Am I in the wrong ?

BEAU1968

As readers have already said, it's his fence and so really you shouldn't have put anything on it.

However, what we did in a similar situation (equal to about three fence panels) was put up lattice fencing to cover an unsightly area of a neighbour's fence.

We attached them about 6" away from the dreaded fence on to thin metal stakes (rammed 6"-8" down in the earth) and with green zip ties. All from B&Q and didn't cost much.

18-months later they were ablaze with the climbing roses, jasmine and honeysuckle I had planted at the base.

Very lovely - and, on occasions, very aromatic too!!

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A free-standing trellis sounds like a good idea, that way the rose would get more air flowing around it too. Roses seem to be growing like mad this year, probably a good time to put one in?

His fence, but tough you've lost the roses.

How I’d love a fence! My neighbour has laurel hedging which needs cutting back on our side and on the top. We hate it as we are getting older and it nearly finished us off trying to sort it out. It also takes all the nutrients out of the soil in our garden so our flower beds have had to be put in further away and it spreads its seedlings everywhere.

It's sad to lose the ivy and rambler - but you do have a fence in good repair now. Maybe reduce the sight of it with some evergreen small trees or shrubs (keen gardeners will know).

Free standing trellis, planters, large pots will give plenty opportunity for growing something to hide the gap. Your neighbour does have the right to dictate what you can and can't do with his fence.

Ivy and rambling roses are real thugs. Nice to have but definitely not growing up someone else’s fence. I think the OP said they were growing when she moved in, but they do have to be controlled. Ivy will poke its way through fence panels and totally destroy them.

No you haven’t lost your roses…unless the roots of the bush have been dug up. Nothing revives an ageing rose bush than to be cut right back, given a good feeding of rose food and then a good watering and left to spring up new shoots. Before you know it it will be sprouting and healthy and full of blooms!

Fencing problems are difficult. We have a lot of fence - mostly our responsibility. Two of the neighbours have put plants on it - one of the plants comes right over into our garden - not a pretty one. The other is over the top of the fence = I think they put a trellis on the back of our fence which is a bit naughty. I would suggest you erect a fence in your garden to grow your roses. Ivy can be a problem it does tend to take over. Not worth falling out over though.

Wouldn’t care about the ivy but upsetting to lose roses. If it is his fence you will just have to put up with it I suppose.

Beau1958. The Ivy had to go it damages and weakens things it attaches to. There are still beautiful shrubs and roses that can fill a 10 inch gap, which isn’t huge in gardening terms, without climbing up the fence. Our Rhododendrons are giving a lovely colourful display this year and the Acers, I love the red ones, are good too. Roses are my favourites and I do have a number of roses bushes that do not have to climb a fence.

Your neighbour seems to have been rather uncaring about your lovely roses and ivy, but some people don't understand why you get upset if they cut down plants. Your roses, if you still have the roots, should certainly grow again. How about a trellis, on posts? You could get two metal supports that need to be hammered into the ground, and then have a slim trellis panel nailed to the posts to support the roses.

The gap is the fence hasn’t been taken right to the end post to post. So the end of the new fence has no post.

Presumably if the 10" gap has laurel on the other side you won't be looking through it to your neighbour?

Maybe plant something evergreen (a laurel?) your side of the gap if it is annoying you.