DLM2000, from what I've seen, deer love arborvitae. We get lots of deer. I fear I'd be wasting money. Also, keep in mind, I have a large area to do to block the view, so I'm hoping to not do something pricey. This is not in our front yard, it's between houses, so I don't care at this point if they are weeds!!!

I am sorry for your troubles. I suggest going to a good local nursery and asking them for suggestions. I would take several photos of the area along and maybe even a soil sample.

Even though this is a good time to plant perennials, they aren't going to GROW this year, and will come up next spring. The old phrase about them is 'The first year they sleep, the second year they creep, and the third year, they leap'. I don't think anything but some form of fence is going to do what you need for quite a while. How much height do you need to reach the bottom of the pine branches?

Only half joking when I say that perhaps a local fence contractor might give several homes in the neighborhood a good deal, since others may want a screen of some kind also. Nothing will keep out the motorcycle noise, although it will muffle it a bit.

deer do LOVE arborvitae!! :( something like Leyland cypress is very fast growing and can provide a great screen, tho they need light- don't know if they need full sun or not... also some cedars are fast growing and great for screening. mountain laurel and rhodies grow in the woods - they won't provide a heavy screen, but can help fill in gaps...

Ditto what DLM2000 said about bamboo. Do.not.plant.bamboo. Here are some suggestions that are deer proof & that will grow tall and fill in well. Nellie R Stevens holly (they are pretty when they get big), boxwoods (the kind that grow large like Japanese), Emerald Arvbovitae (check to see if ok in your area/zone), varieties of laurels, Cleyera, Canadian Hemlock (I believe these do ok in partial shade which would be good under pines), and as a last resort Leyland Cypress (they can grow 3 feet in a year & are cheap, but aren't the best long-term choice in some areas due to some disease they can get so check w/your nursery specialists). Edited to add, our deer don't touch the couple of arbovitae I have, but maybe you are talking about another type.

I hate this for you and your good neighbors. It just takes one to ruin it.

BTDT build the fence. Just do it.

I am so sorry.

I I think I would decide what bathers me most the view or the noise.

I would ask ask on the evergreens forum for suggestions. I think I would plant more pines in front of the current ones to make your woods look thicker and then some interesting evergreens in front of those so you have a thicker woods to separate your properties. I would also look in to some type of wire fencing to make sure no motor toys accidentally cross on your property and damage your screening.

The evil in me would suggest that berm complete with boulders that the hubby could move with a rented bobcat on a Saturday morning with the back up alarm pointed toward there home

Ah. Ok. I thought you meant it was an HOA no-no to have the concrete. (((hugs to you all!)))

I vote for box-woods left natural. They do well in shade and look nice all winter. It may take a while to get large. Rhodos sound really nice too and some get quite large, but the kids will be long gone by then. Leland Cypress get really big fast and if you have a large property could work. Don't plant them close together. Junipers are really pretty and grow quickly too.

Your best bet is to do a variety and see what works and it will look better too. Check your local nursery for ideas and get their feedback.

Waxleaf Privets are an evergreen that grows very fast and is oven used as a privacy screen/hedge.

Buckthorn. Grows quickly, dense privacy, hardy. Unfortunately, while we are not required to remove it, we are not allowed to plant or transplant it.

Could it be that they don't realize what they are doing? Are they mean or just stupid? They must have some money to live there so what else is going on?

Do you have code enforcement in your area?

LE can possibly help with the motorcycle riding all over the neighborhood. They have to have licenses, maybe helmets and insurance depending on your area. There is a system, read up and use it to your advantage.

We had deer like crazy in our yard - they never touched the arborvitae. Everything else - yes! It's not inexpensive, especially if you get sizable trees to start with, but nothing inexpensive is going to give you instant wall, unless you like the look of cement block ;-)

We just built a barrier wall to block our neighbors (not that they are loud, we just don't want to see any houses on our 5.5 acres and we can see his house in the distance from our bedroom window). We used arborvitae and some other kind of evergreen. we were told the arborvitae was deer resistant. Our landscaper also suggested tall ornamental grasses, which are cheap and I have seen used throughout our neighborhood in order to hide power boxes. We didn't go that route, but it could be a low-cost option.

