Good fences make good neighbors

You should know that I think dogs are cute. But I never want to touch one, I don't ever want one in my house, and I get very upset when other dogs poop in my yard. 

We have new neighbors who have a dog. 

The new neighbors put a fence around their yard, which backs up to our 4 acres. The only problem with this fence is the gate they put in it and the arbor welcoming you through the gate. The gate leads right to our property! Also, there is a huge gap between the gate and the ground, allowing their dog to roam our backyard.

Why would anyone put up a fence with a gate leading to a neighbor's yard? Sure, we have a pretty cool backyard with trails and trees and an awesome river view, but that doesn't mean we want neighbors using it like their own park. It has been 12 years of work to get our yard like it is, and we don't like people to wander through it uninvited. 

My solution to this problem was plants. We had previously let wildflowers grow in this area above our footbridge, but wildflowers don't keep dogs away. You know what does keep dogs away? Barberry. Berberis Verruculosa. Longest spines of the bunch. We planted 2 rows of them right along the fence and about 50 Wax Myrtle trees below them.   I threw in 6 magnolias and 2 maples I rescued from a local nursery for a little seasonal flair. 

Good thing we have so many kids to help plant and maintain our yard!