"madgardener" wrote in message
...

"Aunty Kreist" wrote in message
...

Ya know what, putting up those evergreens was probably the smartest thing
you could have done! If he's monitoring your yard with that kind of
paranoia, chances are he's watching you frequently, and trying to see
through windows. You may even want to consider buying those stained glass
colored window decals on windows facing his house ( they sell them at home
depot). They make the room look pretty, and deter anyone from seeing in.



LOL well in MY case, even when I lived in the city with a house that was
only eight foot away from my kitchen windows, and across the driveway on
the
opposite side of the house near my BEDROOM window (12 feet) I loved open
windows as much as I do here in the middle of pastures and hillsides and
woods on this ridge, and that means I have so many plants and hangies in
my
window's, I don't NEED stained glass decals. I have the real things. I
have
suction cup hangers with all sorts and manner of horticultural themed
stained glass to capture the sun's rays and to block the visibility
inside,
and plants soaking up the winter lights. I can look around them just fine.
On my nook window alone I have glass ladybugs, bumble bee, hummingbird,
four
kinds and colors of butterflies, a morning glory, blue magnolia blossom
with
red center, glass prism/mother of pearl marble hangie that reflects light
rays, a prism that only works at a specific time of the day and an old
fashioned glass ball with many facets to reflect the light off of at all
times of the morning when the South sunrays bounce off it. Assorted glass
things with pressed flowers in the middle so I keep them just out of the
direct rays, some cheaper "stained glass" type things my son's got me for
the thought at the time when they were younger that are still neat, and
hanging on the edges of some of the smaller pots, stained glass hangy wire
butterflies and dragonflies made with marbles and springy
antenna.,.................

This sounds absolutely gorgeous!


.....

Heh. My neighbor will stand on his side of the yard, directly by any open
window we have, and scream our names repeatedly until we answer. We've
actually had to duck while walking by the windows.

No, don't duck as you walk by the windows, when you see him standing there
by your open window as he's screaming your names repeatedly, don't answer,
smile real loony like, toothy, open mouthed smile (like a bleeding
loooooony
GBSEG) and wave and then turn your head and walk on. Don't stop. He'll
think yer nutz and start leaving you alone. (people hate being ignored, i
mean, don't duck, that gives him power and he's won, just smile insanely
and
wave and keep going on with your business inside and don't acknowledge
him.
Baffle him with bullshit)

Heh. Good idea! Sometimes if we're out in the yard, and the neighbors start
pestering, we do pretend we don't hear them, and go inside.




Good luck, Victoria I've been pondering all the great advice everyone here
has given, and I've decided to follow it. We decided what the heck, we're
going to take down the existing 3 ft. high chain link fence, and replace
it
with a 6 ft.

Well hell in THAT case, go to Lowes and get 50 foot of 72 inch chain link
(I
don't think it comes in 100 foot but it might) for around $37 a roll and
once you've removed hte 3 foot and rolled it up, the posts are still there
to use.

Someone was telling me that you can buy these sort of "caps" that go over
the existing posts, elongating them for a higher fence. Do these actually
exist?


Lowes gives you chain link pins (looks like big ol' hairpins to
secure the chainlink to the post) they come with the rolls. I should know,
I
worked the garden center for a year and a half. And if Depot's prices are
cheaper, go back to Lowes with proof and they'll sell you the same thing
at
Depot's price PLUS 10%.

Cool! I'll do that.


I have six foot chain link fence around the west and north portion of my
property which is the reason I'm not bothered by the deer that are in the
woods in front of me. They pass thru outside the peremeter but don't
venture
up here where they'd deffinately find succulent tender stuff to munch
right
now (like that vinca major that has TAKEN OVER THE RIDGE AGAIN
ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH) but the fence also keeps out the coyote. The wild
turkeys, skunks, coons, possoms, turkey vultures, owls, partridges, quail,
cranes, foxes, woodchucks and various snakes, frogs, turtles and the like
are still using the driveway as a gateway into the slice of property me
and
the bendejo across the shared way who owns the majority of the property
that
wraps around me. Since the previous owner of my house was the one who
put
up the fence, it encloses the whole inner portion of land. That would be
around 10 acres I think. They couldn't afford to enclose the whole 32
acres
at the time and did the inner piece of land with her's and her dad's house
and barn and such enclosed.

Wow, I would love to have that size of land to "work" with.


Above that six foot chain link, they also put an outwards angled bar that
holds three strands of barb wire that brings the whole fence up to about 8
1/2 or 9 foot. The barb wire deters anything from climbing or jumping
over,
doesn't restrict the view but the honeysuckle grows up and along it just
fine. Be sure you get top supports for the wire which will give more
stability to the chain link. And get those fence post caps for a buck more
to ensure wasps don't use them as nesting places. (they will every time).

Thank you for the advice- will do.

Then, we're going to buy those vinyl strips for weaving through the
fence.
It'll create a solid wall, and it'll be sturdy enough for me to grow
climbing things on my side, without too much growing off into the
neighbor's
yard.

And THOSE are awesome. And easy to weave. If you want another annual
vine
to plant on the fence, but it will reseed, try Dolchios or Lab Lab vine
(Hyacinth bean) beautiful leaves of heart shaped, fuzzy with burgandy
backed
and dark stems, flowers are set on long stems rising at an angle eight
inches away, deep pinkish purple blossoms followed by eye popping electric
purple pods and later if you leave the pods alone, they seeds will fall
(and
feed a few birds) and come back up. Or you can save the seeds when the
pods
have completely dried on the vines and started to pop open, you can gather
them in a ziploc and store them in the veggie drawer until spring and sow
them again along the base of the chain link fence.

I tried growing these last summer, and they did wonderfully. Beautiful,
beautiful flowers. They grew incredibly fast, too. I had planted them by the
railing on the deck, and by midsummer, they had created a solid wall on the
side of the deck.


Tha's what I'm a doin'
this spring with mine after I cut back some of the honeysuckle that
insists
it's returning from the pasture side of my link fence. I'd rather have
the
Lab Lab vine with it's heart shaped leaves. (yes, honeysuckle smells
divine,
but it will squeeze the life outa things and gets a bit out of hand)



Thank you!

Keep us posted on the fence and vine progress.

Will do- thank you muchly.


madgardener up on the ridge, back in Faerie Holler, overlooking English
Mountain in Eastern Tennessee, zone 7 (feels like lower Montana today with
temps down to 7o and windchills of below zero, my birds were waiting for
me
to pour hot water into the water recepticle today so they could at least
drink even if I don't have sunflower seed of suet, they cleaned me out)
Sunset zone 36