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Original poster

Last fucking straw

591 replies

sarahC40 · 09/03/2021 15:34

Handhold please and advice (on how not to utterly lose my shit or get arrested for this). It’s not been a great lockdown.

Saving Grace: my garden. Lovely tree, probably in the wrong place but predates the houses, was cut down without warning, so that my view, which was of said lovely tree, is now of the back of someone’s house. They have now closed all of their blinds because, yes, we are now overlooking each other.

The tree is in no man’s land between the gardens - it doesn’t belong to them. They’ve got down everything that overhung my garden (my son woke up to find men climbing over my fence and most of tree gone) and they’ve left a twenty foot high stump. My other neighbours were open mouthed in shock, so this isn’t just me sounding off; it’s horrendous.

I know there’s nothing that I can do, but I would like some vengeful suggestions that I won’t act on but will help me as I try to stop crying at the fucking awful sight of their fugly house.

OP posts:
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HunkyPunk · 09/03/2021 23:59

I would also be devastated, if this happened to us. I know this has been suggested before, but if there isn't already a TPO in place, and the tree hasn't been destroyed, then you and your other neighbours (the more, the better) can apply for a TPO to be placed on the tree yourselves, to prevent further destructive action if the tree begins to sprout again. 'Visual amenity' is one important reason why an Order may be granted, as well as nature conservation.

HunkyPunk · 10/03/2021 00:03

Just to add, a tree doesn't have to be on Council owned land to have a TPO put on it. A TPO can be applied for (and granted) even if the tree in question is on someone else's property.

kournikovax · 10/03/2021 00:13

This reply has been deleted

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Redsquirrel5 · 10/03/2021 00:16

OP so sorry this has happened and I understand. I had a few tears two years ago when I came home to find the two beautiful cherry trees opposite and part of a feature of our village from the 1900’s (postcards) had been cut down and they were cutting a another tree down. I asked why and they just shrugged and said landowner read estate agent bit fishy wanted them and two more. We managed to get it stopped and the other two oak and beech now have TPOs on them. Not long after he has gone for planning. Twelve people responded and on and on it went. Everyone was very p🤬🤯😤off with him about it and surprise, surprise the too large houses were where the trees had been cut down and where the TPO trees were they wanted a driveway. Been quite for a while but started up again with a new plan recently.
People used to get married in Apr/ May so they could have photos in front of the cherry trees. There are others but these were on the edge of the green.
I have an ornamental cherry my son bought me. Dark purple leaves with tiny pale pink blossom. Not sure of the exact species as it had no tag. Next doors had planted one a couple of weeks earlier. We have theirs hanging over our garden and a black knight buddleia between the two. It is lovely down there. They have grown really quickly tall and broad might be a good choice. I will have a look tomorrow and try and find out.

Let Banksy know and he might come and paint something suitable for them to look at. DD lived in Bristol and an Art student so we have seen a lot of them. Amazing.

Have they got a lawn? Any chance of a sprinkler going over their grass.

Bythemillpond · 10/03/2021 00:31

Depending how many windows you have I would be getting some blinds that have a single letter on them to spell out K N O B
or an anagram F C U K FOF

yaboo · 10/03/2021 02:03

you need a big cauldron, some gibberish but occult sounding incantations and sky-clad dancing in the back yard, stat.

lydia2021 · 10/03/2021 02:40

Laurel. Fast growing type. 4 or 5 ft apart.

5zeds · 10/03/2021 07:45

I have just been reading that you can't pollard a mature tree. this is confusing. My parents had a line of pollarded trees when I was a child. They we’re definitely mature. The trunks were huge.

myusernamewastakenbyme · 10/03/2021 08:14

I have a huge walnut tree in my back garden...i had it pollarded last year...tree surgeon said it needed it as it had lots of dead in it ..also had the crown lifted and the tree looks much healthier now.. as a side note tree surgeon told me he often gets abuse from the public when hes on a tree job....he said people dont understand that its better for the tree...keeps it healthy etc.

Xenia · 10/03/2021 08:20

Agree with the TPO point. There are 2 or 3 trees in my large suburban garden with TPOs on them. In addition as I live in a conservation area no one can cut any trees even without TPOs on them without council permission. Eg a neighbour 2 doors up applied o the council and they did not object (they have 6 weeks to object) - it is on the council website - and he had well needed work v ery very high up - over 30 feet I think by men with ropes cutting down just the very very tops of huge pines and a few others - which was long over due and I think he has done every 10 - 15 years. (He was not cutting any of them down but even just the work on them had to be notified in advance to the council because we are in a conservation area).

