Neighbours/gardening

[Trudij123]

Hi ladies, please help me out here!! Ive been watching cheltenham and just gone to make tea. Standing in the kitchen looking into the ( admittedly very messy !) garden my neighbours have been busy in theirs - they have cut down a load of my magnolia and also another bush nearer the house. Now this in itself I don’t really have much of an issue with even though they haven’t asked - if it goes over their side then obviously they are allowed to cut it - but they have chopped right into the middle of my smaller shrub, so must have leant into my garden to do it and it now looks awful from my side. Added to this, they have dumped it further down my (untidy) garden on top of a couple of nice roses, some fruit bushes and just left it.
Am I being unreasonable to be pissed off with this a second time? ( they cut something down a couple of years ago and dumped it on my seedlings)
Do I
A) dump it back their side with a note telling them that I don’t want it back
B) ask them if they want to come round and dig up the shrub now they have ruined it and give them the bill to replace the fruit plants, the shrub and the two roses
C) make a nice bonfire when they are sunbathing/have washing out
D) pretend it hasn’t happened because I’m planning to move soon anyway....

Photos attached. Happy to be told I’m being unreasonable If I am!!

D)

Although you're entitled to seethe about it. I would too.

A, B and C! Then get back to the telly for the 3.30.

I think you are. If your tree is growing into their garden they have a right to cut it and to throw it back.

I’ll go fir A, B and C with such me E thrown in for good measure.

E - a BBQ involving some mackerel whenever the wind blows their way.

Pengggwn
You are wrong. It is best not to speak on legal matters if you don't know the law.

That right is a weird one. Could you
dump leaves from a neighbours tree that fall into your garden back over their fence?

No - if it grows into their garden they -can cut it back to the boundary and offer it back to you, not just dump it in your garden. They cannot lean over and cut the bush on your side.

The neighbour has the right to trim to the boundary only and should offer the branches cut to the OP. Dumping the branches on her property does not constitute an offer. The OP may decline the offer of the branches, in which case the neighbour is responsible for disposing of them.

Of course the answer is D... but A,B and C would make me feel better. Burning green wood so it's nice and smokey.

I would be mightly miffed if that happened to me. Especially cutting back a magnolia like that. Doesn't that affect how it grows?

If you are really planning on moving then I wouldn't do anything.

If you are staying for a few years more, I would ask them to kindly not throw the cuttings over into your garden anymore.

If they are not approachable I would just make sure I cut back anything that goes past the boundary just to make sure nothing like this happens again.

I'm not sure why no one would want plants like a magnolia going over into 'their space' but each to their own I guess.

E, you should have cut it back before forcing your neighbours to do it. This sort of thing really annoys me. Two sides of our fence has branches growing through it and overhanging our garden, and I don't see why it should be my responsibility to cut their trees back and then have to dispose of it. The least you could do is take the cuttings back but in future, do it yourself.

I realise the law says you offer it back but then have to dispose of it yourself if neighbour doesn't want it. Morally it isn't right though.

With cheese here. I think your neighbours are making a bit of a point that they are annoyed your lax gardening is impacting on their enjoyment of their garden and making work for them. You should be keeping on top of it so it doesn’t get to this point.

Interestingly we have just had a gardener out to clear our garden (moved in a few months ago) and to dismantle and remove the shed.
We have a huge tree at bottom of garden that hangs over into house behind. When he removed the shed he found loads of old branches that he said looks as though house behind has cut from our tree but on their side and thrown over the fence onto our side.
Apparently Peng is correct, if you cut back someone else's trees/shrubs that are overhanging onto your side you either have to throw them over or go and ask if you may dispose of them. Anything else is considered theft!
Personally I think the neighbour was a bit crap to throw them over but they haven't done anything wrong sadly

I'd pop round with a note saying something along the lines of :

'Hello, it's lovely that we finally have the weather to get back into the garden. I notice you cut some of my shrubs back today. I'm happy to come round and do this for you in future if you prefer. If you are trimming back the shrubs yourself, please could you ensure it is just to the boundary and no more? Also, I'd be grateful if you didn't throw the cut branches over the fence. Best wishes, Trudij

I think there's a element of you both being unreasonable. You were being a bit unreasonable to let your plants get so overgrown they were going into their garden in the first place. However, they should have only cut back to the boundary line and I think dumping the cuttings in your garden was excessive.

On balance therefore I'd just go with option D.

I didn't mean legally, I meant morally. Why should the neighbour have to dispose of them? If the OP has an issue with the legalities they can go to small claims for their ruined rose bush, of course, but it's my view that that would make them a pretty shit neighbour.

Don't magnolia trees shed a fucktonne of leaves? That would piss me off. It does look like pruning done in anger, rather than happy gardening pruning!

Why would the neighbour be angry now?
No leaf shedding at this time of the year.

Apparently Peng is correct, if you cut back someone else's trees/shrubs that are overhanging onto your side you either have to throw them over or go and ask if you may dispose of them. No, that's not quite right. Legally you have to offer the branches back, but if you simply throw them back that is fly-tipping.

Since OP is planning to move, best just to not worry. But if she were staying, I'd go with (and have done in the past) something on Beryl's lines, with the addition of an explanation that I didn't want stuff fumped because it damages the plants it's dumped on.

A regimented garden style may be your preference Cheese but it isn't everyone's. Trees and shrubs are considered a pleasant feature of the natural environment and they have this unfortunate habit of growing without reference to little fiefdoms. Unless the trees are causing a particular issue that has been communicated to the neighbour, there is no need for everyone to massacre their greenery at the boundary. I hope people like you don't have cats that are allowed outside.

Oh....I was listening to gardeners question time, and I'm sure it was mentioned that they shed profusely, and I took it to mean all the time?

Still looks like angry pruning to me

It’s not angry pruning, that’s how they garden ;) they dug all theirs up last year and laid AstroTurf because they couldn’t be bothered with it.

The magnolia in question is massive and does shed leaves when it is the time of year for it - when it does it’s a total ball ache - if I could have afforded to I would have got shot of it ( or at least the central bit) last year, it’s far too big a job for me to manage on my own, it would need a professional.
Neighbours husband and I did have a conversation about it when I told him he could get rid of anything overhanging their side of my fence - the green light for dumping it back in my garden wasn’t ever given though - and a polite word or even a note that they were planning to do it wouldn’t have gone amiss, heck, I would have gone out and helped them!!
I’m more pissed off that they’ve probably ruined a tayberry, two gooseberry bushes and two roses ( David Austin ones too, not supermarket cheapies!) than the tree and bush massacring. The shrub that they have basically taken the middle out of does nothing except sit in a blob - it’s not even like it goes anywhere ( other than the few bits that went through into their airspace)
Ah well - I expect i shall eventually finish dealing with sorting inside the house and be able to move to outside where I shall come up with some fiendish plan for them... there is a gap between their garage and my fence that they can’t see, let alone get to, maybe I’ll pop it all in there... 🤪😈

Thankyou ladies !! :)