If the fence is on his property, I doubt you can plant something to grow ON it. Unless you could talk him into it first ("oh won't that be pretty?").

Trumpet vine has the capabilities to take over anything and sticky flowers also. Just kidding. I have some hosta that reach 3 feet and grow in shade. You will have to water some. Regal splender, Krossa Regal, Montana Aureomarginata, Planteginea, Sagae, to name a few. How about clematis. Is he going to let you grow things up HIS fence?

Sounds like you need a shade-loving hedge, though that may be somewhat slower than a vine.
Eleutherococcus sieboldianus 'Variegatus' (Variegated Five-leaf Aralia) is really pretty with varigated foliage, grows easily in most soils, and reaches 6-8 feet.
Symphoricarpos spp. (snowberry/coralberry)will grow fast almost anywhere, suckers freely, grows to about 6 feet tall. It makes persistant berries for winter interest.
Have you considered cherry-laurel? It has the advantage of being evergreen.
Oh, I see you are quite far south...
Perhaps Florida Anise? Makes a nice, dense, sweet scented hedge. I think it's evergreen, not sure.
There are probably tropical things you could plant that we northeners can only dream about, too!

If you really want to get away with a vine for the speed, but can't plant over the guy's own fence, throw up a super-cheapo fence of your own (maybe just wire between poles) and grow something over it fast. Crossvine, Dutchmans pipe, and some jasmines will all grow in deep shade. You could even make that a temporary measure while you find something else to plant in there.

One more: Virginia Creeper! Grows like nobody's business over everything. You should have a look at the vines for deep shade thread that's on here, too, because it's started by someone from zone 9 and has lots of southern recommendations.

I kow you want to cover the fence fast, but here is what I did to cover the dog kennel fence that also is in shade (under a mature maple tree) I planted 6 ostrich ferns in the back and right in front of that I planted Azelea (sp) bushes in about 4 different colors and in front of that I planted golden hosta, it will take a couple of years but it will hide that ugly fence.

Is the fence the new white vinyl one? If that's the case nothing will grow ON it and although it's fun to joke and fantasize when you have a neighbor like that (I know all to well) it's best to let them be grumpy by themselves on the other side of it and be glad they have paid for it.

To soften the look of it I would suggest a nice row of Lilies. My brother bought the most quaint little white sided house with green shudders and a real life white picket fence surrounding the property and the previous owners had put Michigan Lillies (free at the side of the road and spread very well) around the entire perimeter. Against the white picket fence the lilies looked FANTASTIC. You can also buy those gadgets that hang over the side of a fence so that you can put boxes or flat sided baskets on the fence but not bother your neighbor as only a tiny bit of the metal lays on the other side to clasp the gadget on. You can go cheap (Walmart) or buy fancy ones at a garden center in wrought iron or other metals. You could add a tiny wren/bluebird house, place a birdbath in front of part of the fence to draw the eye away from it and put a piece of statuary in the lush foliage of the lilies.

I only suggest Lilies because you will get satisfaction this summer with them as they will grow 2-3 feet high in their first year and improve year after year. You might end up needing to divide and give away or sell some as the years pass but that's ok, just put them in a yard or plant sale and make some money off your neighbor's grumpy attitude and fence.

With shade you have even more possibilities with the use of Ferns (ostrich grow up to 5' in good conditions), Hostas and the wide variety of other shade loving plants. The choices are almost unlimited and you could be planting for the rest of your life. Make your glass "half full" on this issue and appreciate that your neighbor gave you a backdrop for some nice gardening ideas (even if the backdrop is not that pretty at present).

Barb
Southern Ontario, CANADA Zone 6a

Hi, Cali.

I stumbled on this thread while reasearching the word "dog", of all things!

You may have already made your decision, but one option not mentioned is 6' rolls of bamboo fencing--we have them at Home Depot and they're not terribly expensive. Each roll covers 15-20'. You could then plant various shade things in front of it which don't have to be tall & take a long time. I'd spray it with some kind of preservative to help it last longer. Anyhow, I'm curious what you decided. Drop me a line--my email at my homepage.

Karen

Seems you must have a variety of conditions to choose from along that length of fence - unless that maple has never been pruned? I suggest a shrub border; a row of shrubs that can be hedged or left to grow wild. Six feet is a fair height and gives you some scope.

For the shady part:

Sambucus nigra 'variegata' - this gorgeous thing is a beacon even in full shade, and is pretty drought tolerant to boot. Mine is trained upright, grows beside my steps to well over 12 feet. It is, I grant, deciduous, but will do the job part of the time.

For the sunny part, assuming there is one:

Physocarpus opulus (either the green-leaved variety or "Diabolo", the purple leaved one). Also deciduous.

Ceanothus thyrsiflorus: evergreen, and impenetrable once in full growth.

For either/inbetween conditions:

Leycesteria formosana: this bamboo-like shrub has shoots that can go 6 feet in a season once established.

Viburnums: I'm not a viburnum god but there is one for every occasion and some darn nice ones too. Viburnum x juddii is fragrant, and growing in part shade for me. Viburnum rhitidophyllum (leatherleaf) is dark and would look fabulous against that white fence.

Hamamelis: my "Diane" is reaching for the 12-foot mark. The fragrant yellow ones are even nicer and more vigorous.

Anyway, enough said. I'd be in shrub heaven with that length to fill!

Vines like the evergreen clematis and Aristolochia (dutchman's pipe) can cover the situation until the shrubs grow in if necessary.

Be sure to plant your screen far enough from the fence so that you can get behind it to weed when the plants are full grown. Otherwise you'll have a mess.

Also, don't plant a long row of the same thing. It'll be boring and sooner or later one or more will die leaving a gap you can never fill with a replacement that's the same size and/or variety.

You might consider some hollies that tolerate shade or partial shade. I'm no expert on varieties, but I know there are several that get about the right size for what you want. If dogwoods grow in your area, they make lovely understory trees.

Also, Buddleia will grow in a fair bit of shade.

How about an 8' fence? lol

Solanum jasminoides (potato vine) would work, but others are right, you need HIS permission to grow a vine on his fence. I just can't see deciduous plants like buddleia and sambucus in a situation like this because half the year the fence will be staring at you again, and let's face it, in California's wintry gray days, a white fence is going stick out like...well, you know.

I like hollies a lot but they are very slow growing compared to such shrubs as Vibernum tinus, Euonymus, Rhamnus, Cestrum, and Coleonema. There are several varieties of cannas you could mix in, that do quite well in shade.

The maple tree roots, however, needs to be factored in. We have a silver maple and a walnut in two of our garden beds, and they really hog all the water. Even rampant growers like star jasmine can't compete without a soaker hose once a week.