Perhaps some form of Mahonia? Not exactly thorny but with prickly, holly-like leaves.

Gardengal - I will look that one up

Plants that I could find locally at a big box or local garden center would be ideal.

I am not in your zone, so cannot help with choice. Just get a sizable shrub, not a small one that the dog can trample.

What kind of dog does your neighbour have? That relatively low open rail fence will not be much of a barrier for most dogs! Consider attaching the wire mesh ‘hardware cloth’ to your side to make it more of a barrier - the mesh will not be very visible. You could then grow vines on it if that appeals to you. I doubt that any shrub will be much of a barrier to a dog and I think the fence would look better/more complete if it went all the way to the back.

Mentor Barberry has thorns & will tolerate partial shade.

Woodyoak - she is a pit mix. A very sweet dog but, they do not keep a collar on her and she only gets let out to do her business, so when she sees my little guy outside playing she makes a beeline for him. Which thanks to the fence he now has some time to realize that she’s coming around the corner.

The fence does have the 2x4 wire mesh going all the way to the ground. I really wanted the fence to be able to plant along the lot line more easily, so I will def be adding plants and vines along that as well.

I really don’t want the back on if we can help it. I like the open feeling and with plantings along the sides I’d like to get a sort of tunnel vision out to the woods.

Forsythia? It doesn't have thorns, but it gets huge and thick, especially the older varieties, such as Lynwood Gold. I would just go ahead and add the back fence with a gate where your children have a path into the woods. Just don't plant along the back fence, so it stays open looking.

Continue the mesh fencing for now. Shrubs are not going to do what you want done. If you want to plant shrubs to hide the fencing, fine, but you need the fence.

Gardengal - I looked up mahonia and LOVE the look of it! It seems to have everything going for it. I was looking specifically at the Oregon Grape variety; it’s an evergreen, the leaves look like fern (which I love), it gets beautiful yellow blossoms, and fruit that the birds love. It also seems to be the perfect size for that space. The only downside is that it looks like they aren’t currently in stock by me.

Tigereye- my first thought was forsythia as well, I read that it needs full sun though.

And I really do understand the fence would be the best solution, I’m just digging my heels in on not adding it quite yet.

I could see how it seems like thorny bushes could be harmful but I’ve been reading a lot about natural barriers and thorny or prickly bushes as recommended for natural prevention of animals and humans :)

Oregon grape is the common name applied to 3 different types of native Mahonias :-) But you do not have to be limited to the native species. The winter blooming Asian Mahonias tend to be a bit more ornamental than the natives and I know they are planted frequently in the midAtlantic and southeastern states. Those might be easier to locate for you than our west coast natives.

Thanks gardengal! I will do some more research.

Yes, if you want the big full ball, fountain look, you need full sun for forsythia. However, it will grow almost anywhere, ask me how I know. It will grow toward the sun, so you would place it toward the back of the area you want it in.

I don't think any thorns are going to cause problems, but I also think the dog will just go around anything and come to your kids. He is just wanting to play and will go as far into the woods as needed to get around. Yes, they should keep the dog up or put in an invisible fence, which doesn't always work with some dogs, but they most likely won't.

Any of the other plants are going to look good there, also.

What about big roses? New Dawn can take some shade and grow into a big fountain of roses with big thorns, it repeats with deadheading. I just saw New Dawn at Home Depot last weekend. Darlow’s Enigma can also bloom in the shade, and it repeats pretty fast.

Ribes Grossularia provides a fruit bonus. They also grow well in less than full sun, grow up to five feet or more, and can be thorny as anything. No one and nothing will want to accidental encounter with a Hinnonmaki Red once it matures in a couple years. It supposedly does well in zones 3-8.

I would extend the mesh fencing also. It can be a temporary type installation and still work. Tack one end to your fence and on the other end either use step in posts or attach to the trees . But, it does look like the dog could still just do an end run around anything you put there.

What is the wood used in the split rail fence - cedar? Has it been treated or will it fade to natural gray? If it is going to fade to gray, it will look quite natural blending into the woodland area, especially if you will be planting vines on it - or a shrub against it. I think, in the long run, you’ll be happier with the fence extended (with mesh attached) as it will be the best option re the dog and will look good too.

Woodyoak- yes, it’s cedar from West Virginia, from what the guys were telling me it is treated but I’m not sure with what. We will not be staining or sealing it though, so it should gray up.

Perhaps I'm getting the wrong idea from your photo, but if you don't run a fence along the back, won't the dog just run up past your thorny shrub and come through the wooded area? A dog on a mission (such as greeting your son) will not be stopped by any shrub.

I would put in a fence of green coated 2x4" mesh fencing and t-posts, u-posts, or some other metal posts. The green fencing will blend into the woods and you won't even see it. It's quick and simple, yet works well with dogs. This type fence is generally considered temporary and not "structure", so perhaps you could get permission to run this fence up into the woods.

