Thanks for asking Gioenne Rapisarda. Its been a while since I put this up! Unfortunately other unexpecteds claimed priority. I have been spending a lot of time off my feet, so time to fantacise and sketch. Have gone through heaps of possibilities on paper. Some look promising, many are far to eccentric but have been interesting explorations. Fence and screen designing is not a job I've been trained for but I seem to have a little bit of flair. The exercise has taken me to some very interesting internet sites and have discovered new materials. Found myself, for unrelated reasons, driving through an up market new suburb in Sydney where many new architect designed, privacy screened homes..no idea where that was but have sketch ideas from some of those really...designed... fences Do not want to make an overstatement here.....just a practical remedy and remove my lovely stable-natured the dog from the site of the antagonism. My best idea at present is to extend and convert an existing large fernery in that yard and not involving that fence at all. Just a tidy-up there. This would eliminate the danger to cocky boys hanging over it making mischief. The local boys in blue have been of assistance as well...."adjusting" the cheeky boys! For now have a temporary solution for my big black boy and he's happy not being teased. Thanks again for your interest Gioenne. Did you have a suggestion ? Something I could add to my sketch book of ideas? Input from other creative minds is always welcome.

It is unfortunate that Ficus Hillii hybrids are being pushed by landscapers. The root system of all ornamental figs is bad. The Flash variety is just a smaller version of Ficus microcarpa which is a massive tree. They ALL have roots that cause severe structural damage to homes, pools, driveways, walls etc. As a very experienced garden designer, I have seen too many instances of considerable structural problems caused by this plant family. Beware.

I agree with asquithoatley. If you want to keep the central lawn then the concrete around the sides is the obvious area to address. Along the house the path accesses the clothesline and the sitting area. Along the metal fence it seems to do very little except obstruct the potential for a lusher more private more inviting space. Towards the view I feel like I would do something to cover that balustrade because at the moment it seems to provide a good view of a rooftop, but perhaps that's just the photo.

on top of the other comments made - do some judicious pruning of the existing bushes and trees - particularly the larger one at the rear on the left. Making bushes and trees more compact by removing stragglers and "outliers" makes for a much neater appearance - and the total cost is a pair of pruning clippers and possibly a saw. investing in a bunnings blower/vac may also be worth while re cleaning up leaves before each home open. Legally you can trim branches overhanging from your neighbours property onto your property - but not past your boundary. any sawn off limbs do remain the property of your neighbour. Probably not a good idea to throw it back over the fence however as it may engender ill feeling. without seeing the overhanging branches - I am not saying you should chop it all down - but perhaps some removal of excess branches to reduce the amount of leaves falling onto your property. Remove all weeds, consider adding 2-3 large rocks into the garden areas - part buried to make them look as if they are natural rocks jutting out. make sure you have something to hang your garden hose on - neat and tidy is the name of the game. and make sure all your garden tools, fertilisers, etc.. are out of sight. The trick is to create the subconscious impression that the gardens are maintenance free. A lot of little things add up to a big difference. removing all cobwebs is a big plus. no one will notice the lack of cobwebs - but their presence is another story. clean/replace any corroded taps, remove any fly poo that is visible, is your roof visible? if so, clean it - get the leaves off. Chimney? repaint. polishing wood inside, cleaning windows, replacing dead or dirty light bulbs, replacing tired lampshades...etc. think of it as rejuvenation rather than renovation. make sure gutters are clean - they may need a paint or part replacing if corroded. same with downpipes. clean all accumulated dust. Repaint the low brick wall on the left under the fence - a nice fresh white - make it all "shine". I used to do landscaping/gardening - with a particular focus on helping people prepare their homes for presentation when they wished to sell. A bit of elbow grease goes a long way to bringing in the offers. fresh dark mulch can really improve a garden - ask your garden supplier which one will fade the least. Don't get anything too fine as the wind can blow it around. spend the time to first dig any edges down at least 75 mm before putting the fresh mulch on so that sand doesn't come through. think about how much preparation you want to do before each home open though. If you put down black mulch - there will be a lot of work getting leaves off it each week, otherwise it would be best to not go down that route. Ants? if so - get the ant powder out. otherwise they bring sand up and mess up the nice dark mulch. and... clean those windows again. best of luck