Have we mentioned that our house has something lacking in the privacy department in certain areas? If not, consider this the first of several mentions. It’s nothing crazy, but coming from a home where we could practically strut around naked in the backyard (not that we did) to one where we can hardly go birthday suiting inside (not that we do) – let’s just say that we feel a bit exposed sometimes.
Case in point – our lovely “alley” (first mentioned here) which is a straight shot to our neighbor’s back deck (see their umbrella in the distance?).
The pic above is a bit old (from this post) and as you can see from the new pic below, nature has already helped us out in the filling-in department.
Though I still can’t help but feel slightly self-conscious at moments – like one recent night when the smoke detector next to the “alley” went off minutes after bedtime. Suddenly I found my boxer-clad self changing a faulty battery… while standing on a chair… in front of our floor-to-ceiling glass sliding doors at night with the light on. Yeah, um, howdy neighbors.
So not being vertical blind or curtain closing people when it comes to all of the common areas in our house (we’re weird, but we like our sliding doors and big picture windows unobscured to let in light and it feels like too much maintenance to walk around covering them all every evening – at least to lazy bums like ourselves) we figured that a better way to functional and long term low-maintenance privacy would be to block that shared sight-line between our houses with some fast-growing easy-care evergreens. We do like white faux wood blinds for privacy in bedrooms btw, but I guess since we were both raised in curtains-always-open-in-the-living-area houses that relied on nice wooded neighborhoods for privacy, it’s no wonder that we’re attracted to open curtains and wooded neighborhoods full o’ privacy.
So that’s the goal. Adding in more of that “wooded” adjective. Sure it’ll take some time for these little trees to grow in, but it’ll hopefully be worth it in the long run (and we’ll remember to toss on clothes if we’ll be standing on chairs in front of the slider at midnight before that point).
When it comes to the specifics, we got three Leyland Cypress trees on sale from Home Depot for $9.99 each (interestingly, they were $19.99 at Lowe’s, so we saved thirty bucks total by shopping around). They’ve been recommended to us countless times by local gardeners because they’re 1) fast-growing, 2) evergreen, (so the won’t drop leaves and ruin our privacy in the winter), 3) can become quite large, and 4) are pretty easy-care and hardy. Basically, the privacy screen trifecta fourfecta. And by quite large I mean 30′ tall by 10-15′ wide. Pretty amazing, right?
We arranged them in a triangle of sorts, so that we could plant them at least ten to fifteen feet apart (as recommended by the tag) while making sure they each would layer behind and in front of one another (instead of growing into each other) to help densely block the view.
And after cutting out some dead boxwoods…
… and making friends with a frog (or is he a toad?)…
… I was ready to dig in our new Cypresses. With no help from my frog/toad friend, I might add. Make that former friend (he didn’t die or anything, he just doesn’t deserve friend status for not helping).
Through the magic of television the internet, here they are all dug in. Not much to look at yet, I’ll admit.
But hopefully with a bit of watering, more of these sunny days that we’ve been getting lately, and a bit of time, this trio will go from this…
…to this. Though in real life they hopefully won’t have the weird blue-tinted discoloration (I added that to make my photoshopping visible).
Oh, and that frog wasn’t the only woodland creature that I came upon during my tree planting adventure. Notice anything else?
Yep, that’s a plastic duck just chilling on a log in a bush. Another fun discovery left by the previous owners (like Norman the Mailbox Squirrel).
The funny thing is that finding a random duck on our property is almost like a sign that the house was meant for us. See, when we moved into our first house, the previous owner had left a fake duck head (yup, just the head) on one of our fence posts. Needless to say, it didn’t last long after this photo was snapped, but it did make us smile.
Guess there’s something to be said for a faux duck (or part of a faux duck) to make you feel at home. I just left the full-bodied duck right where I found him in that shrubbery. After all, if things go as planned with those Leyland Cypresses he won’t be able to spy on us for long. And Clara will probably love discovering him for herself in a year or two.
Have you guys ever planted any Leyland Cypresses – or another fast growing tree or bush – in the hopes of gaining some privacy? Do you just use vertical blinds and curtains like normal people? Have you ever found the head of a duck (or an entire faux duck) somewhere on your property? Are you friends with a frog (or do you someday hope to be)? So many questions, so little time.
laura says
Yes, we planted them at our old house and do grow faster than any plant I’ve ever seen. They will be huge in no time and give you great privacy. They are the perfect choice!
Ginny says
We planted some Leland Cypresses in our old yard (in Richmond – in Stratford Hills) for privacy reasons, and it took at least 2 years before we saw any noticeable growth. Once it happened, though, it happened! Good luck!
