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Original poster

What is reasonable? neighbour/tree etc

53 replies

Biscuitsneeded · 07/08/2021 14:00

We have a small evergreen tree at the bottom of our garden in one corner. One side of it has branches that currently overhang the neighbour's garden above a one-storey garden studio. She says that although it's evergreen it drops bits in her guttering, and she would like to get someone to cut it right back on her side, but obviously it's our tree so she needs to ask us first. It's going to look pretty weird shaved on one side and not the other - it really isn't a huge tree so it will look very lopsided. For that reason I asked if maybe whoever cuts it back could do our side too to even it up so it looks better. However, we haven't discussed who pays for this.
The history is that she is a strange woman. She doesn't speak at all to my DP, and didn't speak to me for years and only started when I put a note through her door at the start of the pandemic offering to get anything she needed if she was shielding - I did the same for other elderly neighbours, and she is more like 70 than 90 and in good health as far as I know but I was trying to be neighbourly. On the rare occasion my children have accidentally kicked a ball into her garden she won't throw it back, but nor will she let them come and get it - she says children are super-spreaders so only I can go and get them.
I don't want to fall out with her because unless any of us move (and we don't plan to) we are stuck with each other. What is reasonable to suggest re. the pruning of this tree? Pay half each?

OP posts:

dementedpixie · 07/08/2021 14:37

@Biscuitsneeded

No I'm not suggesting she pays for my side! But as she is (as I type) going ahead with cutting back her side it's going to look pretty odd. And it doesn't really need cutting back on our side, except that it may now look odd. Her guy is offering t do our side for £120. That's £120 I really don't have, and DP is away. I just feel a bit bullied into this.

Just leave your side then Shes entitled to cut overhanging branches back to the boundary without asking you anyway

SeasonFinale · 07/08/2021 14:40

If you don't want it to look lopsided get it cut. If you don't want to pay she can go ahead and cut back to the boundary without your permission.

So what irks you more paying or lopsideness?

Galassia · 07/08/2021 14:40

What does it matter if she is strange?

You have something from god in your garden which has created a nuisance for your neighbour.

Get it all trimmed back at your expense and keep an eye on it so that it doesn’t encroach again over her garden.

Interested in this thread?

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Gardening

SeasonFinale · 07/08/2021 14:41

As a neighbour who has to have next doors massive tree shedding stuff all over our garden I have to say you are the strange one to think she should put up with your tree's mess!!

MazDazzle · 07/08/2021 14:41

We have several trees in our garden, some of them huge. Whenever neighbours have complained about them/asked if they can prune them I’ve contracted someone to do it and paid for it.

I don’t think it’s fair that neighbours should have to pay to prune back someone else’s tree. I’m an ideal world, your trees and shrubbery shouldn’t be encroaching on someone else’s garden.

user1493494961 · 07/08/2021 14:41

I think £120 is expensive. If it's a small tree you could do it yourself, I doubt you'd do any damage. Wait and see how it looks.

MazDazzle · 07/08/2021 14:46

My parents were in a similar situation. Their next door neighbours were always moaning about their trees. My DF paid for a surgeon to come and cut them all down. However, the surgeon left one standing (the one the neighbours hated the most) as it was unsafe to cut it down.

In an effort to be a good neighbour my DF cut it down himself. It landed smack on top of his neighbour’s very old and dilapidated shed. My DF had to buy them a brand spanking new one!

Mintjulia · 07/08/2021 14:48

If you do it or pay for it to be done, you will have some say in how it's cut and whether you can get both sides to match.

If it overhangs her garden, she doesn't need to ask your permission, she can cut back to the boundary.

Original poster

Biscuitsneeded · 07/08/2021 14:49

OK, fair enough, I either leave it as it is when she's finished or I will pay to have our side evened up. I will ask the guy to leave his details and get him back another day if it looks too odd - or we could do it ourselves. I had no idea the tree was bothering her - as I said, it's evergreen, and it's not some massive, ugly, fast-growing leylandii . In fact I don't know what it is but it's quite pretty and i had no idea it was dropping into her guttering. If she was normal and spoke to us we could have sorted it ages ago.

OP posts:

marmaladehound · 07/08/2021 14:50

She does not need your permission to cut back a tree up to her border.

However a warning as we did cut back a rather large evergreen fir tree that belongs to our neighbour. We had it trimmed back to our border and before doing it made sure it was ok with the neighbours, just as to me it's the right thing to do. However I really regret doing it as it turns out this particular type of tree does not respond well to pruning so so many leaves above the point of pruning died off and it looked very sad for a few years. It seems to be slowly rejuvenating now, but really I would prefer the over hang and a green healthy tree! Sadly the tree surgeons didn't seem to realise this as they said the tree would grow back and would be fine. So maybe find out how well this particular tree copes with pruning and let your neighbour know.

Thisnamewasnttaken123 · 07/08/2021 14:55

How can you say she's strange when your strange for thinking that your tree overhanging her garden should be her problem and that she should have to pay half to get it cut back it's YOUR tree.
She also doesn't have to ask you as it's over hanging HER property she could just snip at it.
You sound entitled.
I would pay to get it done.

RaindropsonPiglets · 07/08/2021 15:16

If you live in a conservation area neither of you can cut back a tree without permission.

MoonlightWanderer · 07/08/2021 15:41

For what it’s worth, I keep all my trees well pruned and within my boundary. I’m sure some people don’t mind, but I guess my neighbors don’t want to deal with the dropped leaves from my trees. I just have a step ladder and some shears. It’s not hard to do.

AlwaysLatte · 07/08/2021 15:53

We usually pay to have our trees done on both sides - it's a bit unfair to have to pay for someone else's tree in your garden IMO.

Tempusfudgeit · 07/08/2021 16:04

Like this?

TheWordWomanIsTaken · 07/08/2021 17:22

@Biscuitsneeded

My last 2 sentences ask - what is reasonable? pay half each? So I'm not thinking she should just pay for it all. I'm just feeling a bit bulldozed into paying for something at no notice because she has gone ahead and done her side. I suppose I could just leave our side for now and get our own person another day, but since the guy's here now maybe I should just do it. Does £120 to prune a small tree sound reasonable?

Actually, what I think is reasonable is that you pay ALL of it. I have a problem with a neighbour's tree that has been pruned back one in almost thirty years. Why should she pay for you to upkeep your tree??

Bluntness100 · 07/08/2021 17:29

It isn’t that small if it’s shedding into her guttering.this means there are leaves and branches above her guttering height, so it’s not small as some folks might be imagining. It’s taller than a single storey building.

Whether he will come back and do it for 120 is a question, as it’s a bit different from doing it whilst he’s there. I assume the 120 is also clearing up the debris.

I also don’t know why you feel bullied. She’s been courteous, she didn’t need to ask hour permission and the tree surgeon just asked if you wanted yours done. It’s hardly bullying behaviour. In fact it’s the opposite irs considerate and courteous. No one cares if you cut your side back other than you and they aren’t to know you’ve no money

JustLoveYourselfALittle · 07/08/2021 17:53

I just cut back the over hang from ndn tree. Because I'm allowed. She doesn't mind. I do get rid of the cuttings as she has no way of doing so.

Original poster

Biscuitsneeded · 07/08/2021 18:32

@Tempusfudgeit haha, yes the tree guy and I did have a laugh because we both thought of this! And it has ended up looking a bit similar. For the record my tree is not that big. And as stated above it is evergreen so it does not shed leaves. I didn't realise anything was falling off into her guttering, but if she had told me about it I would have done something about it. What I felt slightly bullied by was her saying 'a man is coming in an hour to chop off the right hand side of this tree', leaving me no time to even discuss with my DP whether we wanted to ask the guy to do the same on our side, how much we should expect to pay etc. If it were the other way round I would have mentioned the problem to her and given her some time to think about what she wanted to do!
I am not entitled, not remotely. I just posted because I was caught on the back foot by this situation, was unsure of tree etiquette, and felt pushed into making a decision I wasn't equipped to make on the spot. But hey ho. The tree looks weird but the guy has given me his card and perhaps we'll ask him to come and sort out our side and deal with another dead tree at the same time, so no real damage done.

OP posts:

Happylittlethoughts · 07/08/2021 19:40

Struggling to understand why she should pay anything for your overgrown shrubbery !?
Your Bush. You pay 😁

Thisnamewasnttaken123 · 07/08/2021 23:36

Evergreen trees still shed their leaves though, they just keep on regrowing throughout the year.
Unfortunately OP if you are going to plant a tree near a boundary you will have to keep an eye on it growing into your neighbours garden.
It's something you should think of when planting it what you will do about if it goes over the boundary and how you will maintain it it's hardly a surprise to you surely you realised it was over hanging into her garden? Or did u just expect to let it continue to grow?
I expect the answers the latter.
My neighbour has done the same thing and honestly his will end up looking like that tree in the picture above eventually, I never understand why people don't think about property boundaries when planting trees.

UrbanRambler · 08/08/2021 00:39

The tree sounds like it was planted too close to the boundary and is going to keep growing and keep encroaching on her property. If you want to be a good neighbour consider removing it completely. If you don't care about being a good neighbour then you will have to live with the recurring discussions regarding the overgrown tree, and/or expense/inconvenience of trimming it regularly and/or looking at a lopsided tree if she trims back to the boundary and you let your side go.

Thighdentitycrisis · 08/08/2021 00:52

Did you plant it OP?
My neighbours have cleverly planted shrubs and small tree along our boundary,front and back
They aren’t all bad though because as good neighbours they offered to cut them for me.
I hate seeing them all lopsided-I live upstairs and look down onto the garden but they are stealing all the light.

SarahAndQuack · 08/08/2021 01:18

Why do you think evergreens don't shed? They do. They just don't drop all their leaves in one go.

She's been perfectly polite, based on the information you've given - she probably didn't speak to you before because she'd realised you would respond like this.

Original poster

Biscuitsneeded · 08/08/2021 09:00

Yes, it probably is too close to the boundary - the previous owners planted it. Neither the neighbour nor we are particularly fantastic gardeners. We try to keep on top of weeds but it's true that our tree was hanging over her studio. Neighbour has a sort of thicket all down the side of the garden which has grown over the fence and is now growing back down our side - so a little appreciation that neither of us are blameless would be nice. She also has a huge cherry tree with a net over it to protect the cherries from birds, but she doesn't maintain the net so it has small holes and the birds get in, and then they get trapped which I find quite distressing. I've had to get up on a ladder and try to free the birds from my side a few times. This isn't relevant to the tree, I know, but just to show that we are both a bit neglectful of the garden and all she needed to do was ask us to do something about the overhanging branches instead of shaving half the tree off with only an hour's notice.

OP posts:

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