If you put plantings behind the wall(on their side) they will end up "claiming" your property. So put up wall & plantings on your side.. Think about what you want to do tho because if they have a dog might want something you can continue around your back yard. Wall would help with any water or soil coming your way in case they didn't plant soon enough. If you are planting large trees or bushes plant them far enough in on your side that neighbors won't be cutting them on 1 side & roots won't damage the retaining wall. My GF had just a small city lot maybe 60 ft by 40 ft in back yard. It was so quiet back there & you couldn't see any neighbors. They planted evergreens just right & you could sit on patio & just feel like you were in a forest.I think she had 3-4 trees but sure did the trick but not much lawn & then nice but small patio. it was very private & the house behind theirs was quite high up so without the trees they would have been able to see everything they were doing unless they had all the drapes closed all the time. A couple of the trees had long needles & big pinecones.

Is there such a thing as a landscape architect book that just deals with the issue of privacy? I think there would be a market. It also interests me how our need for and concepts of privacy have changed over time.

There are nuggets of info all over this forum on this topic. A search for threads containing the word "privacy", "screening" and/or "enclosure" could get your idea juices going.

Keep in mind that what you do at the property line may be only a part of the answer. If there's a patio or deck tucked up against the house, you may also want to enhance a sense of enclosure closer to that space. If the "privacy" solution just establishes a perimeter fence, you could still feel as though you stick out like a pony in a bare lot, fenced in but not hidden.

Wellspring

I wonder what the exposure is regarding the fence and plantings? If the sun is to the back side of the fence/plantings then you will be creating a very dark space especially if you plant anything tall (screening evergreens). There would be much less of an issue if the sun came to the front face of the fence - but you really need to consider this because it will dictate everything else you do.

If you're intending on putting in a fence, trees instead of a hedge may be a better idea. You can get the higher coverage you desire without taking up significant usable ground space. There are numerous small and/or fastigiate trees, so you shouldn't have an issue finding one that would fit.

- Audric

The sun/fence issue is only an issue if the fence is hugely tall or the sun so low in the horizon it doesn't get above the fence height. In midsummer for sure this is a non-issue as it will be also for anything that is expected to exceed the height of the fence. Any very low growing perennials or groundcovers could be affected by shadier conditions if planted immediately adjacent the fence, otherwise this is not a concern at all.

Even in my very northerly latitude (lower sun angles), there is no issue of excessive shade on the north side of a standard 6' privacy fence.

Sounds like you bought my house.

We are on 1/8 acre, the house behind us is at a higher elevation. Our municipality only allows 4 1/2 foot fences. We built a berm at the back of our property, put a fence on top, installed a 1 foot high lannonstone wall about 3 feet in front of the fence, back filled that with soil and planted a row of purple leaf sandcherries on top, an elevated planting bed or so to speak. I'm letting the sandcherries grow up into a tree form, I have four of them lined up along the fence with an evergreen arborvitae in the corner for contrast. While the sandcherries won't give us total privacy, it's enough that when they grow they will obscure the view from the neighbors kitchen window to our patio, at least during summer months. And, they add a nice touch of color to our yard. I have another sandcherry that I cut down every year to keep it's shrub form, it blocks the view of my garbage can (at the corner of the garage).

Our patio is next to our house. We also planted a popple, aka quaking aspen tree closer to our patio. There are pros and cons to this tree, but it's definitely fast growing. You aren't supposed to plant it close to a house simply because as they age they tend to hollow, but we lop the top off every year to a managable height so it grows wider than taller limiting the risk to our house. They also tend to send shoots around the yard, but easy enough to mow over. The tree gives us privacy from the house behind us, but only shades the area next to our house/patio, so I still have sun in the back part of my yard for gardening purposes. The back of my house faces west. If I could go back, I'd plant a serviceberry "autumn brilliance" in place of the popple - the roots are more shallow and not invasive.

We originally had Techny arborvitae along our back fenceline, but as slow growers they filled out in width more than height, and tend to take up too much room, though I did like the fact that they were evergreen.

Another thought is Canadian Hemlock for an evergreen privacy screen. While this is technically a tree, it can be easily shaped into a hedge form for total privacy, though I have no personal experience. I'm thinking of planting one in another area to screen another view.

Between my fence and patio I left about 3 feet planting space, and planted a staggered row of privets, the Cheyenne variety, to provide privacy from the neighbors to my north. The first year they were twigs, this year they were nice and full and almost reach the top of my 4 1/2 foot fence. Next year they will exceed the height of my fence and hopefully in two years we'll have privacy. They can be shaped into a hedge form. For every 12 inches they grow, cut them back 6 for full growth top to bottom, otherwise they tend to get leggy. There are pros and cons to privets as well, do the research before planting.

A fast fix for privacy is the annual morning glory on a trellis. We did this for a screen this year, and I couldn't have been happier.

William Baffin rose is a rambler, grows into a high arching form if you have a nice sunny area maybe in a corner of your yard - the key to making your yard feel more private is by adding height to it. A nice patio tree is the Rose of Sharon. Place trees strategically any where you want to block a view.

Whatever you do, DO NOT plant the hyped up fast growing Cottonwood trees. They will destroy sewer pipes, foundation, etc. and your neighbors will soon be your enemies. LOL.

{{gwi:53519}}

Another view:
{{gwi:53520}}

"Cheyenne' Privet hedge first year:
{{gwi:40340}}

Privet hedge second year:
{{gwi:53521}}

Morning glories on trellis:
{{gwi:53522}}

Popple, 2nd year?
{{gwi:53523}}

This is what we started with:
{{gwi:53524}}

Not my yard, but nice example of mature sandcherries in trimmed up to tree form:

{{gwi:53525}}

Thanks everybody! Great stuff here - you got me thinking...

Kimcoco,
What is that plant in front of your patio that looks like a bamboo stalk with the frilly green leaves?
I love it!

Photo #2 on the right? Cyperus papyrus...

Yep, papyrus...it's also in the last photo in front of the table.

I used to see a house in the Seattle neighborhood of Seward Park that had a fantastic screen type fence built for privacy along the busy road in front of the house. They started with 4x4's set in concrete as uprights placed about 5 or 6 feet apart, then made 'screens' of 1x2 & wire (strung as you would for vines) attached between the upright posts. This was all about 8 feet tall and about 30 feet long. They then planted a row of climbing Ivy along the bottom and let nature do the rest. In about 2 or 3 years we could hardly see the wires anymore. It is now a wonderful, natural barrier between the busy, noisy road & the house. It looks great too! You could also do the same thing using lattice panels in place of the wires / screens. One of the nice things about this sort of fence is you can build it a couple of sections at a time, or as the paycheck allows, without it looking so much like a fence waiting to be finished.