Amy @ This DIY Life says
With all the bad bugs that Mr. Toad is going to eat, I definitely think he deserves friend status…maybe even a Toad Abode (http://seeds.sunriseruby.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/toad_abode2.png) and a cooling pond?
YoungHouseLove says
I regret acting so hastily and declaring him not-a-friend. He is now re-friended. That’s what I get for being so rash.
-John
Elizabeth says
I have a “Hop Inn” in my flower bed, can’t say that I ever seen any visitors, but it is there when they need it!
Caitlin says
So, this is a really, really random question. Do you guys use 100% recycled paper products, like toilet paper and tissues? My husband and I are considering switching to the Seventh Generation ones but we wary of losing the softness factor, ya know?
YoungHouseLove says
I’d say we go 50/50. Sometimes we grab Seventh Generation and sometimes we have guests coming over so we go with something a bit softer (because there definitely is a difference). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Ami says
We needed an instant screen to give us privacy from the neighbors (nice people, but we wanted some privacy). We didn’t have room to plant trees, since we already have some mature deciduous trees crowding that space. We bought bamboo, but didn’t think it worked in that spot. We ended up putting in three 10 foot high fence posts and attaching lattice in between. We then grew some fast-growing and evergreen climatis. It looks great now, but when we put it up I was worried the neighbors thought we didn’t like them. I even thought about painting a giant smiley face on the back of the lattice with the words “howdy neighbor!” or something like that.
As for the bamboo, we ended up putting them in other areas of the yard in above-ground beds (to keep them from taking over the whole yard).
Nora says
Love the new shrubs (and toad!). My dad is always catching toads and tree frogs to rescue while mowing the lawn. I wish we could plant more without being antisocial to our neighbors, but I totally don’t like my kitchen window looking at their patio/any outdoor dinners.
JennyB says
Red Tips (Photinia?) grow quickly, look nice and are fairly sturdy in winter…just another option.
Thanks for the fast-growing tree site, Naomi. It’s great!
Since moving into our house last fall, we’ve found several cement friends in our yard: a little bunny on it’s back (being playful, not dead), a baby deer curled up asleep and a decent sized frog. Fun finds!
Melo says
Love the post (as always) BUT…
…John should have posted a warning of *Post might or might not include Amphibian*. Am I the only one with batrachophobia? I’m traumatized for the rest of the day… Just kidding. (Not really… Trau-ma-ti-zed…)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- oh man. He forgot the “amphibian photo included” warning. Maybe it helps that the toad blended in? Maybe you can convince yourself it was just a brown pile of leaves? Haha.
xo,
s
Christine B says
We planted 9 leyland cypress last year and they have grown so fast! They make the perfect privacy fence, I can’t wait to see yours grow too!
form2form.wordpress.com
Erika says
I planted 16 of these around our property for privacy earlier this spring. It was a lot of work, but some of them are already showing signs that they are liking their new homes. We can’t wait until they really fill in and make our little yard a private forest just for us.
jessica says
I am a blinds/curtains open kind of gal but my husband likes to keep everything closed for privacy — I understand his point plus I’m too lazy to go around opening and closing things all day long, so we haven’t found the perfect solution yet but we are working on it. And, we live pretty near the street so at night, things do need to be closed up.
We do have a “pet” frog that hops on our back steps whenever it rains. We have named him Billy Bud. I’m pretty sure that at this point its a different frog but we still call him or her Billy Bud =)
Belen says
It’s a toad! Frogs have shiny smooth skin and bulging eyes, toads are the ones with the warts (although there are exceptions to the rule).
BTW, I’m not a biologist, just a froggie fan :-)
Courtney says
Our houses are pretty close together and are on a downward sloping hill, so we all have raised decks with some clearance on both sides of the fence. From our deck we can look into both neighbor’s backyards and decks. So planting trees down in the yard wouldn’t help much, do you have any advice to make the deck more private with plants or anything? Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, maybe shrubs around it or some sort of raised flower bed? Or some kind of arbor or airy vertical fencing or lattice just to break up the clear-shot to the neighbor’s house?
xo,
s
Kathryn Griffin says
Throughly enjoyed the blog today. We have a frog that comes up on our front porch every night to feast on all of the bugs. Mostly June bugs right now. He’s a fat and pleasantly happy frog. He has become so much a part of the family that we have named him Francoise the frog. If one of us ventures onto the front porch, he just sits there. Not afraid, is he. I’ve yet to see him go hopping off when we come outside. And, he usually parks himself right next to the front door. Aw, sweet Francoise! Keep your frogs close.
