Neighbour does not like the look of my garden - threatening to sue

[craxmum]

A new neighbour has moved in last month (we are sharing a wall in a semi-detached property). She seems to have a major issue with the way my garden looks (just paid me a visit at 7am on Sunday to inform me that she hasn't slept properly since she had a party last night and her guests were apparently "aghast"). First thing she did after moving in was decking and astroturfing her back garden fence to fence (the bits that weren't already covered in concrete).

She did mention it a couple of times before, but I never thought it bothers her that much. Now she made a vague threat of suing me for damage to her assets, as apparently her house value and enjoyment of her property is impacted. I mean, she bought it a couple of weeks ago (at the normal market value as far as I can see from the open sources), surely she made the decision with full awareness of what my garden looks like? She added a couple of personal insults (about me being foreign etc) as well.

My garden is a bit informal allotment style. We grow berries, tomatoes, courgettes, peppers, beans, herbs - stuff like that, also have a couple of dwarf fruit trees. Sunflowers all over the place at the moment. I have two small children (3 and 5), they absolutely love it and they have their own little experimentation areas. There is a bit of lawn, but with two dogs it is not in great shape - trimmed, but with some bald patches. There is an occasional weed or two, or maybe ten. Plenty of butterflies and bees. A composter (of a posh type, fully closed and maintained, not leftovers rotting in a bin). There is a water butt and sometimes watering cans / other gardening equipment lying around. I mean, it is by no means perfect, and can sometimes be messy and looks quite rustic, but I absolutely cannot see what I can do to comfort her apart from ripping all vegetation out and paving over.
AIBU?

Tell the idiot to blow it out her airhole and then bolt ya nugget.

Your garden is beautiful and totally the norm (especially in glasgow) where we have a huge chunk of land at a country park for allotments.

Defo keep records of what she says etc, maybe even a cctv system or just record what she says - divorce or not/same ethnicity as you or not she made racist remarks and that needs monitored.

Defo maybe raise fence height as I can see her being mental enough to try and destroy things with weedkiller etc - which if happens and you catch it on camera is chemical assault and dangerous to kids etc.

Good luck and enjoy the rhubarb!

Geoff Hamilton was the best TV gardener ever
He inspired tens of thousands of British Gardeners
Have a look at this
barnsdalegardens.co.uk/children-s-garden.html

Well I have just bought a house in exactly the same circumstances, used to being detached, huge garden and not overlooked by anyone. Now in a semi surrounded by gardens on the side and back. I can tell you it is a huge loss of personal space for me but the last thing I want to do is upset my new neighbours. On one side the neighbours have replaced a panel which is at least a foot higher than the others, looks horrible from my side. Have I gone storming round to complain? No, as I do not want to start a neighbours feud, I simply bought a fast growing bush to hide it. On the other side neighbours have a trampoline erected right next to my patio, do I complain? No.

So what did you reply to her complaint?

Let's hope she calms down a bit.
"Welcome to the neighbourhood. I like my garden the way it is. And knocking on the door at 7 am on a Sunday? To threaten to sue because you can't mind your own business? We don't do that in Britain you know." ;)

Oh my god, what a horrible neighbour. Really sorry she’s moved in next to you.

Nothing useful to add to the above (she can try suing you, hahaha, she won’t get anywhere apart from being told off for wasting official people’s time!).

As an aside Anyone knocking on my door at 7am for a non emergency would be being told to go away- so rude!

She wasn't overtly racist (and I am same race as her), more along the lines "we don't do this in Britain in case if you did not know".

Err, yes we do. If anything, your neighbour is behind the times with her building of a rat paradise decking in her plastic garden.

@sonjadog
Nothing legible, I just muttered something back, along the lines of - I can see what can be done. I thought it is some sort of an emergency, so was not prepared for it to be a complaint about my garden.

I love the sound of your garden. Tell her you look forward to seeing her in court. She hasn’t a hope in hell of getting anywhere. She’s crazy.

Hello, middle aged stereotypical English/British woman here 🖐🏻

Your neighbour is mistaken. Your garden is very much in the style of both 'cottage garden' and 'slightly eccentric'. Both ever so English 😂.
Her garden on the other hand sounds appalling and contributes to flooding risks and the decrease of the bee/insect population.
Her garden sounds awful and would offend and upset me. But I'm English, so, obviously, I wouldn't complain ...

Your garden is a delight and she is a loon.

I think you should have a prepared answer for when she comes back. Something that leaves no doubt that you won't be allowing her to dictate what you do in your garden.

Not read whole thread, but your garden is very useful. She sounds like Margot from The Good Life. (I would have to find a way of saying this to her! And Hyacinth Bucket.) Would also have asked her if she thought Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall wasn't very British (who I know doesn't have a very good reputation on Mumsnet, but it's not as if the entire world has read those threads, and even then I think people would get the point in general conversation).
Her ideas seem surprisingly outdated for someone who presumably keeps up with trends, if she lives in a fairly well off area.

Heavens above craxmum wait til she sees you hang your washing out. She'll have palpitations

Loving your garden OP. 🌼🌼🌼
Go round there in the morning, at 7.00 am of course, tell her you've given it some thought, perhaps she would like to install a new and higher fence, before you install your children's trampoline !

You could invite her over for a cup of tea and to discuss what she would like doing? And when she wants to do it?

Racist cunt

Please tell me there is some obscure food that is a traditional dish in your country. Make her a big plate of it.if thete isnt make it up!! Wait until she has friends round and either knock on the door with it or proffer over the garden fence. Tell her friends how you are going to introduce a huge composting area complete with a bug hotel and chickens!!

All with a smile and head tilt! Watch her squirm - she wont be able to be vile in front of her naice friends.

Or

"Fuck off"

is equally acceptable!

She is bonkers and her garden is a nightmare from an environmental point of view. It doesn't really sound like a garden at all. Yy to getting a few hens and pigs, that might send her to back to the far side of fuck where she belongs.

Your garden sounds lovely!!!

Somewhere in your town, there is an expensive lawyer rubbing their hands in glee at the prospect of the fees to be extracted from this hopeless case. (I wonder if, at her previous abode, she had developed form as a vexatious litigant?).
I once banjaxed an unhinged colleague (didn't last long as a colleague) whose default position was threatening to sue; I told him that I understood that was his intention, he was of course entitled to do so, and gave him my solicitor's contact details (which I had because of moving house and making a will, nothing contentious).
But the racist bit is unpleasant, and more serious; I agree with other PP's about keeping a diary, maybe making it subtly apparent that you are doing just that.

I second the suggestion of starting a log to record her complaints, timings etc. She sounds like the sort of person who would chuck weed killer over your fence to try and get her own way.

Also what’s she on about, not doing it like this in britain?? She thinks Astro turf is some sort of ye olde traditional garden and fruit veg and trees are somehow weird and unBritish?!

Not sure if it’s been mentioned as only skimmed the thread but I’d be setting up cctv into the garden in case she tries to cause any damage

Counter sue for repulsive chavvery and crimes against nature. Astroturf is the absolute pits.

Craxmum your garden is a mirror image of mine I love it!

We planted our garden specifically to attract the bees & butterflies and would not have it any other way.

Like yours, our neighbour looks down on us.

Like ours, your neighbour is 🦇 💩 😜

If she speaks to you again about it just shut her down. Don't try to be nice just say the truth:

"There is nothing wrong with my garden and if you persist in continuing this issue and speaking to me in the way you are doing I will contact the police about harassment."

You own this woman nothing so try and nip it in the bud.