I'd be going nuts if I were you- that's so annoying that there has to be one bad neighbor. You guys don't have any deed restrictions? We don't have many in our neighborhood, but we do have rules prohibiting ATVs, motorcycles, etc. in the woods. One time (just once) we had two idiot kids riding a motorbike back and forth in our neighborhood. We quickly put an immediate stop to that by informing them it was against the rules and the police would be called if they didn't depart (they claimed to "live in the neighborhood" when asked, but could not provide me with an address... so either they didn't actually live here or didn't want me to tell their parents- I've never ever seen them again, so I don't really care which).

Several people in the neighborhood have arborvitae and it's funny because they look like lollipops. The bottom few feet are all eaten and there is green at the top from the deer. So, the deer do it it unfortunately.

There are covenants for the development, but no one enforces them. The neighbors do have a copy of the covenants and there is a part in there about excessive noise that may disturb other residents and about keeping your property nice. The lady of the house is very nice and I do like her, but how easy is it to control eight kids? I could never do it. It's a very nice neighborhood yet no one is snobby or acts better than anyone thank goodness, but they are quite out of place. Honestly you seem better suited to live on a farm or someplace where there is tons of land where they can be earthy and hippies. I don't say that in a derogatory tone, it's just a fact.

it's just very difficult because we saved for ever to live someplace peaceful beautiful and serene and from morning until night I have to listen to dirtbike's riding round and round the house. They used to go up and down the street but someone called the police and they put a stop to that. Unfortunately that made it worse for me because since they are not allowed to ride them on the street now, they ride them all around their house and backyard and I get the brunt of it at my house. The neighbors are the ones that are really unhappy about the on property. I don't like it of course, but I'm more concerned with the noise because I don't see it as much but I hear it. Maybe I will wait until spring and the best thing might be to put a privacy fence up, which would be quite a distance from my house and put it on the border of our properties and maybe get some kind of ivy or something for my side that keeps the look green and lush.

Thank you for your posts and pep talks. I also feel for those of you that have put up with something like this as well. It is a shame because this neighborhood is fantastic, beautiful and we have made some great friends. Like one poster said, there is always one to ruin it. It's a shame. One thing I don't understand. Doesn't someone like just look around and see that every other home in the development is kept pretty and no one else is causing a nuisance? Don't people get it? I will keep you posted. Thank you.

Plant forsythia...it grows like crazy, gets dense and the deer don't eat it and it gets lovely yellow flowers in the spring. You can let it go more natural, or trim it like a hedge. Once established, they need no watering or other care....they grow by themselves along highways with no care. Don't plant them under the pines, but outside of them so they can get sunshine. Arborvitaes in our area (northeast) always look ridiculous because they are eaten almost to nothing as far as the deer can reach and then they get wide and full above that. Don't plant bamboo...you will forever regret it.

At the old house, we had no house behind us, but the neighbor's back yard. They were big into competitive dirt bike racing so they turned their back yard into a race track. It was very noisy as they practiced every afternoon. But it was short lived...kids grow, they got divorced, she moved...

We had a family on one side that had 3 kids and all the kids did was yell and dad yelled at the kids. When Mom was in charge, it was a lot quieter, but unfortunately she died, so it was nonstop yelling after that. They moved and the new family had 5 children. In one way it was noisier, but it was mostly happy noises so a lot more pleasant to live with.

We built a fence. The kids rode their dirt bikes right along it. Used it for target practice. Even put a trampoline right next to it. What is wrong with some people? I'm sorry you're dealing with this, CK.

No, they don't get it, or they likely wouldn't do it. I'm so sorry for you Chloenkitty.

