Author Topic: Bizarre yard situation  (Read 2663 times)

mozar

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Bizarre yard situation
« on: August 01, 2019, 03:51:06 PM »
. My yard abuts a sidewalk with a lot of pedestrian traffic and dogs. I put up a little garden edge fence about a foot tall made out of wire on the corner where my yard starts. Dogs, because they are walking on the sidewalk and smelling the yard kept banging their noses into the fence and I would find pieces of my fence laying in the yard. Then I put up wooden stakes. I would find those in my yard. So I found a rock about 6 inches high and put in my yard so that dogs would go around  it. A human picked up this rock and threw it on my blackberry plant! The plant is ok thank good ness. I removed the rock and put the little fence back and pounded in fence ties to keep it in place. When I came home today I can see that someone stepped on my strawberry plant (in my yard), and I can see that someone is fiddling with the fence ties. So I figure I only have a few days before they rip out my fence. What gives?!
I'm thinking about getting playset ties that you twist into the ground to keep the fence in the ground. Any suggestions for a heavy fence between 1 and 2 feet tall? The garden edging fences are flimsy. The copper one is nice but there is no way to secure it to the ground.
The dogs have stopped pooping in my yard, but whoever is doing this is being ridiculous.

Frankies Girl

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Re: Bizarre yard situation
« Reply #1 on: August 01, 2019, 04:00:58 PM »
If you live where you can fence your front yard completely (not against HOA/municipal codes) then why not do a pretty white picket fence using real concreted in posts (either plastic/wood) as a permanent option to protect your yard? Include the gate for the walkway or whatever, but if I was allowed to do so, I'd have this or a metal decorative but STURDY (permanent) fence installed.

Or get HEAVY stones (like several landscaping quality interesting ones that weigh at least 80-100+ pounds) and create a pretty rock wall/border that would cause a hernia if some asshat attempts to throw them?

I'd also consider getting decent quality cameras installed to see if this is just kids or an actual asshole adult vandalizing your yard. Either way, if it's happening regularly, it's going to be a neighbor and you maybe you could go talk to them about maybe not damaging your yard/decor?

Altons Bobs

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Re: Bizarre yard situation
« Reply #2 on: August 01, 2019, 04:47:34 PM »
Yeah, why not get a real fence installed?!

mozar

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Re: Bizarre yard situation
« Reply #3 on: August 01, 2019, 05:23:03 PM »
A fence would have to be 12 inches from the sidewalk. That means a 12 inch section of yard in front of the fence.

I actually used to have a fence and I took it out because it was causing erosion in my sloped yard. I have planted strawberry plants and let some native plants grow to make it look less like a toilet. I used to have dog poop and trash in front of my fence all the time. No more trash or dog poop but a neighbor has declared war against my corner. I haven't seen who it is. I would love to catch them sitting in my yard, pulling out fence ties.

I doubt its kids. They haven't learned what sadism means yet.

A big ass stone is an option.

Fru-Gal

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Re: Bizarre yard situation
« Reply #4 on: August 01, 2019, 05:25:10 PM »
I like the rock idea.

People get territorial even about places they don't own. Eventually, you will win by creating something new & beautiful in the space they previously assumed was theirs to walk through. When I was first growing trees on my property, which was barren and frequently crossed by pedestrians/kids/dogs, I withstood anti-plant assaults for years. A neighbor "helpfully" came along to top my new tree. Next, a driver felled it, then wrote me a check to replace it. Another neighbor used to take pictures of my yard & send to the city till I saw her doing it and confronted her.

I knew I had finally won when one day I was trimming my bushes and a woman asked me not to cut them back too far because it made the neighborhood more lush.

Anyway, years later, the yard is widely admired.

Strategies:

Use very large potted plants/flowers as a border. Bamboo in a pot is very fast-growing. Never put it in the ground, however!

Put up a sign about the amount of oxygen created by the trees & plants, and birds/pollinators attracted to the organic flowers.

Use sculpture, artwork, fountains, decorations, etc. to get people realizing that this is a garden, not an empty lot.

Create a dog-poop-bag station/water bowl with a sign pointing to dispose of bags in the trash.

mozar

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Re: Bizarre yard situation
« Reply #5 on: August 01, 2019, 06:38:11 PM »
Wow, I'm glad I'm not alone @Fru-Gal
I love the idea of putting an art sculpture there.
Why was your neighbor taking pictures and sending them to the city?

Fru-Gal

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Re: Bizarre yard situation
« Reply #6 on: August 01, 2019, 09:30:21 PM »
She didn't like my plants.

AccidentialMustache

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Re: Bizarre yard situation
« Reply #7 on: August 01, 2019, 09:42:05 PM »
Pollinator garden, stocked with native bee balm type plants. They want to mess with it? Hope they like beestings!

six-car-habit

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Re: Bizarre yard situation
« Reply #8 on: August 02, 2019, 12:27:10 AM »
Built a real, sturdy fence with some support poles concreted into the ground, 12 inches back from the sidewalk. Fill in the one foot space with nice semi-sharp rocks, basalt is cheap.
 Do you have a slope. if so cover it in stones, large or small. Can you make it sloped , like a nice 45' angle that dogs won't want to shit on ?

 Catuses, Cactuses in the 12 inch "border" area. Big cactuses and semi-sharp basalt.

  Large logs, say 10" diameter, in the 1 foot space, dogs wont walk on probably.

 A Line of old bowling balls, drilled thru the center and held into concrete with metal all-thread, and a nut, pound over the last few threads protruding beyond the nut, so the nut cant be unscrewed.

 How many linear feet do you have of "sidewalk frontage " ?

mozar

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Re: Bizarre yard situation
« Reply #9 on: August 02, 2019, 08:30:28 AM »
Lol @six-car-habit there's about 60 ft of frontage, but only one corner someone is messing with.

LifeHappens

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Re: Bizarre yard situation
« Reply #10 on: August 02, 2019, 09:14:58 AM »
There's a house on a corner near me that is planted with GIANT prickley pear cactus right up on the road. I'm guessing they got really sick of people cutting across their yard!

Fru-Gal

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Re: Bizarre yard situation
« Reply #11 on: August 02, 2019, 10:10:15 AM »
Only problem with prickly pear cactus is it's invasive. I've put some in pots, but would never put in the ground.

LifeHappens

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Re: Bizarre yard situation
« Reply #12 on: August 02, 2019, 10:17:25 AM »
Only problem with prickly pear cactus is it's invasive. I've put some in pots, but would never put in the ground.
The owners of this house appear to be quite happy letting it take over.

SunnyDays

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Re: Bizarre yard situation
« Reply #13 on: August 02, 2019, 10:40:25 AM »
Blackberry shrubs.  Thorny as hell.

Fishindude

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Re: Bizarre yard situation
« Reply #14 on: August 02, 2019, 10:59:20 AM »
Fence them out with some type of substantial barrier, or continue putting up with the damage.