Beth M. says
My best friend got married last summer in a gorgeous outdoor ceremony. Being the maid of honor I kept on eye on her train to arrange it when it got ruffled. I looked down at one point and wondered ‘how did that rock get on her train?? omg that’s not a rock- it’s a toad!’ No amount of preparation prepares you for a toad on the train scenario! I whispered to the bridesmaid next to me ‘I have to do something about that, don’t I?’ She nodded and took my bouquet while I had the pleasure of picking up the toad and relocating him away from the ceremony. Everyone got a good laugh and we’ll never forget it! Anyway, thought you’d enjoy my toad friend story!
YoungHouseLove says
Hilarious! I think a toad on the train scenario has to mean good luck!
xo,
s
Martha says
Leyland Cypress – you should know that they are susceptible to a fungus which will kill them. It started in South Carolina and has spread to North Carolina – you might consider planting some nice hollies near by in case they do develop the fungus. We live in a cluster development in Winston-Salem with a line of them behind our house. These were planted about 12 years ago and now the back sides of most of them are brown and dying. They will have to be replaced within the next 5 years. We are seeing dying plants all over town now! Good luck!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip! We haven’t heard of that issue here in VA yet, but we’ll be on the lookout!
xo,
s
Britt@knewlywifed says
Those things do grow quickly, good choice!
Ellen says
We need some new vegetation to block headlights at night. waiting for the end of the season clearance trees. We planted hollies but the deer ate them… oops! I can’t wait check back and see how the ‘blue’ trees are doing. Definitely plan for a before and after in a few months – i’ll keep checking back.
Leslie says
Our yard is fenced, so it wasn’t relevant when we chose them, but we installed Thuja Green Giants in our yard and everything I read said they are not prone to deer or disease. Hope that helps!
JessP says
John,
Very good choice with the Leyland Cypress trees. We had AMAZING luck with them at our first home in Northern California. They provided a beautiful, lush privacy screen and grew fast. Hope you have the same good fortune with your new trees. Happy weekend, YHL.
LARY says
Reading this post makes me want to go plant something, but we live in an apartment so I guess I can just buy some flowers or something to put by our door. :) On another note, last night I went to the first ” Pinterest meetup” here in LA and met Ben the co-founder, super cool guy. It was surreal to be in a room full of bloggers/pinners that have the same taste and likes. It was so much fun! We all took pictures and were actually “pinning” them on a real “board” so they could hang in their office. Thanks again for introducing Pinterest to me! :)
Nancy says
Love, love, love leyland cypress. When we built our home in a new development we immediately spent money on perimeter trees, including leylands, which we wished were instantly full grown when our neighbors said one day, “did you see us waving to you last night from our deck as you were eating dinner (INSIDE our home)?!?!” Then I had the brilliant, (seriously,) idea of buying $5 leylands and extending the row and boy was I glad when years later we decided to build a pool so that said neighbors did not sit on their deck and this time watch us in our pool! They will grow before you know it. (Downside is they don’t transplant well so if you should lose a large one you either have to start over or find something else already big$$.)
Caroline says
Lol @ “former friend”. Bonus hilarity points if you informed the frog/toad of his demotion in friend status. :) I’m glad there are fellow weirdos like me out there!
Nancy says
After reading some of the comments I feel I need to add: our neighbors are also downslope from us and our deck is raised. Our leylands, and other trees, are now as tall as our 2 story house so it does block the view. Most people didn’t put in as many trees as us, due to the cost, and most are envious now due to their lack of privacy.
Jennifer says
We purchased a bunch of those Lombardy Poplar trees a couple years ago because they are supposed to grow 5+ feet a year. Since then we have gotten maybe another foot on them. Not sure if it’s something we did or didnt do, but Im skeptical about the reported growth rate of trees now. I desperately want to create privacy on all sides of our (rental) house but dont know what to pick. I appreciate all the suggestions here!
Becky says
I’m for bushes when I’m outside…but when inside I like blinds closed. When my mother in law visits she opens every blind in the house and leaves everything exposed. I can’t stand open windows at night. :)
jenb says
We planted an evergreen (don’t know what kind) the year my eldest son was born, up at our cabin. We took a picture of him in front of the tree and made it a tradition to take one each year. They were both the same size in the first picture. 17 years later the tree is about 30 feet tall and he is now 6′. It’s been a great to see the growth of both.:)
Rachael@LovelyCraftyHome says
Great choice on the Lelands…we have 4 on a bank that borders the street and they have grown from about 3 ft to 7ft in 3 years!
