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Arborvitae and Spite

Soule88

Active member
Joined
Dec 22, 2020
Member Number
3163
Messages
26
Loc
Central Illinois
Neighbors suck, anyway.

Im normally a privacy fence kind of guy and absolutely do not have a green thumb. The edge of my driveway is 26" from my property line so I'm limited space wise. Privacy fence vs arborvitae is similar money but with a 6' fence the nosey bitch can still see right over the top of it out of her windows. Looking at Emerald Green arborvitae the internet claims 10-15' tall and 3' or so wide. is it as simple as just trimming them to width as they grow?

WWID?

Quick back story
Bought this property 3 years ago from my 90 year old uncle once it became to much for him to handle. Before signing papers I had it surveyed and property pins placed. Neighbor to the east is your typical rides the system never worked a day in her life but has internet access and unlimited free time. Favorite things to do include taking photos of the inside of my garage anytime the door is open, stumbling around her yard at 8:30 am piss drunk, etc. The latest one is bitching that the previous owner who lived in my house for the last 60 years or so stole their property because the GIS images are all offset showing their boundary in my driveway.
 
Do you have deer?

If so, the arbs are going to be bare on the bottom 4-5'.
 
Stick the arborvitae in the ground and forget it. Shit will grow, trim as needed. Space them... 5' apart give or take, depending on maturity of the plants you're buying. If you get near full grown then space so there are no gaps obviously.

We have some around the yard here and there.
 
westracing01 said:
Stick the arborvitae in the ground and forget it. Shit will grow, trim as needed. Space them... 5' apart give or take, depending on maturity of the plants you're buying. If you get near full grown then space so there are no gaps obviously.

We have some around the yard here and there.
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And that seems to be on par with what I've read, looks like you almost have to try to screw them up. The localish menards as "#7 Emerald Green Arborvitae" for $32 after the rebate. Ive got 59' or so id like to block off so im guessing 15 or so of them? My only concern would be listening to her bitch when they start filling in and are over the property boundary.
 
Soule88 said:
And that seems to be on par with what I've read, looks like you almost have to try to screw them up. The localish menards as "#7 Emerald Green Arborvitae" for $32 after the rebate. Ive got 59' or so id like to block off so im guessing 15 or so of them? My only concern would be listening to her bitch when they start filling in and are over the property boundary.
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Tell her to trim her side.
 
I had a similar situation and planted Leeland Cypress because I could get them cheap and I knew they would grow fast. It didn’t take long for them to fill in and I got a great privacy wall. I had to aggressively trim them twice a year to keep them under control but it worked until we sold the house 10 years later. The new owners did not keep up with the trimming and they quickly got out of hand and were eventually cut down.

To add the space I was working with was only 10’ wide so the trimming was super critical but it worked out fine and I would gladly do it again.
 
Sceep said:
I dont see how you are going to trim them enough. 26" from driveway to property line isn't going to work. But I live in the desert so....
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3' wide gives him 18" in each direction. Arbs can be sheared to maintain size. Or topped.

Whatever grows on her side is her problem.

There's also some upright junipers that would work. And they are prickier which would keep her from looking through.
 
Soule88 said:
Neighbors suck, anyway.

Before signing papers I had it surveyed and property pins placed.
Click to expand...


Soule88 said:
The latest one is bitching that the previous owner who lived in my house for the last 60 years or so stole their property because the GIS images are all offset showing their boundary in my driveway.
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Every single GIS online for all of the armchair surveyors have a Disclaimer that plainly states in some form or fashion that "the property lines shown are only representations and not actual surveyed lines". If you had a survey done by a licensed surveyor, kindly ask her for her survey in dispute because GIS is only for fukn looks and armchair surveyors without a license who have nothing better to do. And also sorta of a way for a municipality to half ass keep up for tax purposes.
 
Fuuuuck arborvitaes! Nasty cat piss stinking fire hazard spider breeding grounds if there ever was one.

6' fence and a sign hanging in the garage with a message for the twatwaffle neighbor is all I'd do.
 
Also if any interest in just doing a fence, do a search under your municipality for a "UDO" Unified Development Ordinance. And search it for fences and get a good understanding because there's rules that apply to the way they are built.

Reason I say this is because I too had a shitty neighbor once when I first moved to a county that actually gave a shit. But I built a fence and the neighbor bitched about my fence. Municipality came out and told me I built it backwards because it showed the cross members on her side. I scratched my head because my purpose was for a farm fence that couldn't be pushed down and easily accessible to fix it. I read my UDO and then I kindly flipped that SOB around with some help and jacked it up to 8' being my newly discovered maximun height. And along in my back pocket I discovered that razor wire was acceptable in my rural tier.:flipoff:. But it never come to that.

But might be able to go 8'???
 
