No man's land between fences, what would you do?

Yes, I read about many cases of this happening here, and costly disputes afterwards. I have a waist high old (I believe original from when houses were built 100 years ago) brick wall with our neighbours. They are nice people, no complaints. But anyway I would like a proper tall fence between us, still waiting on them to do it. I'm reluctant to build anything on our side, don't want to lose land in case of any future disputes.

 

Could you raise the mesh a bit higher so that there's a small gap at the bottom, enough to get a hand (or a hoe) underneath to pull out any weeds?

 

Does the mesh go into the ground or can you just about slide something under it? We had the same problem and our neighbours stinging nettles were coming through, so I used thin strips of weed surpressing membrane with a little gravel to hold it down. It was fiddly to put in but has done a good job.

 

@fairygirl the problem with alpinas, montanas and other early flowering clems is that they can get completely killed by late frosts. In Belgium I had a superb montana just about to burst into flower that was completely killed by a surprise -10C one fine spring. My alpinas and macropetalas also died so I gave up on those groups tho I think they'd do well here, if I could find any.

@CanadianLori is in zone 5A which means very cold winters and the risk of late frosts after clematis start getting excited so I still think the viticellas are the best bet for her.

 

The fence is quite rigid. Yes, there is a little give if you bounce against it but the gauge of wire used is thick and plastic coated.


@JennyJB we have a very strict bylaw about fence heights and mine goes to the 6 foot limit so I cannot shift the chain link upward.

If I leave things as be and rely on poisoning whatever grows between I know, with my bad luck, that it would also kill my good plants too!

@Alisa I did actually think of removing the chain link part and filling my garden in up against the fence but as many say, that might cause problems. But still thinking...

I may go down to town hall and get the advice of their people. After all, they made it inaccessible and if it gets overgrown in there, their responsibility. The town will not allow untended lots and in many cases will clear them and charge the owner for the cost of doing so. They don't like having to do it so they might have some good solutions to share so that they don't have to lift a finger.

 

You could take down the chain link but leave the posts in so you can tell where the actual boundary lies, and not plant anything in the space. Your plants will naturally fill some space above ground level and you'd be able to get to the "no-mans-land" to pull up any weeds that grow there. Your lawn grass will spread out on its own up to the new fence if you don't keep trimming the edge, but is easily removed if you need too (and it'd be better than weeds). If you have space you could roll up the chainlink and store it in case you need to put it up again.

 

You could feed some largish stones through your fence to cover all the soil, which would discourage weeds, especially if you make it quite a deep layer, which your chain fence would hold in place. I did this to stop weeds growing in a 3-4" gap between my raised bed and house wall, and it has been really effective.

 

I’ve got a Lonicera Gold Flame growing well on a support against a fence in light shade, getting just an hour of full sun early in the morning. (I’m intrigued to know how long the Clampetts have lived next door @CanadianLori .) An evergreen hedge might be another option to consider to hide the two fences and compete with any weeds, plus give you some interest and a habitat for wildlife .

 

@Plantminded they bought new the same as me 37 years ago. Luckily they placed their 10 foot satellite dish on the side opposite me. It hasn't worked for 20 years but they won't get rid of it. The first wood fence around tge perimeter of my yard was 100% paid by me. Their sons hurled themselves against it continuously to practice board checking for hockey and knocked it most of the way to the ground. They didn't pay anything for the second fence and I only had it installed down both sides. And I went for chain link with the previous damage in mind.

 

Oh dear @CanadianLori - not great neighbours.

 

I think careful spraying with weed killer at regular intervals, every 3 months, will keep the area clear of weeds.
I have a similar problem in my garden, where there is a Cornish bank of soil, rubble, and stones about 4ft high between my garden and my neighbour's. They put up a close-board, 6ft fence around a corner near the house, adjacent to their decking. This left a gap between their side of the bank and the fence of about 12 ins. wide and 4ft high. Enough for brambles, etc to grow but not wide enough to reach by hand. I have kept it sprayed as best I can and have just found someone I hope will come and clear it all out with a strimmer.

 

It used to be a lot worse. The fire department had to come around and tell them to stop the fires and to clear the junk from one side of their house as it was so densely packed with junk, it was a fire hazard. When they had a dog, the town gave them notice about not picking up after it and their yard was quite smelly. Then they built a surround 4 feet off the ground all along one fence and part way across the back. The husband used to walk around up there and peer into houses. Imagine trying to have a cuppa in the kitchen! That's why I planted a crabapple tree. It blocked that nonsense. The platform is gone and they have covered most of their garden in wood decks.

Of course their new fence is a bonus because now I don't have to see their lack of garden in the yard!

 

In case anybody wonders, this is a pic on the other side with the privacy slats still in place.