do not plant a monoculture ...

ken

I'm in zone 5-6 (seen both on maps) We planted forsynthia, viburnum, dogwood and euonymous shrubs. Just recently read euonymous is considered invasive though...we have shade & a neighbor had some so I knew they would live. Agree with Ken. Hedge is mixed. No pattern. Doesn't block out completely but a BIG improvement. Looks natural. Minimal pruning.

If there is a border dispute, get a survey, put up a fence, and clearly mark the border.

Fast growing trees are generally short lived trees. I STRONGLY recommend you plant a row of "understudies", longer lived trees with more durable wood behind your fast growing trees.

I hate to say it (because I don't like them), but leyland cypress and green giant arbs would serve your purposes. Tulip poplar would be more interesting, but they are deciduous.

One strategy I like for people who have space is to plant a row of eastern white pine (pinus strobus) with a row of American Holly (ilex opaca) in front. The pine are evergreen and grow fast, but lose their lower branches. The holly grow slowly but will screen the bottom when the pine lose their lower branches. They also have spiky leaves that discourage trespassers.

If you want something faster growing then white pine you could use a pitch/loblolly pine hybrid. Or you could substitute sweetbay magnolia for holly.

yellow groove bamboo would teach him a lesson....indestructible and spreads like wildfire

Thank you all. Lincoln we have had 2 surveys and the court has ordered the stakes not be moved so that is taken care of. We don't want the fence because being uphill it blocks nothing and the length would be very expensive.

Lincoln I had originally considered what you suggested. Fast growing pines with holly, but holly grows very slowly. I do not have to worry about pruning as this area was once forest before the neighbor got his bulldozer to it. But I do want something evergreen. The house is orange! and he watches us! I also considered the leyland cypress because of their fast growth rate. Arbs are out due to the 12 deer that call our property home. That was why when i read about the English laurel it seemed a good option. Grows fast and is a bully. I will never trim them and they are far enough away that size is not a problem.

i have no problem with a variety of plants i just want fast growth for the next 30 years, after that I will probably not be on this earth and I have left many large hardwoods growing happily, at least the ones that our tree hating neighbor has not chopped down.

We are in zone 7 here and in addition is a sheltered valley.

Again thanks for any input, I am normally nice to neighbors, but this one can not understand why I am angry that he is chopping down my trees

hybrid willows and green giant arbs are another option

The fence is less for a visual screen then do deter accidental or "accidentally on purpose" trespassing. Survey markers aren't visually obvious. Many people will wander past them who wouldn't hop a fence.

Bamboo is invasive and ecologically destructive in many regions...be very careful what variety you pick, if you go that route.

Holly does grows somewhat slowly (although American Holly is faster then some). However, pine is pretty fast. The holly just has to be large enough to block the lower part of the view when the pines start to lose lower branches or when you start losing trees to storms.

Actually, if the neighbors are uphill, loss of lower branches should be less of an issue then usual.

You really want to plant an "understudy" row with a slower growth rate, because most truly fast growing trees die young and are vulnerable to storms...if you use hybrid poplar, willow or leyland cypress, for instance, you will lose a bunch of them before the 30 years are up.

If the area where you will be planting is moist, you want privacy, and a fast growing tree, have you considered a pine trees and weeping willow. The weeping willow is a fast growing trees and because it weeps it becomes an effective screen.

I always like the contrast of the greens between the pine and willows.

Even if you started with a willow whips, you will have decent sized trees in 4 or 5 years.

"Bamboo is invasive and ecologically destructive in many regions...be very careful what variety you pick, if you go that route."

Bamboo is not necessarily invasive. Clumping bamboos are very well-behaved (they are clumpers and do not creep rhizomatously) and act just like very large ornamental grasses - they also tend to be very cold hardy so suitable for just about any situation. Even running bamboo is easily controlled if you plan ahead and install a root barrier at the same time you plant. The advantage of bamboo for screening purposes is that it is evergreen and grows rapidly to its intended height.....much more rapidly than any shrub or tree. But it is not inexpensive :-)

Another plant to consider in the mix are columnar European hornbeams, Carpinus betulus 'Fastigiata' or 'Frans Fontaine'. These grow moderately rapidly to a decent height (40-60') and although deciduous, they have a dense and very upright branching structure that provides good screening even when the tree is out of leaf. And a very trouble-free tree, all things considered.

Not evergreen but fast as anything and hold their leaves until November around here, metasequoia and weeping willow.