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I have a lot of issues in my backyard! It's sad that my girls don't like going back there I have been trying to improve for the past 5 years, but one of my biggest issues is my backyard fence is going down. I have a neighbor behind me who has many trees, including a grapevine that grows on my fence. All their shrubs and branches have pulled my fence backwards and has started to spread into my backyard landscape. Like most people we want our privacy, and I want a fence to insure that, but I'm afraid of putting up a new fence will just go down again. What do I do?? Do I just have to deal with it? How do I go about this without breaking the bank, or compromising my neighbors landscape? I am desperate, please help.

First of all, what kind of fence is it? Do you know exactly where the fence is located in relation to the property line? Is the fence on your property, his property or exactly on the line? Anything that is growing on your side of the fence can fairly be cut back or down. I'd think that if the fence is on your property, you'd have a legitimate reason to ask them to prune their landscaping so that it doesn't destroy your fence. Frankly, even if the fence is on the line or even on their property, I'd ask them nicely to please keep it pruned so that the fence isn't destroyed.

Thank you, Florida Farm Girl. I have a cedar fence and it is on my side of the property. I have been cutting whatever grows on my side, but I just can't keep up... I will take your advise and talk to them.

I get that you are cutting from your side and it's not enough.....so...(in no particular order)

1) If the neighbor has vines, trees and shrubs and all kinds of growth on HIS side (to the point where he may not be able to even SEE your fence....could you or your workman -- on a ladder -- reach over and cut the stuff on the neighbor's side? He likely wouldn't even KNOW, because he cant see back there. He'll still be looking at the front of his nonsense that's toward his house, and not even know you've cut stuff off your fence toward the back.

UNLESS HE LIKES that fact that his stuff is covering your fence. IF that's the case I'd cross that bridge when I get to it. First he'd have to notice -- "wait' a minute what happened to the vines on the fence." BUT if his growth is so thick on his side, he may not even be able to see all the way through his over growth to even see your fence at all.

I reach over my fence to control from the neighbor's side and have no qualms about it. One neighbor has weeds coming through my fence, another will have one or two shrub branches that come through my fence. I reach right over or through to cut it back as far as I can on their side. AND I pour weed killer on HIS side.

2) Another neighbor and I have a great relationship. I've called him a couple of times when workmen working on my fence or clearing ivy along the property line thought they might also need to work from the other side. I've asked if they could work from HIS side of the fence (which would be in his backyard) ....I sort of just NICELY presumed they could. And said IF you see anyone back there, that's what they're doing. I said of course I'd let him know the day and time they'd be there IF they had to work from that side. He said no problem

Personally I'd just reach over and cut your neighbor's crap back -- AND kill it with chemicals. If the growth is vines/ivy -- cut the vines, and spray pour brush/ivy killer on it. The liquid will go INTO the open cuts and ends -- and kill the vince systemically....eventually...after several/many trims.....no vines.

You can't cut stuff in his yard. If it grows onto your yard, then yes, you can cut it back, but you can't touch it if it's in his yard. Kill the neighbor's plants with chemicals? Outrageous!

You're absolutely correct what I do shouldn't be done. But my neighbor also shouldn't let his weeds and crappy overgrowth grow onto and through my fence. (Technically I know one person's weed is another's plant -- and weeds are technically are any plant in any place someone doesn't want it. But I'm pretty sure we also know unkempt overgrowth gone to pot when we see it.)

In my case I personally know that the area that I 'take care of' is at the back end of the neighbor's yard and he's never back there, and so has no idea the weeds have even been 'handled.' And in this case what he doesn't know won't hurt -- him or me.

In this case -- yes I am doing because I know he doesn't know about it. Why even talk to him about it (this is a rental house) and pick a fight. This is clearly a neighbor who doesn't care how HIS OWN yard looks, so he gives less than a whit about mine.

In this case I have no qualms at all about handling this matter myself.

Now, he OTHER neighbor on another side -- who has the best lawn on the block, who clearly CAN be reasoned with. I always ask if I might need to clear the fence from his side. In his case we have about a 6' space between our two fences that I like to keep clear. And he clearly doesn't mind if I clear it every couple of years or so.

We have luckily been blessed with great neighbors over the 28 years we have lived in our home. They have no issue with us coming into their yard to trim large junipers from their side. The cedar board fence we placed on our property, so we have control of what does not grow on it. I have a real aversion to any vines on wood or mortared brick so NO VINES Allowed.

I just replaced a 20 foot section of fence this spring, that runs at the corner of our yard (new neighbor there, that likes to plant lots of stuff). This section I opted to space the boards about an inch apart. I can then pull, cut or spray any vines or suckers that want to start directly on the other side.