To trim neighbours trees against their wishes?

[Dippypippy1980]

My house has a long side garden, I have a six foot fence and on the other side is the bittom of a number of gardens.

These all have trees and bushes growing along the other side of the fence - which grow half into My garden.

Last year I had a confrontation with one neighbour who strongly objected to me trimming another neighbours trees - even though
I was only trimming the bits that were clearly in my garden, and he said it was ok.

This year her trees are starting to bud, are about two foot into my garden (more for the higher tree branches) and are so overgrown some are will be touching my house by the time spring is over.

I called this morning to tell her I was going to trim those branches that were in my garden. She was very rude And said she refused permission - I explained didn’t need it but was just telling her out of courtesy. There are no tree protection orders. She shouted about her privacy and slammed the door in my face.

Her trees are right at my front door, some are sycamore and they make a huge mess. She has spent all morning and afternoon in her garden and I can hear her husband as ifhe needs to go round. Should I just woman up and trim the trees?? Or hide 😬🤣

Iirc, the law says you must offer the trimmings back - but that they are under no obligation to take them.

They are to horses kaitlin - not sure if people would even fancy trying them. They don't look appetising.

Just had a quick google kaitlin. Cant's find anything that suggests they are poisonous to people.

But they are still horrible invasive foreign imports which are forcing out our native trees.

my neighbour was not bothered by either TPOs or conservation area status and has systematically destroyed all his trees and those of his neighbours.

you sound pretty reasonable to have given her notice.

OP - one thing that would be good would be to cut back the branches in August-September. Firstly, if you do it more often it will be less "in her face" as the amount of cutting back will be reduced each time, and secondly as a bird-lover it breaks my heart to see my stupid neighbour damaging the trees during nesting season. I think generally you prune any plant at the opposite time of year to the time it flowers and generally don't do it if there's going to be a frost.

Do it. It's not too late. Our council has spent this week taking down loads of trees so birds don't nest. The actual roadworks aren't starting for months.

I love trees but they can dominate a small garden & give too much shade.

You would be better cutting back to the fence every August. Cutting back in the Spring encourages side shoots and will encourage more thicker growth.

Whenever you trim them back she is going to moan OP , so do it today and get it over with.

You can trim branches, bushes etc, back to your boundary line as long as there isn’t a tpo Or trimming would destabilise a tree without actually asking the other person.
You have to offer what you’ve cut off back to them though.

Every year I cut back my back neighbours bush which hangs over into my garden.

Sycamores are nuisance invasive trees, make an awful mess and seed themselves with gay abandon. The species isn't native to the UK, it was introduced several hundred years ago, and has spread everywhere. It also grows to well over 100 feet tall.

Chop away OP.

You are fine to cut back any overhang.

Do it fast so birds don't nest in them. If there is the odd early nest, there are unlikely to be eggs yet but you do have to act fast.

You must offer your neighbour the cuttings and you must dispose of them if she doesn't want them (or leave some as a log pile for insects).

Melroses is correct, but please leave in until late September to avoid any late clutches being disturbed!

Ok just back in. Checked for nests - none, elderly gent next door came out too and gave me a hand. Dipped

Neighbour filmed me doing it with a running commentary - was very odd. She kept saying neighbour cutting down my trees despite being told not to. My NDN said sure they are only being pruned and you can’t grow your trees into some one else’s land you stupid woman. Not sure that helped but gave me a 😂.

I only trimmed the branches which were well over the fence and in my garden. The shrubs and trees still grow over the fence but it’s neater and there is now clear space between my house and the growth. I have taken before and after shots incase of ant complaints. There was one long branch that was actually over my roof, so I cut it back by about four foot - but it’s still in my air space so nothing drastic.

My boyfriend arrived home after it was all done and down the beleive that I have done anything - apparently it doesn’t look any different.

I was very careful. Branches all fit in my boot to give you an idea of the scale

Trees do not make a 'huge mess'.

You've clearly never lived over the fence from a silver birch then! Catkins, black sap, leaves all fall on my garden, patio and washing constantly from spring to late autumn. And the blooming thing grows like a weed with more of it on my side than the neighbours'.

Late February, Late March and 20 April last year. Even in the April picture, where the horse chestnut leaves are finally starting to emerge, you can see that the sycamore to its right is still barely in bud

Easy to see if there were any nests.

PS - there are two magpie nests in the lime trees across the road, to which they returned last year.

Well done OP!

@NoonAim I think what @FaFoutis meant was that any part of a tree cannot be considered mess, and that it's fucked up to think so

The timing to cut is not feb to aug, it is sept to feb so crack on. Anything that hangs over your hedge can be trimmed

Also to be clear, I haven’t chopped any trees down or contributed to global deforestation- the trees and shrubs are all still there - I. Have only trimmed back a few side branches.

They are still the same height, and have probably not even been reduced by 10%.

The off shots of the shrub/hedge type plant that grew through my fence have been tidied up so I no longer brush against it as I walk down the narrow path at he side of my house and the small number of branches that overhung my narrow side garden and been reduced back. Sure his is quite normal - most people do this when gardening???

No crimes against nature have been committed!!!

Thanks for all the supportive messages - I was being a wimp I know but I hate not being on good terms with neighbours and this on is particularly unpleasant.

Trees do not make a huge mess definitely depends on which trees!

Ugly conifers no but most others yes!

the videoing thing is awful..

I ought to be on your neighbour's side but she is BU and aggressive.

Can you trim again in September? I think that neighbour will just get used to it if you do it twice a year, it will feel less dramatic. nb what the poster above said - pruning now may encourage growth.

I suspect that it is healthier for the tree if it is not unbalance by the removal of large branches - in which case that's another reason to keep its new centre of gravity where it is by regular pruning.

I agree about pruning them twice yearly they will thicken up and maintain your bully neighbours privacy.

Trees don't make a huge mess? Come and have a look at the Copper Beech tree on our land. Has a preservation order on it but it makes a nightmare-ish mess each year across half of the street.

Imo the polite approach is to ask the neighbour to trim it themselves. If they refuse or don’t get round to it then you’re with your rights to do it yourself.

My neighbours trimmed my tree and they obviously aren’t gardeners so they just cut the branches in a straight line level with the fence instead of doing it properly. The ends of the branches were a mess. And it was the wrong time of year too - it was summer and my poor tree bled loads of sap. If they’d asked I’d have pruned it myself with proper tools at an appropriate time of year. I don’t speak to them now because of that, and have planted a load of annoying bamboo along the fence. They obviously want to cut my plants along the boundary so let’s see them deal with the bamboo.

You did the right thing. We had a eucalyptus tree removed completely from our garden last year. It was messy, very tall with leaves just at the top and I was terrified of it falling in high winds. I cried when it was cut down. Poor tree. But the garden is so much tidier and safer now.