I would cover that green screen with a solid panel - like weathered stockade fence. Measure it carefully so you cover it entirely. Extend it to a logical stopping point. There are many things to grow on it, but first get the background right.

What is that green stuff on the ground? Carpet?

I'd clear out the dirt and rocks all the way to any pavement and see what's there.

Talk to the neighbor about doing something with that fence so you both have attractive privacy. A bench with a high-backed trellis or privacy screen would look good for both of you.

I would clean all that out and build a wooden fence by either removing the chain link or building inside of it. The rose of Sharon should go--it's overgrown and scrubby and will be too close to the new fence.

Did the hydrangea bloom last summer? I don't see any signs of bloom in the August photo.

The first photo is too close and the other is too far. Can you post a photo taken from mid-range that shows the area and surroundings?

Thanks everyone! To answer a few questions: the green stuff on the ground is AstroTurf type stuff, covering dirt. I would like to remove it and put down pavers or flagstones, something solid. The pile of rocks looks like it was put there to form a raised bed for something, although it gets almost no sun. Nothing is growing there now.

The hydrangea didn't have any blooms in August so I have no idea if it blooms early or not at all - I figured I'd see what happens this year and move it if it doesn't bloom. The ROS actually looks quite lovely in bloom but it is overgrown - my husband loves it, though, so I don't want to get rid of it entirely. I pruned it a bit already this spring but I plan to cut it back even further. It is growing through and on both sides of the chain link, so I am planning to remove anything on the hydrangea side. There is a large spirea next to it that has the same issue and is destined for the same treatment!

I love the idea of a wooden fence or bench/fence or trellis combo - I will start looking online to see what is available. I'll talk to the neighbor, too - hopefully he'll be amenable to a more attractive solution.

Yardvaark, I will take one from mid-range when I get home this evening. Thanks!

Here are a couple more photos:

Just for giggles, here are the rose of Sharon and spirea:

I would consider a large columnar shrub/tree.

Yardvaark, the problem I see with a plant of any kind is lack of sunlight. I have an elderberry I was thinking of trying next to the hydrangea but I'm concerned about the light. Are there things that will grow to 10+ feet in mostly shade?

What, if anything, are you going to do in that corner? Given the presence of the air conditions and other stuff, it looks like a good place to store extra pots, have a leaf pile, and things like that.

Your pictures have not conveyed the shade you speak of. What is overhead causing it?

My house faces due west and is built into a rather steep hill. This corner is on the south side of the yard. I haven't had a chance to observe the sun patterns in the height of summer, but right now the sun crests the hill and shines on the hydrangea half of the area starting at around 9am (as in the first pic I posted). However, the rock pile half remains shady (I assume because of the stone retaining wall). As the morning progresses, the rock pile area gets a little dappled sun, but is still mostly shaded by the vines growing all over the chain link fence further up the hill, and then of course by my neighbor's green thing. I'm not even sure that the hydrangea is receiving enough sun where it is.

I would love to trim or eliminate some of those vines, but I believe they are mostly rooted on my neighbor's side of the fence. The fence itself belongs to our house, though - so maybe I can do whatever I like? I would talk to the neighbor about any changes, but if I get rid of what's there I'd have to grow something to replace it. Here's a shot of the south fence at the end of August - lots of greenery!

Mad_gallica and mayflowers, thank you! I actually haven't decided what to do with this corner, which is part of the problem. DH would like to put in a hot tub, but that is most definitely not in the budget currently :). We don't have any outdoor storage for garden tools and such, so I was thinking that a storage bench might not be a bad idea, to provide a little seating area in addition to a place to dump my garden stuff.

When you say fence off the entire corner, do you mean a solid 8-10 ft. fence inside of the existing chain link on both sides? (My neighbor's green thing is about that tall.) Or something shorter on the side that faces the side lawn? I'm not sold on the idea of not being able to see the side yard from the back, not that there's anything really to see there. The ROS and spirea are a bit weedy looking, but if I were to remove them I'd be more inclined to remove the fence from that section as well so that I can walk freely from the side of the house to the back.

A privacy fence that's about 5" tall, which has boards on both sides so that you can see a little on the other side. You could top it with a trellis to make it more decorative or taller without it feeling oppressive. You could put in a gate to the side yard with a paver path.

Some views of my privacy fence. It gives the neighbor a nice side to look at too.

" The fence itself belongs to our house, though - so maybe I can do whatever I like?"

Absolutely. You own and can dispose of whatever comes over onto your side of the line, in spite of where it originates. If a neighbor's tree limb crosses the line (which extends in a plane continuous from below the earth into to the sky) you can cut it off if you don't like it. It's often the case though that plants along a border benefit parties on both sides of the line, so crossover limbs are left and things are agreeably worked out. But if you have objectives that are impaired by plants coming from the neighbor's side, you are certainly within your rights to give the haircut back to the line. What's growing on the fence looks like the typical weedy vines planted by birds and ignored by both neighbor's (especially the one on whose property they began.)

It sounds to me like the "shade" you are describing for the spot that is the subject of this thread, is shade at low/ground level but that there is not especially shade higher up, and that during the summer when the earth faces a more southerly direction, there will be plenty of sun. If there's no trees overhead, and it's not on the north side of a tall structure, there's going to be sun.

"If there's no trees overhead, and it's not on the north side of a tall structure, there's going to be sun."

It's not directly on the north side of a tall structure, but it is just north (and slightly to the east) of my neighbor's house, as you can see in the photos. Our houses are fairly close to one another - I would say each of us has no more than 10 ft of side lawn. It's also directly north of that ugly green thing. :) You may be right that there is sun higher up, though. I will keep an eye on it.

Thank you for the info regarding trimming whatever is on our fence as well! Those vines are a mixture of things - I have identified honeysuckle and Porcelain berry, but I'm sure there are many, many other elements. If I could remove all of those vines from the fence, that edge of the yard would get a lot more sun at ground level, which would allow me to grow things I like more than I like weeds. I'll inspect the situation further when we do a big spring cleanup and perhaps talk to the neighbor about a mutually beneficial solution.

mayflowers, thank you for those photos! Your backyard is lovely. I definitely like the idea of a wooden fence, but it would need to be much taller than 5' to hide the big green eyesore. Perhaps just that section could be topped with a trellis that extends high enough to cover the green thing (and isn't weirdly floating in space the way the current trellis is!).

It looks like that green panel is there because your neighbor wanted privacy or didn't like the look of something in your back yard. I'm going to guess it's privacy though as they don't seem to mind looking as nasty things in their yard. Likely they would be amenable to moving it if they know you're going to replace it with something better that will solve their problem.

I'm dying to know what your neighbor says about the green thing! Surely he'd want to get rid of it if there was a better solution!