Question
Hi,
We live in the suburbs and our neighbor cut down all the pine trees that lines our driveway. ( they were on her property) Now we have no privacy and her house is just right there!! We are making our driveway widened and we have a four foot space to plant on the side of the driveway that is missing trees. We don't want to upset the neighbor with putting trees back up but........ any ideas?
                               LInda  

Answer
Hello Linda - Maybe I should send this answer to the psychology expert?  Seriously - if your neighbor didn't care what you thought before, why should YOU care what THEY think, now?  

Funny thing: I was just out at a jobsite this morning were one homeowner took a chainsaw to his neighbor's fence at their garages, which face each other - now they get to look at each other's messy garages!

There are options with plant material, before you "escalate" to fences & walls...(still, good fences make good neighbors).  

Some evergreen options are Leyland Cypress, Thuja, Yew.  They don't have to be planted "solid" to afford you at least a sense of separation.  Plant in groups of 3 & 5.  If you mix them with evergreen shrubs like Mugo Pines or Juniper (the bigger species), you can create an attractive, year-round area between your two properties.

One last thing:  Why did these pines get cut down?  Blocking their views, diseased, maintenance problem like tearing up the driveway, or nuisance issues like needle-drop or sap/pollen on the cars?  All of these may mean you might not want to put any plants (or just the right plants) back in this space.

Maybe it is time to invest in a solid fence.  Check to see if the neighbor has a chainsaw, first.  

Good luck! -Marc