Oh and that’s our little hickory tree that we eagerly planted when we bought the house without thinking about a greater landscape design…

It is your property plant the trees where they will thrive best.

At least he has not planted things on your side of the lot line as mine did

There’s no way to help without a general idea where you live. Louisiana? Ontario? Idaho? Kansas?

Many times upright evergreens are used as a privacy boundary. Arborvitaes.

You need to decide what you want to plant first so you know how much room and space to give them so they do not grow over the property line into your neighbor's yard. You can't plant an eight foot wide privacy shrub six inches inside your property line. That would be rude.

So you think the neighbors are mulching your property? Are they in agreement?? Sounds like you need to do a boundary survey. Anything you plant that grows onto their property, they can hack away at. At least in most places.

It's a beautiful back-drop - those big trees on the left of the photo. Even the roof of the house across the road looks attractive.

Since we have no idea where you actually are, all I can offer is that a mixed shrub border of large shrubs, occasional small trees, and some conifers here and there will give you privacy and something beautiful to look at in all seasons. Choose for spring bloom and fall color and berries.

Sorry! We live in Iowa. Zone 5 for planting

We did have the property surveyed when we purchased it to build a large garage. The boundary dividing the properties is right at the edge or sometimes a few inches inside their mulched area where the trees are. It is a beautiful house to look at next door and their landscaping was designed by some famous landscape architect from Chicago in the 60s or 70s (it’s a cool neighborhood!). We’d just like some separation between us and their house as the view from our bedroom and bathroom is of that small detached garage and the truck that’s always parked there (for their grounds keeper that lives in the carriage house! Just to pick up stray sticks and take out garbage bins, not even the landscaping!)

First photo is from bathroom, second is from window in our bedroom (new all aluminum Marvin modern series, if anyone is interested!)

I guess I’m just wondering if I should try to work with what they’ve planted there or just put in something deer resistant that will only provide privacy - I’m worried that would look bad from both perspectives. Does that make sense?

My neighbors were complaining to me about weeds on my property. I informed them the property was actually theirs. I would have removed them as they were an eye sore, but since it wasn't my property. I didn't. She then gave me permission to remove them. And I did. Looks much better now.

If you want something evergreen, I would plant arborvitae green giant. Space maybe 6' apart. Zone 5 may be pushing it.

You might as well blend into and make the most of what they've already planted, it would be the most esthetically pleasing after all.

Initially your post sounded as though you were concerned about adverse possession. Now it seems you simply want to block the view of the neighbor's garage. Anyway, a tree planted in the middle ground will screen that view faster than a tree planted at the edge of your property. I would choose a gorgeous specimen evergreen to plant on the lawn midway between your home and the property line.

I urge you to slow down. Take the time to study what makes your neighborhoid beautiful. I suspect the absence of fences and prominent boundaries is a key factor. It is now park like, with large trees and long views. That aesthetic is destroyed by arborvitaes lined up on property lines as much as fencing. . If you want to screen a view, that can be achieved with a shrub set in the yard with room for it to spread naturally rather than backed up against the neighbor’s tree. You don’t need to assert ownership of your property. The neighbor seems well aware.

Just wanted to compliment your windows - those are bad a$$. I have a brown thumb and know zero about landscaping, so I'll leave that to the pros/experts and just covet your cool windows from afar. Good luck!

your base problem.. with your rather large yard.. is your insistence on planting at the property mine.. why in the owrl is that you only option ..

when looking for a sight line block .. the closer the plant is to you.. the window.. the faster it will bloc said sight line ... of course a second story adds bigger problems.. growing trees in tree time ... to that height..

sooo ..... frankly.. a few inches of mulch is ENTIRELY IRRELEVANT to solving your issues ...

f1rst you have to decide and plan out your addition/garage.... and then plant trees in appropriate places that they will be useful.. in the decade or two.. it takes them to grow to solve your issue ...

in the mean time.. window films are the easy very fast solution ... i used such out my bedroom window.. i just noticed.. 22 years later.. the oak tree planted 35 feet form the house.. just this year.. made the house behind me.. disappear.. lol ... 1.5 story height for me ...

move the tree you planted in full dormancy.. as soon as the leaves turn color this fall ... bare root it ... right around 10/1 or so ... when any tree in the area start turning fall color.. they are all basically on the way to leaf loss and dormancy ....

ken

What about planting more of the same shrubs and trees that are in your neighbor’s property onto your property? No need to reinvent the wheel here- they clearly do well in the area and will look great. You can place them based on the sight lines you’d like from inside your home. Then under plant with perennials.

It seems like really one to three large shrubs or small trees that branch from the base carefully placed are all it would take to block the view of the small building and complete the line of trees, curving it around to achieve your purposes. You'll probably want evergreens so that the view is blocked year around. So a few plants that will blend nicely with your neighbor's row of trees may be all you need. Or you may want to add lower branching shrubs on your side along the neighbor's trees, also, to make a more complete screen. You could create a habitat for birds and wildlife.