Have you ever seen you neighbor looking at you from their window? What about sun bathing on the back porch and your neighbor peeking over your wall or fence trying to see what you are up too. How many times have you seen your neighbors naked in front of their bedroom window. Man It happens all the time. Some folks may get a kick out of it but I find it rather embarassing. I manage a medium greenhouse and I can't tell you how many times people come in asking for plants or trees that will block their view from the neighbors. Here are some excellent choices on what types of plants to use.

Ligustrum japonicum 'Texanum' (L. texanum) or commonly known as Waxlef Privet. This shrub will grow very fast and is an evergreen. They have small white blooms during spring. The can grow up to 10' tall and almost 6' wide. They can tolerate heat and will do well in shady areas. Cold hardiness is 0 to 10 F. These are not drought tolerant plants and they like to be watered reguarly. This is an excellent hedge plant and can block that view in no time. 1 ga. containers will take about 3-5 years to do the job. Very little maintenance.

Golden Bamboo or Phyllostachys aurea. This type of bamboo grows very fast and has dense branches of dark green foliage on stiff cane like limbs or trunks. Can grow up to 10' tall, they are evergeen in the southwest. They spread by underground runners. This bamboo is ideal if you have a large space that needs covering quickly. However caution needs to be taken because they can get invasive. There are other varities but this is one of the more common ones and most nurseries should have them. Some maintenance during the peak summer months. This plant will grow about 2-4 ft. in one year maybe more if conditions are just right. You can easily seperate foliage to take a peek anyway!

Afghan Pines or Eldrica Pinus. This type of evergreen pine tree is also called a Mondell pine and a desert pine. They grow very fast if watered frequently during it's first 2-3 years after planting. They grow to about 80' tall and about 5-6' wide. Do not trim the bottom limbs if you need additional lower blockage. These pine trees are very drought tolerant once established. They do require quite a bit of maintenance as they will drop numerous pine cones and pine needles. Plant them about 7-10' apart for a good evergreen hedge. These trees will get large but will do the job rather quickly.

Oleanders or Nerium oleander. These shrubs are an exellent border privacy type plant. The red variety can grow up to 20' tall and about 10'ft wide. They are a profilic growing type of shrub. They can take lots of water or very little water. They bloom all summer long and provide excellent hedge privacy. However they do not like temperatures lower than 20 degrees f. They do get stressed out during the cold southwestern winters. However they are very hardy and can be trimmed back during the winter months and they will bounce back even stronger than the year before. The Oleander is bascially a southwestern type shrub and does not like colder type climates.

There are numerous other plants and trees that can block the view from your neighbors.

Pyracantha. Evergreen vine shrub they come with orange or red berries and lots of thorns. They grow very fast is can be trimmed to your perference. This plant can support itself.

Japanese Honeysuckle. Fast growing vine but needs support. It is an evergreen in warmer type climates. Very fragrant white and purple blooms.

There are numerous other evergreen plants that can do the job. Just visit your local nursery and ask for fast growing evergreen border plants.

There you have it! The plants above are an excellent choice for covering your neighbors unsightly nudity. Remember if your neighbor has recently started to plant the plants above you might want to stop nude sun bathing in your backyard.