Lisa says
My mom planted 6 Leland Cypress down each side of a chain-link fence to prevent her neighbors from seeing in her back yard. The plants were smaller than the ones you bought when she planted them and after 10 years of growing in the shade they are approximately 10 feet tall. Of course Mom moved but I’m sure the new owners are enjoying the privacy!
In a few years Burger and Clara will have a secret place in the middle of those trees.
Kyla says
This is unrealted to you post today but saw that you guys were discussing ebates.com the other day. Have you really used it and does it actually work? I am worried that it is a scam as it sounds a little to good to be true. We are buying appliances soon so if it works we would love to use it.
Thanks,
Kyla
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah it’s been written up in many mags (RealSimple, etc) so it’s legit. I have used it for the past few months but haven’t gotten a check yet since the “quarter” isn’t over but I have heard from people who have and say it’s the best!
xo,
s
Katherine says
I can relate to the no privacy portion. Our backyard seems to be open to the world. Thinking of you and leaving <3 on your wonderful blog. Have a happy weekend!
Annie says
I love your blog because our first house was a major ‘fixer-upper’ and we re-did just about everything in the house all on our own, no real professional help just two newlyweds figuring it out! It was an adventure for sure but we loved every second of it!
Anyway, one day when we were doing some yard work we found a little ceramic duck, he was a super cute little guy so we kept him. About six months later we were working in another area and we found another identical ceramic duck! I couldn’t believe that there were two buried in the yard and we managed to find both of them, I still have them and I love them!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so cute! They must be a couple.
xo,
s
Amanda says
OMG! Please tell me you’ll name the sign Buck the Bush Duck!!! :D
YoungHouseLove says
Buck it is.
xo,
s
Lizzie says
That duck is called a decoy. It is used for hunters to bring in ducks to kill. The long part on the bottom makes them float, hunters put many of them in the water, and it attracts the ducks to their “friends.”
Looks like you had a hunter living there before you :)
Sorry if thats a little grim, my husband hunts and we have almost 100 fake ducks and geese in our basement ;P
Amy says
Great idea! My husband has been researching natural privacy ideas and came across these trees. I searched on home depot for the sale but couldn’t find it. Was it an old sale or recent?
YoungHouseLove says
It was within the last week or so (we took a while to plant them once we got them home, haha). I think they were regularly $12.99 but were marked down to $9.99. But it might be one of those things that vary by store (and I doubt the sale would be online). Good luck!
xo,
s
Amy says
Thanks! I went right to hd online in hopes of seeing the sale but to no avail. I’ll keep on searching! Thanks!!
emily @ the happy home says
we’re in a warmer clime over here, but we planted a very fast-growing vine in our yard to cover up some super ugly paint. thanks, bushy morning-glory type vine!
NYer says
I’m totally with you on the natural light and uncovered windows, but I’m wondering what you did when you were living in New York, where you wouldn’t have the luxury of distant neighbors or privacy hedges nor would all your windows face a brick wall (at least I hope they didn’t!)
YoungHouseLove says
Curtains and blinds all the way! But our rooms/studios were so small that we only had to raise and lower one or two sets of blinds and draw one or two sets of curtains- haha.
xo,
s
Kimberly M. says
I was looking around on the internet, well pinterest, and i found these cute little cupcake suckers. I thought you guys might like them for Clara’s next birthday party.
Here’s the link.
http://www.mylittlecupcakepop.com
YoungHouseLove says
Cute!
xo,
s
Kate says
Hey ya’ll,
I saw a post upthread that mentioned a tree “gator” to help with slow watering. I teach middle school, and a colleague down the hall, who is known throughout the county for her gardening prowess, told me not to waste my money on one. She drills/punches small holes in the bottom of empty milk jugs, fills them with water, and places them at the base of her newly planted trees and shrubs. We live in Mississippi (the deepest of Deep South spots), and our summers are scorching hot with June-Early August being so dry that they’re considered “drought conditions.” Her azealeas were gorgeous this year, in spite of last summer’s drought, all due to her milk-jug watering! If it works and it’s free, I’m all over it!
Have a great weekend, ya’ll!
YoungHouseLove says
Love that tip- we’ll have to give it a try!
xo,
s
Laura Bellamy says
I was thinking about your odd space all day yesterday and today. Funny to see it on your site tonight. I remember seeing a lovely, kind of oriental inspired pocket garden in such a spot once. Have fun.
David says
Leyland cypresses grow super fast. Good for you for actually planting so far apart. I wish the previous owners of my house had done the same. They planted way too many of them too close together. As a result, some 20 years later, they don’t look so good. Most of the lower branches are dead and I’ve been pruning them. They look a lot better, but of course I lose some privacy, which is why they were planted in the first place! Again, yours should do well at 15 feet apart. Mine are more like 5 feet apart!! :-/
Jane & Henry says
I recommend taking down the leylands while you can (they are banned in England)- see the Wikipedia paragraph below – plus they get covered with bagworms that slowly defoilate them – you have no idea how wrong they are for your site – select “Green Giants” – not as big but lovely in every way.
