Clearing Land and planting areca palm for privacy

[aklb43]

I'm looking to install a privacy screen using areca palms between me and my neighbor. Currently, there is about 40' feet of brush, trees, fallen trees on my land that I'd like to clear. Am I allowed to clear up to my property line? Should I consult with my neighbor? Do I need to plant the palms only on my property with a set back?

Thanks

[kalakoa]

Setback applies to structures above ground. Grading/grubbing in excess of 1 acre requires permits. Restrictions on landscaping only apply where line-of-sight is involved, such as where the driveway meets the road, or on the corner of a lot that faces a road intersection.

In this case, a setback might be useful if there is a fence to be maintained, or if you don't want the neighbor hacking off things that extend across the property line.

[KeaauRich]

We planted a row of arecas as a privacy screen 10 years ago, and they do a great job. But don't forget that they not only grow up, they grow wider as they age too. We planted 6' tall arecas about 5' apart, and if I had it to do over, I might go a little further apart. Ours are now about 20-25 feet high, and the fronds are all intertwined between the plants. So you might want to think about planting them about 5' in from your property line to keep them from extending too far into your neighbor's yard.

[aklb43]

Thanks Klakoa and KeaauRich. With this info in mind, I intend to contact a pin finder to clearly mark the property line between my neighbors lot and mine, clear up to that line, and plant the palms about 5' back from that line in soil/cinder mix. Is it courtesy to contact the neighbor and inform them?

[KeaauRich]

I don't think you have any requirement to discuss with your neighbor, but if I saw my neighbor doing large scale grading/grubbing or pin locating on the property line I'd be curious to know what they're up to. This is especially true since they might view your existing vegetation as a desirable privacy screen from their side. I think I would be inclined to say something along the lines of "FYI, we plan to do major landscaping along our side of our shared border to remove all of the junk trees and vegetation and replace it with a more aesthetically pleasing privacy screen of areca palms. So it's going to look like crap for a few weeks, but the end result should be worth it."

One other thing to think about - when we planted, we didn't plant the palms in a straight line. Instead, we did a slightly offset zig-zag, so that the palms got a little more air and sunlight as they were filling in. I think this also afforded us a little more privacy early on (you'd see the gaps if you were looking straight-on, but from an angle it looked liked a filled-in screen).

[aklb43]

Great advice KeaauRich. I was considering doing two rows of Areca, but a zigzag double row makes a lot of sense. With regards to the existing vegetation, I purposely left 40' feet of it between me and the neighbor at the expense of me only getting to use about half my lot. I think clearing all that out, so i can use the full width of mine, and planting the palms is a good idea, so I get to use my lot more efficiently, and we both have privacy. Unfortunately, I'll have to pay for all the palms...all good though.

[Punaperson]

Depending on how thick you want your privacy hedge, there is one more style of planting you might consider. Alternating tall/short/tall/short/etc. give a very full barrier, and stays a good thickness even as the row ages. II also might save you some money in the cost when buying your plants. The taller ones can be thinner ( fewer keikis in the pot ), while the shorter ones should be thicker ( bushy/ / lots of kekiki in each pot ).

[aklb43]

I like it Punaperson. I went ahead and made a drawing of what I think you and KeauRich are describing (link to image below). If I'm wrong, please let me know.

[link]https://ibb.co/sVztfqC[link]

[Punaperson]

Looks good - happy planting !