There is clumping bamboo that won't become pesky, but i'm not sure of the sunlight needs for bamboo for it to get lush and thick enough to block. If you can grow it where you live, I've seen it growing in stock tanks (which are not cheap, but probably cheaper than a fence). It gives you a head start on height because it's not planted right in the ground and there are no worries about it getting out of hand. I'm pretty sure deer won't eat it, but you do have to watch for pandas.

bamboo in stock tanks

Chloenkitty, you have a right not to have that happening if there are restrictions (and probably local noise ordinances as well, I know there are here). You are being REMARKABLY nice. I don't think I would be so kind. I think I'd be talking to mom as step one, and step two I'd be having a lawyer write up a cease and desist or you'll be sued for breach of quiet enjoyment letter (signed by all neighbors).

This is one of my personal pet peeves. We had a second home that was great for years, until the next door house by bought by a family that had tons of company. There went my peace and quiet, the sole purpose of this owning this second home.

I would get together with the other neighbors. I don't think you can actually stop them, but maybe you can curtail when they do it. Take Beagles advise and see if a lawyer can help you.

Not sure if this can help you, but one of my neighbors on the other side of my street, lives near a busy road. She put in a water feature, so that when you are bak there is drowns out the excess traffic noise.

Since the mom is nice, maybe if you become really friendly she will begin to see the unfairness of how the noise is impacting the rest of the neighbors.

- Figure out who is suppose to enforce the deed restrictions. If no entity exists, start one.

- Complain daily to the police, all municipalities have noise ordinances.

- Report the cars being parked in the yard, there's often ordinances against that.

- Round up all the neighbors and have a meeting to figure out what to do. Maybe send a letter to the offenders from the whole neighborhood.

- Talk to a lawyer

- Talk to city officials

- Don't put notes in the mailbox - that's against federal law.

Oh, and the mother is not a nice lady if she's allowing eight children ruin the peace of an entire neighborhood. Doing nothing but planting a screen is passive in the extreme. Take back your peace!

As far as planting suggestions, keep in mind you need something that's more of a shrublike profile… Because you're filling in beneath/in front of the pine trees. So something with the tall skinny profile is not going to do it.

In re deed restrictions be aware that if they are not enforced, they eventually become unenforceable… In other words after enough time and incidents you create a precedent which makes them moot. That alone is enough reason to try to enforce them as soon as possible.

I'm dying on your behalf. I can actually tolerate an eyesore, but noise, esp. in an otherwise quiet, idyllic place, makes me want to kill.

The "nice" lady may be cowed or intimidated by others in the family. Eight kids?!!

What does the husband do for a living?

I don't always like the crowding of town/city life, but we have plenty of municipal rules and regs to keep the peace if you make the right calls and are persistent. The key is getting the rest of your neighbors on the same page, a united front committed to not putting up with the crap. There's nothing worse than the sound of a dirt bike.

How about a mixed shrub/tree border? It would help to know what zone you are in as well as general location in order to make good suggestions. Here are some ideas, though. These all work in the mid-Atlantic states and further north for at least some of them. Nellie Stephens hollies are fairly quick growers and work with part shade. Mine have not lost their lower branches at all as some evergreens do. Leyland cypress will grow large given space, but I think they are best mixed with other trees, not as a row of 10 for example. Add in bayberry (evergreen and grows to 12feet, but not super fast and will do okay with some shade-planted two 2ft specimans several years ago-one is already 5-6 feet tall-it gets more sun). Azaleas and rhododendron are lovely-azaleas are less picky. Exocorda racemosa is deciduous, but really pretty with white flowers. I mail ordered that because they are not usually stocked by local nurseries. Throw in a couple of flowering trees for your view, not on the neighbor's side of the border (make the hollies or other evergreen trees the backdrop for your view-Cornus kousa, Magnolia virginiana, etc.

if you buy several of each and group/repeat them and stagger their placement the length of the property punctuated with perenials you should have a nice barrier fairly quickly-a few years unless you buy very large ones which, truth be told is a waste of money since smaller trees and plants will establish better and catch up to the large ones which often suffer more shock at being transplanted. Of course, if you aren't a gardener, then do whatever. We gardeners tend to be patient people. ;)

I had a lovely screen of holly plants until my landscaper's crew cut the bottom branches about 10 feet off the ground. After I screamed at the landscaper, they planted several variegated boxwood shrubs under the holly. The plants grow slowly, but have proven to be a very effective screen. The plants are very dense. And deer-resistent.

