We just moved into this new neighborhood 10 months ago. Behind us was commercial property with a few 1 story buildings that we could not visibly see from the ground. 4 months into living here, a contractor started breaking ground for what is now going to be a huge 2 story warehouse with the loading dock right at our back fence. The building is set so far back from their road, that their back wall is about 15 feet from our fence! it’s unbelievable how close it is. I blocks about 75% of our view from our patio and is almost taller than the power lines that run across the back of the community. I have a 15 foot utility easement to make things worse. That’s half of my yard! Any ideas of what i could build or plant to help block this horrible view?
Obviously a fence would be impractical and cost prohibitive. But a natural fence, now there’s another idea. Pine trees were suggested, and for the most part, that’s not a bad choice, but they don’t grow too fast, and could potentially take up more of your yard because of the spread when mature.
SO… here are some alternatives. I don’t know what zone you’re in, so take that into consideration as well and do some research.
Canadian Hemlock. You can buy them sort of small, and in just a matter of a few years, you’ll have some very tall, nice looking trees to help block the view, especially if planted close together. A nice natural hedge.
Lombardy Poplar is another ‘popular’ choice (sorry, that’s really a silly pun, couldn’t resist). They are very upright, fast growing trees with a pillar growth habit. By that I mean they don’t have a very wide spread. These trees are planted often for a windbreak.
Arborvitae species. An upright habit, not a wide spread, and make a nice tall hedge over time when planted together.
Holly trees. These like acid soil, and you have to have a male and a female to produce berries. These are evergreen as well. There are taller varieties that make very handsome trees and could produce a very sharp looking hedge.
At any rate, you’re gonna have to put up with the warehouse for awhile until anything grows tall enough to do the job. I’m sorry about that. It really irritates me when business do things like that. Used to be builders were a little more considerate about where they built and whom it would effect.
As an example of this nonesense, there’s a homebuilder in our town that bought several acres of farmland and woods, only to cut down the trees, smooth out the fields and build homes. Thing is, in the year or more since he did this, he’s built one house! And he has the nerve to name the place "Fox Run". Right, not anymore it isn’t.
