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I've also thought about a privacy fence, sue. I know that there are sometimes height restrictions. Your neighbor might find a way to be a peeping Tom, as you've indicated, Countess, climbing a ladder. What you describe, it sounds like he has a mental illness that is causing his urge to peep. Does he look at your place only when you're outside? Could you take video with your phone to document his behavior?
As @mayofeb2020 said, you can get wire online. It's a large gauge wire, which will probably be easier on the plants. It is not just hobby wire.
Rather than wiring several limbs together, it would be gentler to do single, individual limbs at a time. It sounds like getting a Christmas tree out of its box and straighten all of the branches. That's not my favorite part of Christmas decorations.
Have you considered arborvitae as a screen? They can be purchased fairly large and are pretty fast growing (just avoid the biggest ones). Or maybe a vine that grows quickly. On my back fence I have Virginia Creeper that will form a dense screen, though I don't need a privacy fence or hedge. It's a nice looking plant. Did you ask the nursery clerk about fast growing things?
Whatever you find, you probably need to dig a hole even larger than is recommended, and amend and fertilize the soil generously. When I plant things I fill the hole with water and wait until the water has soaked in to the ground, and I make sure that the soil in the bottom of the hole is loose, making it easier for the plant to grow.
And I usually gently loosen the roots before putting the plant into its new home.
Sorry for all of the information, which is probably what you've read in your Sunset Garden book. Just have fun designing your yard. Mine was a blank canvas, so anything I did was an improvement. It sounds like that's what you're doing.
Jim
Replies to "@sueinmn @funcountess I've also thought about a privacy fence, sue. I know that there are sometimes..."
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Hi Jim,
Thanks for the info. The trees/ bushes were planted before these people moved in.
They have been a awful neighbor for close to 25 years. I noticed emotional problems from them instantly. When they first moved in for one year the man would go to the side of his house behind his gate and make all sorts of weird noise for about 2 hours. Very strange.
That stopped when we had a bad year with heavy rain.
We do have a height limit on fencing. There is a fence that runs from front to all the way up the hill. He is taller then the height limit. All the trees/bushes run along the same line.
When bushes/trees block his view out comes the shears cutters. I’ve told him a million times to only trim what grows on his side. He has chronic obsessions.
I did take plenty of pictures , have good ones of the ladder and him sitting on it.
Cops know about it and said ignore him, since no crime has been committed nothing they can do.
When I toss trash in my trash cans he magically appears, and starts to bang his trash cans.
Same with my Gardner, he makes noise when my Gardner is;here, and sometimes turning his water on to get my Gardner wet, or his truck. Even tho my Gardner parks in front of my house.
Authorities have been to his place on occasion for odds and ends things.
He does retreat for awhile.
I believe he has cameras at all his windows, something that is going to be looked into.
When the trees/bushes burned, the insurance company pulled the destroyed trees out, and planted new ones. Now they are coming next weeks with a new landscaper to see what else can be done for privacy.
If I went any higher on fencing,I’m sure it would be reported.
As for Christmas tree, it’s at the moving and van storage company. Safely in storage since the fire.
I did get the wire at a nursery only $4.00 I do take one long branch from one tree and another branch from another and join them.
Still too many open spaces.
The vines I had all burned when we had a cold snap.
The people on the other side of him are at a much higher elevation, and do have the limit on fencing so they Do not have same problem, although they stay away, because of bizarre behavior.
His wife also has serious mental issues, I think depression. Very strange behavior, she disappears for years, then Returns. I think they have been married and divorced multiple times to each other.they each have one child from other spouses, and the adult kids never come around.
Their ages she’s late 70s and he is early 70s.
Neither one has ever worked at least not since they moved into their home, which has 6 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.
I had to call the police once because the wife was up to no good.
The neighbors stay away from them.
It’s unfortunate they live next door.
I could go on and on, but you get the picture on what is going on.