Need to hide a neighbors ugly fence.

Our new neighbors next door have decided to construct their own fence arounf the property and it looks like hell ... I mean really garbage. I want to hide the sight of it that I can see, about 30 feet next to my property. What is the best type of bush that will hide this 4 foot tall monstrosity?

You'd probably get better coverage if you put some trellises in front of it and grow vines.

Cleyera is a nice looking evergreen shrub. It should get tall enough to hide the ugly fence. I have two in front of my house and they have a nice neat appearance and have needed very little pruning.

Cleyera is very pretty,but might not be hardy there.Evergreens or trellisses are a good idea,because they will block it all year.You also might think of putting up your own garden wall or fencing.Very small growing trees might work there,too.

Lynn

If you don't go with an evergreen you're going to see the ugly fence all winter. I like arbavita (sp?) because they grow fast and come in lots of sizes but deer think they are candy. Spruce smell wonderful and keep a nice pyramid shape, but they're a bit pricier.

A friend (who's income deprived) had a neighbor put up an orange plastic 4-ft snow fence for a new puppy and then never take the ugly thing down. She put up (on her side) bamboo fencing that came in rolled sheets from the local hardware store. She used an industrial size stapler to attach the bamboo to posts. She started with clematis and morning glories, but now she mixes sweet peas in with the other vines. It really is pretty.

I don't know if willowleaf holly is hardy in Omaha, but it is an excellent screen and would stay at 4 to 5 ft. with only a tiny bit of touch-up pruning once or twice a year. The leaves are not prickly sticky, and it has red berries part of the year. It's sometimes called needlepoint holly, but don't let that name scare you off.
Dwarf Burford is another good choice, about the same height, but it gets wider, and the plants probably cost less.

Oops, those two hollies are only hardy to zone 7. I should have looked first. I'm sure there are other hollies sold in your part of the country that ARE winter-hardy.

Snarkyboy could be in either zone 5 or 6.

I can't say enough good things about English privet hedge! It will fill in completely and create a solid green wall for you.

TJ

Most of the privets are invasive in many areas, I'd use caution before planting.

The fastest results and the lowest maintenance are from vines and trellis>

5 olives in a row worked for me and they are fast growing low maint.