coming up anywhere and everywhere.

The more expensive clumping types of bamboo don't run like that, which is why they are costly. However, they may take some years to do what you require, so unless you are into bamboos, there are other plants that will also do the job.

Buddleia is just a cheap & cheerful solution. It's deciduous and it will need pruning in spring, when it won't do any covering-up at all.

What you really need to do is select a reasonably strong growing type of evergreen shrub or tree and plant two or three of them away from the wall where the neighbour won't reach them easily.

It's all very well people saying they shouldn't do it, but once the neighbour has struck with the pruners, what are you going to do?

I believe the answer is probably, "Nothing."

Solicitors etc cost money, which would be better spent on plants.