I can empathize with the "nasty neighbour" thing, having had one for awhile that, thankfully, has moved to places unknown.

But, look at the bright side, kp. They put up privacy screens so that you don't have to look at them. And, your mockorange shrubs will thank you for giving them a bit more sunlight.

Shauna

Ah, that sucks! That screen sounds kind of high. Some cities have by-laws stating how tall fences can be. I guess there are reasons why they have these by-laws, and gardens getting no light may be one of them I suppose.

Laurie

Oooh that must be so stressful, sorry to hear about the neighbours. But maybe you should leave your mock oranges where they are until next summer, they might bloom just fine. Mine is against the north wall of my house and gets almost no direct sunlight, and it blooms abundantly for a whole month.

Shauna, Laurie...Thanks for commiserating with me!

I did check with the by-law office. The deck exceeds the height limit which means they needed a building permit to build it so tall.

I'm not making a complaint because I'm afraid they will find things to report about me. :-(

Their lawn is their pride and joy and I have daydreams about planting Snow-on-the-mountain so I can watch them try to stop it from spreading, He-he-he! ;-)

LOL about the Snow On the Mountain!!! Good one!

Thank goodness I don't have any neighbors, I remember the ol' fart when I lived in Saskatoon, anytime I went out to my garden he was peeking thru the fence to see what I was up to!

I read a book once about bad neighbours. It sure put mine in perspective, made them out to be angels. (They are pretty good other than their dog pooping in my frontyard.) The stories were horrible, most of them I think I would of moved.

Goutweed might look nice along the fence line since they like their lawn so much. But then you have to deal with the horrible stuff too.

Syreeta

Our number one concern is neighbors. Fortunately no current issues but the houses on both sides are rentals and we keep our fingers crossed. We don't have an issue with privacy but I don't like backyard noise other than that of conversation, children playing, etc. NO MUSIC, PLEASE.

I find the best defense is to be as nice as possible and don't get picky over the little stuff. That privacy screen is an unthoughtful gesture but will anything change if you bring it up? If they have to reduce it, then their back will get up and the screen might seem a mild irritant in comparison.

There was another thread on another forum about neighbors from Hell. I don't remember where is was ( still is?). It was a few hundred postings long and, no matter how annoying your current neighbours, they ould seem like pussycats next to some yahoos. Just think images of motorcycles through your perennial beds, shot out night lights, cars parked on your lawn...shiver.

There was a thread on the soil forum about bad neighbors. Try moving you compost pile right near them and then only add greens and fish for the rest of the summer :P

Here is a link that might be useful: People-repelling compost

That's one huge disadvantage of living in town! People's houses, espeically in the newer subdivisions, are only meters apart ... heck, you can't even fart without someone else hearing you or worse! I'm building on a spacious acreage of over 4 acres ... it's GREAT being all snuggled in among the large birch trees with only one other house visible! BUT, BUT, BUT, they have this towering home that peeks through a break in the trees and looks straight into our yard ... ggggrrr! Sometimes I see them just standing there watching what I'm doing ... I really should moon the buggers! They really are not bad people, it's just that I HATE when they come cover with their arms crossed and say "I don't understand, why don't you do this or that?" Now, I intend to plant fast growing trees along "that" side of the property, though unfortunately the ground dips there and it's gonna take a long time before those trees are large enough to block them out!

My problems are different and I really do have LOTS of space in between the neighbours and myself ... I really can't imagine having to live in town!

Terry

Well, if you get nice neighbours it's great. My next door neighbour is such a good friend to me, we chat over the fence all the time. I would be so lonely without neighbours. It makes me feel like I'm a part of things living in town. The only thing I can complain about is the neighbours across the back lane have a firepit and they burn all kinds of stinky stuff. Not all the time, but it bothers me because I like to have my windows open.

I totally hear ya! Hopefully your mock orange will be OK!

We were so happy to be moving one time cause the neighbours were so smothering. She was a lonely widow with 3 kids and I felt really sorry for her but she acted like my house was her house -- to the point that if I took a shower and locked my front door she would say "OK, I guess I get the message" in a pouty tone (sheeeeesh! LOL), she acted like my hubby was her hubby -- even tried to have him discipline her kids one time in the name of being a "father figure" to them. That was the last straw for me (and I'm usually very easy going about things). Anyways, I'm sure she was mostly just very lonely.