Soule88 said:
And that seems to be on par with what I've read, looks like you almost have to try to screw them up. The localish menards as "#7 Emerald Green Arborvitae" for $32 after the rebate. Ive got 59' or so id like to block off so im guessing 15 or so of them? My only concern would be listening to her bitch when they start filling in and are over the property boundary.
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Keep them well watered the first year maybe even 2. Then they are unstoppable
 
Check to see if there is a maximum height for the fence first. The trees and fence might be the same money upfront, but the trees will require more maintenance. Especially if you are constantly trimming the driveway side of yours. I'm assuming you are looking at emerald green arbs which tend to stay pretty narrow. For quick privacy, I'd put them at 3' to 4' centers. They fill in best in full sun. Their roots tend to run a bit shallow, so can sometimes get prone to getting knocked over until they really mature. Also, heavy wet snow can ruin them pretty quick. Pillar arborvitae are another option. Forget about green giants, dark american, and varieties...they will all get way too wide.
 
Soule88 said:
Neighbors suck, anyway.

WWID?
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Sunbath naked. They will put shades up so fast. :barf: or if I felt petty, I'd buy a totaled sprinter van, title it, cut the side off of it, and use it as a fence.

Soule88 said:
The latest one is bitching that the previous owner who lived in my house for the last 60 years or so stole their property because the GIS images are all offset showing their boundary in my driveway.
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:lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao:
 
I went with the Thula giants that were supposed to grow like 4ft a year. They did not. LOL You will have the same slower growth in the midwest.

Planted them 4ft apart. They have grown together nicely. You cannot get through them.

They are surprisingly narrow. My tallest ones are 15ft now and they might be 30" wide at the base.

They work great for what you want, and if some happens to grow over her property line she can trim them. That is the way it works.
 
Tiha said:
I went with the Thula giants that were supposed to grow like 4ft a year. They did not. LOL You will have the same slower growth in the midwest.

Planted them 4ft apart. They have grown together nicely. You cannot get through them.

They are surprisingly narrow. My tallest ones are 15ft now and they might be 30" wide at the base.

They work great for what you want, and if some happens to grow over her property line she can trim them. That is the way it works.
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How fast are yours growing? I'm wanting to plant a few in the thin spots between me andy neighbor that lives about a quarter mile away. It's the only house I can see from mine and I can only see it in the winter and I don't even want to see it then. Nothing against my neighbors, they're good folks. I just don't want to see another house from mine. The second closest neighbor is a half a mile away.
 
Here4memes said:
Every single GIS online for all of the armchair surveyors have a Disclaimer that plainly states in some form or fashion that "the property lines shown are only representations and not actual surveyed lines". If you had a survey done by a licensed surveyor, kindly ask her for her survey in dispute because GIS is only for fukn looks and armchair surveyors without a license who have nothing better to do. And also sorta of a way for a municipality to half ass keep up for tax purposes.
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Right, you know this, i know this, everyone with half a brain knows this. So she's automatically out. I have a legit stamped survey so im not worried, just petty and annoyed.
DWT said:
Fuuuuck arborvitaes! Nasty cat piss stinking fire hazard spider breeding grounds if there ever was one.

6' fence and a sign hanging in the garage with a message for the twatwaffle neighbor is all I'd do.
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6' is the max, but with the slop I can stand in my driveway and see right over the top. All of her windows are higher than that as well.
Microtus said:
Trimming the arborvitae tight to the trunk on the neighbor's side will look like shit, which would be a win.
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I 100% dont give a shit what her side looks like.
Timeless said:
Check to see if there is a maximum height for the fence first. The trees and fence might be the same money upfront, but the trees will require more maintenance. Especially if you are constantly trimming the driveway side of yours. I'm assuming you are looking at emerald green arbs which tend to stay pretty narrow. For quick privacy, I'd put them at 3' to 4' centers. They fill in best in full sun. Their roots tend to run a bit shallow, so can sometimes get prone to getting knocked over until they really mature. Also, heavy wet snow can ruin them pretty quick. Pillar arborvitae are another option. Forget about green giants, dark american, and varieties...they will all get way too wide.
Click to expand...
6' max, I already have 640' or so of it put up. lol
 
I have hedges of clumping bamboo.

It’s tall and pretty thick.

I like it.


In before “bamboo is the devil”
 
Dumb ass thought:

Can you build an 8' "wall", instead of a "fence"?
 
grumpy356 said:
I have hedges of clumping bamboo.

It’s tall and pretty thick.

I like it.

I’ll try to get a pic when I get home.

In before “bamboo is the devil”
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grumpy356 said:
I have hedges of clumping bamboo.

It’s tall and pretty thick.

I like it.


In before “bamboo is the devil”
Click to expand...

There is a glitch in The Matrix.
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Fence. I’ve planted those trees twice. They don’t survive here for some reason.

Fences don’t need trimming and don’t die and still be able to open the car door.
 
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