I live on a corner lot with one street being fairly noisy with traffic and buses. Planting will not reduce noise. The only thing that does that is a solid fence. And it has to be solid. Otherwise the noise just travels through. After the solid fence you can also put in a water feature and that will also help. There is a huge difference between screening and noise reduction.

I want both ceezeecz lol

Neighbors can be nightmares, can't they? We live just outside DC, with houses all crammed close together, and we've been unlucky enough to have a never-ending teardown project next door. Noise at the oddest hours, trash strewn everywhere, and tons of runoff onto our yard. No motorbikes yet though - it hadn't occurred to me until now that it could get worse!

For your issue, I second the recommendation to go to a nursery. When we were looking for shrubs for the edge of our front lawn, which has a huge tree and is shaded for much of the year, a local place recommended plum yew http://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/964/spreading-japanese-plum-yew/

I don't think they are advertised as deer resistant, but we planted about five years ago and never see any evidence of deer feeding although there are tons of deer in the area. They filled in fairly densely and wouldn't grow tall enough to interfere with the existing trees.

I like Annie's suggestion of Forsythia. You could also make one of those fast growing screens that Yaardvark sometimes suggests. Do you know what I mean? It would have to wait for spring but you could try it. I hope there is a fast growing vine for your zone.

I was actually thinking about you yesterday when I trimmed my tiny boxwood hedge. I do not want mine to grow into each other.

Forsythia would be pretty interplanted with something evergreen for its spring flowers, but it's just bare sticks in the winter, so there would be no screening from it at all. Funny thing about deer, they seem to eat just about anything if they get hungry enough. It was so dry here this summer that a lot of the underbrush in the forest died back and I found deer eating things they'd never touched before, including my peonies!

We just spent several weekend removing buck thorn. It is illegal for a very good reason!! If you plant lilacs they would screen you for all but winter. Anything that competes with the pines..could thin them, maybe even kill them. We have a similar issue. An established subdivision. All have 2+ acre lots. Newbys are SLOBS. We are all ILL over it, but there is nothing we can do outside of hope they default SOON. Children grow, this too will pass..eventually. I am sorry for your depleted quality of life.

Unfortunately most of the children are young, infant, one, two, four, etc so if they stay it will be a long time to wait for "children grow" :(

I am with Magdalena. I would do everything in my power to report this family. It certainly cannot hurt to try. I would exhaust all possible avenues.

I am so very sorry you have to deal with this. I can hardly imagine!

Keep us posted!

Good morning. Thank you all for your advice and support. I do want to live peacefully, but I do not want any trouble with my neighbors either. Because I am next-door, it seems all the other neighbors come to me and want me to say something and I don't think that is fair. They know I am kind of friendly terms so I guess they expect me to do it. I don't mind saying something, but if notes are left, police called, etc. I don't want it thought that it's me doing it every time. I'm guessing and hoping winter will be quiet because no one is outside, but I guess I will have to wait until spring to make a decision on offense or trees. It's sad to say in away because I don't want to be mean, but one can only hope they realize this neighborhood is not a good fit for their lifestyle and they will move. Hugs to all those out there putting up with nightmare neighbors.

Clearly the family is oblivious to the fact that they are the elephant in the neighborhood. They are not somehow going to realize that they're a nuisance to the neighborhood. Even if they do realize this isn't the right fit for them, it's costly to sell a home, takes time, and with 8 kids to pack up, I dont think they're going anywhere. Maybe the HOA needs to get involved.