Wiki-
The Cypress’s rapid growth (up to a metre per year), great potential height (often over 20 m tall in garden conditions, they can reach at least 35 m), and consequent heavy shade which results in their capacity to cut out light, can make them a problem. In 2005 in the United Kingdom, an estimated 17,000 people were at loggerheads over high hedges, which led to violence and in at least one case murder, when in 2001, retired Environment Agency officer Llandis Burdon, 57, was shot dead after an alleged dispute over a leylandii hedge in Talybont-on-Usk, Powys.[9]
Part VIII of the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 introduced in 2005 – also known as the “leylandii law”[9] – gave a way for people affected by high hedges (usually, but not necessarily, of leylandii) to ask their local authority to investigate complaints about the hedges, and gave the authorities power to have the hedges reduced in height.[11] In May 2008, UK resident Christine Wright won a 24 year legal battle to have her neighbour’s Leylandii trees cut down for blocking sunlight to her garden.[12]
Maureen says
Just to let you know, that was a lovely toad (not a frog)! Hope all is well!
Anne says
We do plant Leyland Cypress, always far away from the house, as they can be weak trees (generally the fastest growing trees are also the weakest.) With the extreme high winds we’ve had this year we are so glad we don’t have want any trees too close to the house! I’ve driven by too many homes these past 3 months with trees crashed down across them.
We use horizontal blinds (I don’t really like them ) for light control – my husband is right when he says they are the best way to control light and privacy.
We also work with the the blinds/drapes to control heat gain/heat loss – closing blinds to reduce heat gain in the summer, opening them in the winter to maximize the lovely heat. We also close the blinds and draw the drapes in the evenings on cold nights, no point in losing therms.
One of the cozy rituals of winter is to walk around when it gets dark, pull the drapes, turn on the lamps, and enjoy the inner glow of our home and hear the cold and wind outside. (OK, we live near Charlotte, we don’t often hear the cold & wind like we did in Ohio, but it does get into the 20’s low 30’s at night in the winter.)
Also, I really dislike the big black reflective hole at night when there is no covering or at least “screening” on a window. It’s really unattractive.
Leah says
Since you are finding so many treasures, yall need to geocache! It is a great thing to do with the family…our four kids love doing it everywhere we go…
Annalea says
That whole “changing smoke detector batteries at midnight in underwear” must be a universal thing. Why is it that those things don’t go south, say, between dinner and bedtime? Or on a miserable-weather-Saturday-afternoon? You guys were lucky, though. Our rental has a couple of vaulted ceilings, and the dh had to go get a ladder and climb up nearly twelve feet (still in boxers), while the alarms went off all over the whole house, all five children waking up (most of them crying), and an early start the next day.
Le sigh.
Congrats on your new Leyland cypresses! Oh, and seeing that duck decoy (for that’s what it is), reminded me of my Grandfather, who owned a great number of them, and loved to duck hunt on his farm. Smile.
Kelly says
Love it!
We found a small alligator in a nasty pond left by the previous owners. I thought it was real. We live in Idaho. Pretty sure there aren’t any native alligators in Idaho…
Have you guys ever painted vinyl, as in vinyl seats on bar stools? Any ideas???
YoungHouseLove says
Never done that. Have you tried google? Or considered just reupholstering over the vinyl with something you like? Just unscrew the seat and staple gun new fabric over it and reattach seats. Good luck!
xo,
s
Laci Waner says
Someone may have already shared this, but “Duck Medicine” is protection, nurture, and introspection. How fitting for you guys at both homes!!
http://www.nativeamericananimalmedicine.com/duck_medicine.html
YoungHouseLove says
So interesting!
xo,
s
Laci Waner says
Is is sad that it always seriously makes my day when I get a reply to a comment from you guys?!!!! :-)
YoungHouseLove says
Nope. Commenters make our day every day. Hope that’s not lame. Haha.
xo,
s
Andrea says
They grow big and fast! You guys will be ok because you have so much space but here in the UK( where we don’t have large gardens) Leylandii, as they are sometimes called are a bit frowned upon because of their huge proportions and ability to overshadow neighbours property. They are even mentioned in our Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003. Yikes!!!!!
BornInaZoo says
Lilacs! <3 then but crazy spreaders here. My sis that lives 18 miles away can't get one to grow to save her yard!