Porcupineintherough · 10/03/2021 08:20

@5zeds Pollard are typically mature trees so dont know what you've been reading. It does depend on the type of tree and the age of first pollard though - few 300 year old trees would appreciate it for the first time and things like crown reduction is preferable for some specimens.

SchadenfreudePersonified · 10/03/2021 08:25

I went out and left DP in charge of explaining what we wanted. Came back a couple of hours later to find just the trunk and some small branches. So shocked, I too could have cried. DP got hell for not keeping an eye on the workmen. It looks so ugly, bare and will take years to recover.

And there is a HUGE difference between careful and appropriate pruning of a tree which is becoming overgrown etc, and mindless hacking.

Skilful pruning, carefully done, can actually benefit a tree - it will certainly not damage it, and will always have a good aesthetic impact - you won't just be left with an unbalanced, ugly tree trunk.

Sadly there are too many blokes with chainsaws marketing themselves as "tree surgeons". Even a professional gardener (as opposed to someone who "does gardening") would rarely know how to trim a large tree. It's a very skilled profession.

It's not just a matter of hacking off branches at random.

SchadenfreudePersonified · 10/03/2021 08:27

@yaboo

you need a big cauldron, some gibberish but occult sounding incantations and sky-clad dancing in the back yard, stat.
sky-clad dancing

I'll volunteers to do this bit for you OP.

I'm not a pretty sight in the nip. Those buggers will NEVER do anything like that again. Grin

Zenithbear · 10/03/2021 08:28

Beautiful tree, Birds nesting! I would be fuming.
Over tidy gardens are shit for wildlife especially at this time of year.

Daleksatemyshed · 10/03/2021 08:31

@sarahC40 in the stress of Covid and breavement your garden gave you peace, that tree was your comfort, what bloody bad timing your stupid neighbours should choose now to have it cut back. I'm sorry some people don't understand that for many of us nature is far more important than a tidy garden .

Teentitansonloop · 10/03/2021 08:32

I hate people who are anti nature, what the fuck is wrong with them?

EvilPea · 10/03/2021 08:42

The last advice I heard with ash dieback was to leave healthy trees alone (as in prune but don’t chop down) as they believe some are immune so we actually need those ones to survive.

ssd · 10/03/2021 08:43

Just wanted to come on again and say I get it @sarahC40, I really do.
Its utter shit.
Please come back and tell us what you said to the neighbour.

weaselwords · 10/03/2021 08:50

Our Ash tree was pollarded when we moved in 24 years ago by the previous owner and has grown back fine.

But I’ve always wanted a flowering cherry so please plant one of these, so I can live vicariously through you.

Lurkingforawhile · 10/03/2021 08:56

It’s so heartening to see loads of people caring about trees and wildlife on this thread. A bit off topic but in our area there is currently a council initiative for small tree planting on verges, and our road is going to be paying towards this. I know there will be people that complain about mess on cars etc but overwhelmingly positive so far

5zeds · 10/03/2021 09:15

@Porcupineintherough 5zeds Pollard are typically mature trees so dont know what you've been reading Confused I’ve been reading the thread Confused the bold part is what OP said in her last comment. My comment was that pollarded trees WERE often mature as you reiterated.

ProfessorPootle · 10/03/2021 09:28

Hoping it grows back from the trunk, the council in our area do this to the ash trees quite regularly and they sprout back almost immediately. For extra screening at the end of the garden eucalyptus is very fast growing, tall with beautiful leaves. You have to cut back regularly though or they get massive, ours was 40ft within 2 years so we got it chopped back last year and it’s almost that tall again. We also have bamboo which is fantastic too, fast growing. We built large concrete troughs to contain the roots but it was the height of our house first year of planting and has stayed there. Both houses that back onto ours have ugly loft conversions and it covers both. The bamboo sway in the wind making a lovely rustling noise and drop leaves all year round into the neighbours gardens Grin

RileyG73 · 10/03/2021 09:33

This is a huge over reaction, tearful, snotty etc?

Goodness, please don't murder your neighbour

RileyG73 · 10/03/2021 09:34

And I'm not anti nature, far from it!

There's currently a huge hideous tree in my neighbours garden, council owned. I'd fkin love them to lob it down before it comes crashing down onto my house, hideous thing is rotten, covered in ivy. Ergh

101namesforme · 10/03/2021 09:35

Not much to add but I'd be really pissed off too OP.

I hope you get on well with the council and either get a TPO put on it or get them prosecuted for ignoring a TPO if one is already in force.