Arborvitae, juniper, hemlock, and holly are all evergreens that grow in the shade. They all can get eaten by deer, depending on conditions. Fence will not get eaten. Good fences make good neighbors. I would do both. I would protect my evergreens from deer by fencing them. You need at least five feet high to protect, higher is better. You can also treat with repellents but that is expensive. I work at an arboretum and I constantly battle deer so that's how I know. They eat everything eventually. That's why your best bet is a mixed shrub border like Cyn said. That makes it harder for them to just pig out on one food type. Avoid forsythia, buckthorn, bamboo, heavenly bamboo, and honeysuckle. There are more subtle native options that will look just as good or better. Examples are witch hazel and spicebush for the yellow, Amelanchier and Chaste Tree for a small flowering tree, beautybush for pretty flowers and seeds, Fothergilla and Sweetspire are also nice shrubs.

Perhaps they would be willing to limit their off road noise to between certain hours. Has anyone asked?

Also, maybe folks in the neighborhood could chip in a bit for dirt bike mufflers as a good will gesture.

Good luck!

(Funny, where we are, 5.5 acres would be considered rural, tons of land, and not a residential neighborhood.)

I feel your pain and hope that there can at least be a compromise! I thought...well the kids will grow up, move out but you are guaranteed a lot more of the same since they are so young.

This is what we enjoyed when we selected the property for our house...10 acres housing beautiful horses behind us.

Then this is what we endured for 2 years while they built a McMansion.

Mustang, that is in all seriousness and severe tragedy!!! I am so sorry!

If the pines don't cast the area into deep shade, you may have some luck with spruce which is a common understory tree in the NE. The deer might nibble on them but they certainly can't seem to destroy them around here! The spruce might look a little draggly in the shady areas. My previous owner planted a thick line of them in the forest near his lot line and they're still very thick.

The only way to control who is on either side, in front or behind you is to buy the land.

A family is not likely to uproot and move because the neighbors don't like them. The neighborhood covenants will address the noise issue and if not, surely the local municipality has noise pollution laws or some other "quiet enjoyment of property" protection laws. Consulting the bylaws of the HOA is the first step. However, the neighborhood should not expect YOU to do their dirty work. Either the HOA president and/or the enforcement officer (if you have elected one) should be the person to meet with both husband and wife.

There are varieties of bamboo that are not invasive and do get tall. I don't know how well oleander does there but it can be used as a beautiful hedge row, let it grow tall or shape it. It's very common here. Also used here is red leaf photinia. I have beautiful rows of bridal veil spirea along my front fence that works well for blocking the view of the street.

I just want to say I sympathize. I had a similar experience when neighbors cut down a line of old tall pines because "pine needles get into the pool". Some people just don't understand how you feel and see no problem, but I assure you I know. And others here know too!

They also have lots of toys, massive wooden swing set, etc. you get the picture. As mentioned I decided the young girl would grow up and leave and she did; but she still had a baby brother, who is ten now. In the meantime I began planting a hedge row. I had to buy small and not all at once, so it took years and still is, to mature. However, as mentioned, in the winter you can still see right through the old picket fence. I don't care to erect a tall solid fence, so I put up with the ugly scenery until Spring. Perhaps you don't want more pine, but white pine trees are relatively inexpensive and grow fast. You could plant some in front of the existing pines as suggested.

Oh, forgot to add, I really don't know how to solve your noise problem. Mostly mine was mother and daughter sun bathing with the boom box cranked up. Wasn't every day tho. The motorcycle menace would be disheartening. Sorry.

Re hedge row plantings: arborvitae ( still small after 6yrs because of semi shade), hollies, several forsythia, a couple red bud trees, bladder bush, viburnum, clethra (spice bush), chokecherries(or chokeberries), dappled willow, red twig dogwoods, a couple burning bush, a lilac, winter berry and any scrub tree or shrub that will grow but kept in check. All drop leaves except for arbo.

Better soil and more sunlight would help.

