The neighbor war started when I refused to remove the forsythia that she said I had to removed because it was on the property line, not just on my side.

It was planted on the property line about 70 years ago. (long before I owned the property). Until the past few years fences weren't allowed in this neighborhood. People planted hedges on the property line. I explained this and that the plants were grandfathered and don't have to be removed. She can cut it off of her side, but can't remove it or kill it.

Forsythia is not my favorite plant, but I have 50' on the back and another 50' on the side of the property and don't have money to take out the forsythia and plant something else and it does provides privacy for most of the year.

You can have a fence now? Put a fence on the lot line and move the forsythia over as Sigrid sugested.

If you can't see the area, why do you need to mow it? This x 10.

If you have enough sun in the area to grow grass, then it will take time and effort to establish a ground cover that stands a ghost of a chance of minimizing woody weeds so the area only needs cut back occassionally. Aggressive daylilies like Hyperion can work if they are weeded at first, then cut back once a year. There are places around Philadelphia where those are the roadside plantings.

Sorry to read about the new neighbor. I would not be bullied either into removing the forsythia or trimming on the neighbor’s side.

I like @Sigrid‘s suggestion to root some forsythia to continue down the shared property line. Alternatively, have you considered planting native grasses or a pocket native pollinator garden? Once fully established, it should be lower maintenance and not require weekly weed whacking. Your town may have a program to encourage such gardens.

Maybe take some photos in case the neighbor does something that kills the bushes or hires an overzealous landscaper.

In your town, is one homeowner allowed unilaterally to put up fencing (temporary or permanent) right on the property line or to do so without your consent (as you are the neighbor who shares the line)? Do you have a survey to double-check the temp fence is not on your property?

• Your gardener is welcome to trespass on my yard to mow….. but I’m sure it’s waaaay too far away!
• it seems like there is always that ”one” neighbor, wth? Even though we live in a very touristy busy beach town she would complain if anyone parked in front of her house or, gawd forbid! entertain even a few people on the front patios ( that’s all we had there ).

The rules here are permanent fencing must be permitted and has to be 2' from the property line and can't block site lines at intersections.

New bushes have to be 2' inside the property line

You can be fined if your grass or weeds get too high.

The temporary fencing she put up is just rebar and orange construction netting. There aren't any rules for "temporary fencing".

Isn't it against the law in most places to cut off people's access to their property? No lawyer here, but I'd look into it.

No one has to give you access if your own trees are what is cutting off the access.

Still seeking suggestions for plants. Would honeysuckle thrive. Would PA Sedge be better? Maybe a Rhododenron?

I’m going to be the outlier here and suggest I don’t see any aggression or war on behalf of the neighbor. It appears to me that she is entirely within her rights, except I hope she soon replaces her temporary orange plastic fencing.

Encourage your forsythia to root itself further into your property and tell your lawn guy to go back into the cut-off area with a weed trimmer every-other-mowing to make sure the area is tidy. Or, lay down heavy tarp and cover the surface thickly similar to what’s under that tree.

Don’t think of this as a war. It’s not and don’t make it one. We had one once and it was very painful. Nobody wins.

Honeysuckle and rhodos depend on the amount of light, which depends on the degree of tree canopy and the fences. If the open area (top left in the drawing) faces south and your neighbors' fences are no more than 4 feet or open (as in chain link), then you probably have enough light. Otherwise, you probably want Penn Sedge, but you're going to have to remove all the weeds to have an area with just Penn sedge, not weedy Penn sedge. I'd think ferns are your best bet. There are several that do okay in dryish soil and they generally crowd out weeds more effectively. Marginal Shield/marginal wood fern, Dryopteris Marginalis is a good bet. You're going to have to water it (or anything) pretty well to get it started. And a bit of the summer is dry.

Lirope, Monkey Grass, is green year round.

littlebug Zone 5 Missouri , I agree. I am trying to find a peaceful solution. She hasn't done anything illegal, neither have I.

I got along great with both of the previous neighbors and get along well with all my other neighbors. I went over when she was moving in with a plate of brownies, introduced myself and welcomed her to the neighborhood. She didn't say thank you or return the greeting. As soon as she knew I was the owner of the property behind hers she told me that my forsythia was encroaching on her property and I had to remove it. She didn't ask, she didn't say it nicely. It was a demand and when I explained the history and didn't agree with her she was pissed.

The forsythia are on the outside of her solid vinyl fence. She never goes back there, but has her son cut off anything growing past the property line. It is legal, but there isn't any good reason for the behavior. She could have used green netting instead of the orange warning netting. She didn't need to add 5000 k solar lights on the backside of her fence where the only thing being illuminated is my yard. I didn't want a war, but I am stuck with a neighbor who will punish me for not doing what she asked and is pretty intent on having a war.

The best thing I can do is grow plants that create a barrier and avoid contact with her.

@Sigrid @Sherry8aNorthAL - thank you for the suggestions.

The new neighbor is East of me. so the trees would be south of the triangle. The other neighbor has a wrought iron fence, but the new neighbors fence is 6' tall solid vinyl.

Maybe a rhododendron and some sedge would be happy back there. I guess there isn't enough light for Honeysuckle.

Lily of the valley seems to grow nicely on the front side of the trees. but only under the canopy.

I may run over the the Penn State Master Gardners extension and see what they have in the native gardens around their building.

I sympathize, @Jennifer Hogan. Some people are just born disagreeable; our warring neighbor was a bitter and hateful old woman who got along with no one. Your plan for minimal contact is probably the best you can do.

You may can find ”pass-along-plants to try. If you were here, you could have all the Monkey Grass you want, lol. Also iris. I have heard that Lilly of the valley is the same.

Fot the forsythia, bend a branch to the ground and hold down with a rock. It will root. Then cut back from the lot line.

I'd plant a bunch of hosta. They thrive in shade, tolerate full sun, can really grow quite large, and are inexpensive. You can often find people on craigslist or elsewhere who are giving away hosta when they divide them.

Yeesh. 6’ tall orange vinyl fencing with rebar “posts” and 5000K lighting pointed at your property sited on the property line and in place for months doesn’t sound ”temporary”. Have you stopped by your town building department with photos to discuss whether this is allowed?

The deer eat my hosta like it’s the salad bar 😄

No deer anymore - they rarely came up into the neighborhood before the fence. I doubt that any will enter now, but the bunnies like the hostas too.