Bluesanne- nope, not the wrong idea at all. I’m sure she’ll run around it and into the yard. I’m just trying to find ways to get it across to my neighbors that I really truly do not want her in our yard. I’ve spoken to them and the words don’t seem to register.

And my husband and I were actually just talking about the green mesh fencing on Sunday. I’m pretty sure that’s what others were talking about as well but it didn’t click for me until you said it. And I don’t know why we didn’t think of it, the previous owners of our old house had mesh fencing at the back of the yard as well.

Obviously they will never get the hint, so I would put up a fence and be done with it. I'd continue with the split rail and use green mesh wire on it. After a while you won't even notice the fence anymore. The mesh on t-posts seems like a great idea in theory, but in reality, not so much. I've done it and it only last so long.

I think she mentioned she couldn't continue the split rail as it's not her property. a metal mesh might not be considered "permanent:. summers, I agree, Darlow's Enigma would be PERFECT there.

I suggested the T posts exactly because they are temporary -- I understood her to say that she couldn't put anything permanent there (would that include rose bushes?). I have used these to keep deer away from trees and they do last a fairly long time -- and are easy to re-set if needed.

I was more commenting on the split rail suggestions.

She CAN put up a fence along her own property line. If the object is to keep a large dog out, then her best bet would be to put up a permanent fence. I have large dogs, they are a PITA at times. I wouldn't want a large excitable dog bum rushing my kid everytime he's outside. I have German Shepherds, they think the neighbor kid is the greatest thing ever put on the earth, they rush her, lick her face, and have knocked her down. They love her and just can't help themselves.

The "view" would be the least of my concerns.

I guess I'm just confused as to whose property that is based on her initial comments, where she said she couldn't put a fence there, but I agree a fence would be best and may need to be run along the back of the property I don't really considered a fence a "permanent" structure, however as isn't any more difficult to remove than a large shrub, especially if the metal post holder are used instead of concrete.OP, did they specifically say you couldn't continue the fence or did you just interpret it that way? It will be interesting the your final choice.

vaporvac - the HOA said that we cannot run any of the wooden split rail fence off our property line into the wooded area. We are allowed to add plants, trees, etc that would encourage and help the wildlife of the area. We have many open areas in the neighborhood that they are adding trees and butterfly gardens to. I have a neighbor a few houses down that has actually cleared all the brush, up to where the land starts to slope towards the river, and seeded it with grass. I'm not a fan of that for environmental reasons but, the HOA has not taken issue with it. So that's why I was asking for something that had a woodsy look. I would like for whatever I add back there to look like it fits in with the natural area.

And I'm still not sure what I'm going to put back there. One of my neighbors purchased two pyracantha last year and she wasn't aware that they had thorns on them, she offered them to me for free if I would like them. I'm still thinking about it. I do think I will add plants prior to the back fence section being added. We are having a patio added to the yard in June and need to complete that prior to spending the money on the back section.

Pyracantha is beautiful, but those wicked thorns burn. These web sites look interesting.

https://www.plantvirginianatives.org/learn-more

But nothing is stopping you from installing a fence inside your own property line. The problem is easily solved, why are you making things difficult on yourself?

Shrubs are going to take a while to become established and they won’t solve your main issue.

Hello, here with an update. I bought a Spiraea on clearance this fall and planted it at the back corner post. Not sure how it will do with the partial shade but figured I’d try my luck with a $10 clearance plant that’s normally $40.
As far as the dog goes... I bought some anti-cat/rabbit/dog powder stuff from the store and sprinkled it along the back fence line and around the new plant. I’ve used it once and she has only come into our yard once. Even when my boys are outside in the yard and woods playing, she stays in her yard and even comes up to the fence and looks through it but does not come around that back corner. Not sure if the actual fence was enough to let her know what her boundaries/territory are or if it was the powder, either way I’m happy that she is staying in her yard.

It sounds more like you're not allowed to block a specific area rather than it not being your property line. It might be a right-of-way. You could take the fence behind the right-of-way. One thing to consider, when planting a thorny bush is that you are going to have to prune it. Some thorny plants aren't too bad to prune if the thorns are far enough apart for you to get your fingers in between the thorns. Another thing to consider is the thorny plant you pick out may be an evasive species? Barberry is a great example of that. We purchased a property that has barberry bushes on it. What a nightmare! Not only does it spread on its own, but even just small pieces laying on top of the ground will take root. Once it takes root, you can forget about trying to pull it out, since the root is so deep. It spreads like wild fire! Roses are much better and easier to deal with or plant thick bushy evergreens. I remember at our previous house, our neighbor said that the we shared the fence and that it could not be extended to the end of our property. It turned out the reason was that it was a right-of-way. The borough had the water line running through it to feed the other properties behind us.

I used Pyracanthus (sp?) I really liked in the fall and winter as it had lovely orange/red berries that the birds would eat. We had a huge flock of cedar wax wings that would come by.