On the other hand my SIL has got the nastiest neighbour I've ever heard of! This lady does not want fallen leaves on her lawn. She does not want birds on her lawn. She yells crazy stuff to the kids all the time. They are now dead scared of going anywhere near that property line. I parked my car infront of her house one time to visit my SIL and she yelled at me "Are you MY company" I said "No, I'm visiting my SIL" she yells back at me about parking infront of her house, etc, and calling the cops. I welcomed her to do so. Then she called me a "B-with-an-itch" and I just laughed at her. THAT made her even more mad. I left my car right where it was. That's now become the running joke anytime my SIL's friend's come to visit her. The park there on purpose now and wait to see what she will do. One time she turned the sprinkler on a friend's car. About an hour later he turned the car around to wash the other side! LOL. Too funny actually.

Ang
who's thankful to have great neighbours here!

Me & my neighbours..
Your screaming kids gone & yours cats become indoor ones & aren't digging in flowers beds.. You chat, trade plants & become friends..
Instead of yelling over the fence at each other about the above.. Thats if you live in the same place long enough..
But now you see yourself the same as they were/are.. Chasing out stray cats, complaining about the new people with the screaming kids or teenagers & putting fences where we don't want them. .. We would just like to scream about it sometimes, but we have to race for the house ,close doors, windows then let it go... What would we do if we didn't have anything to complain about.. Pretty boring. But wouldn't it be nice..
Thank you I really enjoyed reading this one.. You gals & guys are great..

I can relate to neighborhoods where houses are close together. My neighbors have a deck maybe 18 feet away from my back door and back deck. Fortunately though, my deck is lower than theirs (I figured if we both made high decks this would defeat the purpose of the fence inbetween.)

They have a 'shear' type of curtain on the arbour which runs over their deck and I have planted a cedar hedge. Something that doesn't necessarily gives 100% privacy, but sort of breaks the view.

But, I figure there are worse things neighbors can do and you'd probably want the privacy screen there. It's unfortunate though, in small yards "full sun" is hard to come by. Hopefully the mock oranges will still bloom.

Wow Ang, you SIL's neighbor sounds like a crazy person, lol.

Glen

You gals and guys really are great! Thanks for reminding me about some of the really bad neighbours I've suffered through over the years...
Its just that they STOLE THE SUNSHINE...I'll ask DH to build shelves for houseplants over the kitchen window and I'll get started on some new Lasagna beds.

Kuzari Princess

Northspruce,

You wrote that your mockorange is against the north wall of your house, gets almost no direct sunlight and still blooms abundantly. What's your secret?

My mockorange have been in the same place for three years and have never bloomed. Have yours been growing in the same place for a long time? Do I need to give them more time?

Mine have been in the same place for three years. I know they bloom on old wood and mine die back to the ground every year. Should I give them winter protection? Do they need a sunnier spot?

Kuzari Princess

Oooh gosh I think you might have an unsuitable cultivar. Mine is hardy to the tips with no protection, and unfortunately it came with the house so I have no idea what cultivar it is!! But it is a very good one. The flowers are quite double and it smells great.

My advice to people who have a non-blooming mock orange, if it is not dying back to the ground, is to prune it hard. Mine blooms best if I prune it back to old wood every summer after flowering, then trim off anything new that has grown in the fall. Looking around the city here (and there are other successful MOs in my neighbourhood), I notice that the best flowering is on ones that have been clearly pruned hard, even into funny little cubes in the case of one neighbour.

So I think if you want flowers you might have to try a different variety. Perhaps if you ask at a good local nursery, they will advise what is properly hardy for you. Sorry, I'm sure that's not what you want to hear :0(

Northspruce,

Thanks for answering. My MO's are Minnesota Snowflake. I don't understand what you mean by "prune hard". If it doesn't bloom what do I prune it back to? And if it dies back every year why prune? Sorry I sound so dumb!

KP

Oh no sorry KP, I meant if someone's shrub wasn't dying back, they should prune it to make it bloom. Hard pruning in this case would be removing all of the current year's growth.

But since yours is dying back, I think you should seek advice from someone who has a hardier cultivar and knows its name. Or you could try protecting it with burlap or something and see if that helps. I wish I knew what mine was called.