Last fucking straw

[sarahC40]

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.

@Deathraystare

Oh and it is possibly illegal now but razor wire on top of your fence.

That is illegal, yes.

@justilou1
That IS karma!
Serves them right.

Oh OP I feel your pain (and anger!) something similar happened to us only it was the house owner behind us who did it and in his own garden so nothing we could do. Now planning to plant some tall trees/bushes along our back fence when we sort the back of the garden out, but I still miss the lovely mini orchard he lopped down plus the bays that enclosed us rather nicely.

I hope you find a solution that helps you regain your sense of peace. Our garden was like a sanctuary last year, I hope yours will be again for you.

@justilou1

I live in Aus and grew up on the side of a mountain in a lovely, green, forresty area with environmental protection orders. Everyone who lived there loved their big trees. The elderly people in the house behind us (higher up the hill) had an organic garden with raised garden beds, deep with rich compost and lots of tropical fruit trees. The people that bought their place, illegally raised everything and built a giant tennis court complete with huge lights right behind my parents. The lights shone into EVERYONE’s houses, and when these people were asked to maybe be a little bit considerate, they were aggressive. All the neighbours banded together to plant three kinds of fast-growing native fruit trees that all matured at the same time, and attracted flying foxes (aka fruit bats). The fruit bats were attracted to the lights on the tennis courts and when the trees all produced fruit, began shitting red, white and blue all over the fucking thing as well. The idiots then complained to the council about everyone ELSE’S trees affecting the tennis court that they didn’t have permission to build, and guess what? They were fined for breaching the Environmental Protection Order AND had to pull down the lights, pull up the tennis court, and re-plant the block!!! 🤩🤩🤩

I very rarely actually laugh out loud when reading MN posts but thank you, you've just cheered me up after a rough time recently!

[quote DancingInTheGarden]@sarahC40 I completely understand your devastation. We have a railway line near our house and Network rail felled ALL of the mature trees on the embankments. 50+ year old oaks and sycamore trees - gone in an afternoon. I was devastated.
And the loss of privacy is so depressing.[/quote]
Bloody vandalism - really sad for you.

@frugalkitty

Oh OP I feel your pain (and anger!) something similar happened to us only it was the house owner behind us who did it and in his own garden so nothing we could do. Now planning to plant some tall trees/bushes along our back fence when we sort the back of the garden out, but I still miss the lovely mini orchard he lopped down plus the bays that enclosed us rather nicely.

I hope you find a solution that helps you regain your sense of peace. Our garden was like a sanctuary last year, I hope yours will be again for you.

Thank you - sorry that you experienced similar.

@Deathraystare

Oh and it is possibly illegal now but razor wire on top of your fence.

😂 I’ve been looking at trees with berries and catkins - tree shopping is subtle revenge

I’m not sure where you are, but if it is England there is a good chance it might have got sick/died soon anyway:
www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/tree-pests-and-diseases/key-tree-pests-and-diseases/ash-dieback/
It is terrifying what ash dieback has done to ash trees around us (SE).
Not that that in any way exonerates what this ratbag has done, but replacing it with something different will protect you from this possibility in the longer term. (Trying to put a good spin on it )

@EllyB21

I’m not sure where you are, but if it is England there is a good chance it might have got sick/died soon anyway: www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/tree-pests-and-diseases/key-tree-pests-and-diseases/ash-dieback/ It is terrifying what ash dieback has done to ash trees around us (SE). Not that that in any way exonerates what this ratbag has done, but replacing it with something different will protect you from this possibility in the longer term. (Trying to put a good spin on it )

It does make it sad - shopping for mature trees is cheering me up and I’m quite pleased at having the money to pay for a monster replacement. It’ll be worth it to not look at the watch tower, even if I have to dig a massive hole.

even if I have to dig a massive hole.

Dig it in the shape of a grave.

I've lost the post now so can't quote it but good suggestion upthread about finding out who owns the land and seeing if it were possible to buy. It might not be too expensive if only a small area of no apparent other use.

Well they could have come and told you what they had planned. My neighbours wanted a tree cutting down in a similar situation but came and asked my what I thought before doing anything. Common courtesy!

Yes, I agree with Sarah - we have a flowering cherry in our very small garden and it's a delight and doesn't take up too much room or make heavy shade. Silver birch good too - we had one in previous house. I am so sorry about your tree though, I really sympathises.

Oh OP!!!

She is a RATBAG and I hope she steps on a lego brick once a week, every week, for the rest of her miserable life.

And I hope she's found this thread.

You tree killing ROTTER

Go spin on a stump.

@sarahC40 Pollarding is butchering and leaves a disfigured tree :( We’ve always thinned out ours, to relieve pressure on root growth and density, and it is a much better way to go.

I haven’t been back to our previous house in 8yrs because I suspect the beautiful silver birch at the front will likely have gone. Gorgeous through the seasons, particularly spring.

Hope you find some lovely trees to restore your home. You can get some gorgeous specimens which will grow as far as you want them but then not get overly big.

@SoupDragon

even if I have to dig a massive hole.

Dig it in the shape of a grave.

HAHHAHAHA

@EvilPea

If you go for the right species tree the birds will eat the berries and shit bright coloured acidic shit all over her house and car, which sounds like it will bother her more than you.

You live up to your username quite beautifully. Brilliant suggestion.

OP - so sorry for you. I can imagine how utterly incandescent and beside yourself you are. I hope that revenge is both rapid and long-lived, and sweet

Magnolia Stellata is a lovely small tree, if anyone has a very small space they need to fill :)

Bunch of wankers. Some very good advice on here. How about some bio-terrorism, midnight foray over to their's planting surreptitiously some dreaded KNOTWEED. Just a daft thought really to cheer you up. It would prolly invade your's & your other neighbours homes also unfortunately....

We are getting this in our area a lot recently. It seems that everybody thinks there's this marvellous place called 'wild' where all the trees grow. It's up to us to plant, grow and cherish trees if we have enough room in our gardens. I'd rather have slightly less sun and enjoy the wonderful array of wildlife which lives in a mature tree.

Cotoneaster is great for birds and bird dropping purposes. Not a big tree, but grows quite nicely and good for a hedge.

This happened to me 😭😭 It ruined my summer, having to look into next door and have their children constantly shout on my dog to the point she’s trying to get through the fence to them is driving me insane!!! No advice, just sharing your pain. Ps they are MY trees, in MY garden, and MY dad said yea go ahead and cut them 🙃🙃 I’m moving house before the summer time

Why is that trees are not appreciated?

It takes decades for tree to mature only for some twat to cut it down in hours. Why isn't there more protection for trees?