We don't have any HOA here but there are deed restrictions which every one is given when purchasing property. With the purchase you agree to abide by those deed restrictions which are enforceable by law. I would guess that is the case where you are. We have established a civic club with officers similar to a HOA. Those officers over see that the deed restrictions are upheld. If it requires a lawyer to do it we hire a lawyer. We each pay dues to the civic club this is what funds them. Utilizing the local authorities pursuant to upholding deed restrictions is something that you and your neighbors should be doing. Have a neighborhood meeting with the local authorities and discuss the involvement of them in these deed restriction violations. There's absolutely a noise ordinance that can be enforced by the law, there's environmental restrictions that can be enforced by legal means. Trashy conditions breed rats and other pests for those reasons there are laws that can be enforced. We do this routinely here through our civic club and the law enforcement locally. This is exactly what your neighborhood needs to do. It is not as restricted as an HOA but it allows for a way to make sure the home owners heed those restrictions they agreed to and signed on for at the time of purchase. I must say I much prefer this option to an HOA because I have seen some HOA officers that go power crazy and can absolutely make it miserable to live there. Y'all have got to man up and take control because these people don't care about you and they aren't going anywhere. They are legally bound to those restrictions!

As a total aside, but simply because some may find of interest and it is so very often misunderstood, the term "quiet enjoyment" has nothing at all to do with noise. It is really more about the freedom from interference with the use of your property. It is a bit nuanced which is why people get it wrong so often, but the legal meaning has nothing to do with sound.

This is a decent description, below

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/11/realestate/q-a-meaning-of-quiet-enjoyment.html

IDK, whenever I buy property, I look at my "view shed" (my landscaper taught me that nifty word) and figure out how much I own or control or can buy. Then I figure out who else owns it and what they can do with it, and assume the worst. If you get to look at a horse farm for years that you don't own, the years of a pretty view are lucky, and the years when the owner builds are not tragedy, they are to be expected. If it were really a dealbreaker to someone, they should only buy if they own the view or if it is conservation. It is all reflected in the price to boot.

I just wanted to say I'm so sorry. I've been there. I had a cute little starter house in what had been a lovely little neighborhood. Most of my neighbors were retired people. They didn't cause a lot of noise. :) Slowly they started dying off, and 2 houses near me became populated with people similar to the delightful folks now living near you. One house that shared a property line with me moved in with their 3 large dogs, who were left outside 24/7/365 and amused themselves by barking nonstop. I couldn't even go outside and putter around my own yard without them standing at the edge of the invisible fencing and barking at me.

Those neighbors were horrible. And they were breaking no laws. A calm, friendly, rational attempt by me to talk with them lead me to find out they were borderline narcissists with a violent streak besides.

I moved. It also lead me to look for a place with strong deed restrictions. It was the best decision I ever made.

I'm not saying you should move. And even if you did, even the strongest deed restrictions in the world can't protect you from narcissists who want to fight about something.

So I don't really have any pearls of wisdom. I just wanted you to know I completely feel your pain. Some people suck. But sometimes all you can do is figure out your plan of attack and do the best you can....and in the end, sometimes you have to figure out a way to make peace with a situation you literally can't change.

I have no ideas, but I just wanted to say I feel your pain and am so sorry for what you are going through. Our new neighbors, the hubby, literally brought pain to me earlier this summer, when he set off a firecracker that sounded like a house blew up. He set off three normally very loud firecrackers every single night when he got home from work, a couple hours later and then one before the kids went to bed. Though those startled me a bit and made my BP go up, the one huge one he did just once, caused me to scream and tense so much that I messed up my neck injury again from a long ago auto accident. I know I could say, just be happy it's not that kind of noise you have, but I know that experiencing any sound in a once quiet neighborhood, can be just as bad. I do think you need to get the neighborhood involved. Be noisy enough that they'll be happy to join in the fight just to shut you up. Ha ha ha! You know, the squeaky wheel gets the grease kind of thing.