I wish there was a forum just for neighbor issues (is there one and I haven't found it?), because this is more about relations than planting.

Trying to be as brief as possible, we offered to plant 6 knockout roses at the top of a slope that divides our lawn from our neighbors. They had planted things there that always died and I was tired of looking at them. They were thrilled and thanked us profusely--3 years ago. This past fall they complained that we never trim them and that the roses were killing their flowers. The only thing we saw planted below the roses were vinca and some lilies--doing fine--but okay, we had the roses taken out just a few days ago.

I look out this afternoon, and there's the elderly neighbor lady at the top of the slope and right on the edge of our property line, planting more vinca and lilies--right along our grass line. Now how in the world does she think vinca and lilies are going to respect the property line and only grow downward onto her lawn and not spread into our lawn?

We wanted to put in a picket fence to at least keep her from entering our lawn (as she is wont to do), but after some unexpected big expenses, we'll have to settle for plants--and I"m planning on podocarpus macrophyllus maki--an upright "shrubby yew" as they call it. Should make a nice wall--but certainly won't keep out vinca.

Any suggestions on how to handle this situation? If I hit the trespassing vinca with Roundup, won't that kill the non-trespassing vinca too? I don't want to do that but I am pretty darn frustrated with these people.

One thing I have thought about is buying some of those raised bed gardening kits (i.e. Greenland Gardener) and making a narrow raised bed all along this property line--and then having the podocarpus planted inside. My thought is that the barrier of the raised bed ought to stop her plants? Is that a nutty idea?