They've cut our tree!

[Auntieobem]

We have a twisty willow at the bottom of the garden. I love it. