Next door's bloody tree

[Notmycircusnotmyotter]

What can I do about the tree next door that blocks the sun in my garden for most of the day? I wouldn't expect it to be chopped down but it needs properly paring back. I spoke with my neighbour and she says it's expensive so if I want it done I have to pay.

what's reasonable? Are there precedents?

thanks

This is a slight over simplification! Just like the post that suggests that there is a 2m limit on the height of hedges. The law is more nuanced than this as is tree care. I'd hate for people to walk away from this thread thinking that any tree can be reduced in size safely or trivially. Active management and maintenance is good though, as is consideration for others. A limb fell from my neighbour's sycamore and took out their shed completely, luckily not mine. An arborist told me not to worry about the tree as it was likely to fall over in a few years anyway away from my property, every storm I am a little hopeful, and give the garden a wide berth.

If a tree is unbalanced because it has a branch missing, it is in danger. An arboriculturalist should be employed to reduce height and consider what other branches are at risk. Just because a branch goes, it doesn’t mean the tree is going to fall. I stand by what I said, nearly every LARGE tree can be reduced in size and sycamores in urban areas and gardens are utterly in the wrong place. They are field trees. Mostly they are too big and should be removed. Smaller trees are a much better idea.

Perfect solution!

Lots of people are utterly clueless when it comes to choosing trees appropriate for a small garden. My ex neighbour planted what he thought was a dwarf willow but within 5 years it was clear there was nothing dwarf about it - that tree is huge, it's far enough away from me not to worry but it's very close to the house behind, we have clay soil so it's very likely to cause problems with subsidence - who's going to pay that bill?

My neighbour has several huge birch trees on our boundary which have sprouted lots of extra overhanging branches since we moved here. They refuse to pay to have them lopped. They block our light and make a mess on the grass. I was quoted £500 to have some branches cut off which I bitterly resent as they aren't our trees!

Because they don’t need to prune it at all if they don’t want to.

You can only trim trees or anything overhanging into your garden. You cannot lop a part of a tree which is in theirs. Not without the owners say so.
That is considered criminal damage.
Tree management ( depends how big it is and how often it needs trimming) of one tree will be a three figure sum.
I don’t know the law but I suspect there is nothing you can do but pay if you want it trimmed.
How big was it when you purchased your house ?

@Monty36 The op says her neighbour and tree owner has agreed to the tree being reduced. The sticking point is that she’d asked the op to pay. The op would be foolish to pay for part of the job and just get overhanging bits cut back and returned. She should grasp the opportunity to get it reduced by an arboriculturalist and pay. It’s money or the pleasure of light. I can see why she’s not happy but I would grab the chance and definitely don’t diy. If the tree uproots the neighbour will say it’s the OP’s fault.

I will never understand why someone would want to lose a lovely shaded garden.

people pay good money for large shade trees to speed up the process of getting respite from the sun.

I am in the same situation, my neighbours trees basically blocks light to my garden and my kitchen. I have mentioned it to her and she's very polite but I know she not gonna do anything about it. I will have to pay to get it done and tbh I am really gonna have it aggressively trimmed back because no way am I paying to have done again soon after!

You don’t have much capacity for understanding other people’s wants and needs - that must be hard for on your relationships. You don’t have to share or agree with other people’s wants and needs but having no understanding of them, that must feel difficult.

I have to have my tree cut every 3 years, the more aggressively it’s cut the more quickly it can grow back. There’s an old saying - growth follows the knife. i didn’t plant it, the trees I have planted have been appropriate for the size of my garden and I think that’s what going wrong here - clueless planting of trees. It’s not the tree’s fault it was put in the wrong place but few people take responsibility for their mistakes.

In my previous house the neighbor planted sycamores right up against the fence between our houses - and very tightly packed. They grow incredibly fast and were touching my house. She got very angry when I trimmed the overhang branches saying she needed them for privacy.

i moved a few years ago and drove passed recently / they are completely out of control and both houses are dwarfed by them. They are about three foot at one point from the house: they must be doing serious damage to the foundations.

The phrase “I will never understand” is just an expression. It means that the person finds it surprising. It’s not meant to be taken literally.

(But I’m pretty sure you knew that already and were just being unnecessary mean.)

@dreaminglifePeople have no idea about suitable garden trees.I agree: yet a huge amount of info is out there regarding the final size of a tree and whether they are parkland trees or field trees found on farms in open countryside. The general public doesn’t educate itself on small garden trees! It just bleats about the cost of maintaining them or even refusing to understand the difficulties oversize trees present.

No I wasn’t being mean, refusing to accept that someone likes something different to you is stupid - I like something I don’t understand why everyone doesn’t - really?!

People are definitely clueless about appropriate trees for their size of garden.

I think legally you have no right to sun. I think I'd offer to go half. But then just pay up if they said no.

Haven't read the whole thread but OP is feel your pain. We have an enormous tree that blocks light and all the leaves block our guttering. Roots growing under our fence.
Approached (the horrible) neighbours who own the property(it's a business). Massively uncooperative and do not care.
I tried every avenue.
In the end, to my annoyance my Dh paid to have it trimmed which cost several hundred pounds.
It's still a mess.
I love trees but this one needs proper TLC. Run out of options. It would cost us thousands to properly prune it.

My neighbour asked the same when we had a beautiful willow tree. I said very sorry but the tree was there before you bought the house and, other than when we pollard it right back every couple if years, nothing will be done.

I really wish too much shade was the only issue I had with my neighbours.

Stop being so cheap and just pay the money. As pp have said, you're the one with the issue.

@ByQuaintAzureWasp Just because a tree pre dates someone buying a house doesn’t absolve you from responsibility. Willow roots can extend a very long way and cause subsidence. Willows in the wrong place are a total nightmare. As are people who own them and don’t realise they are a big problem. In times of drought, that tree will be seeking water far from you! Maybe you will get subsidence? I’d keep checking if I was you.

I think "her" tree isnt a problem for "her", understandably she doesn't want to pay to improve your garden.
Seems reasonable that you pay to improve your garden.

I will never understand why people don’t enjoy sunshine rather than shade? It’s a matter of opinion and preference.

I prefer sunshine. When I bought my house, the garden was sunny until sundown. Now, cos my neighbours have let their tree, which is planted right next to the boundary fence, grow out of control, my garden is shady from 3pm. I don’t want that. They don’t even get the shade from the tree due to its position! So yes I’m bloody annoyed about it. Luckily they’ve agreed to get it cut back and have declined my offer to contribute towards the cost.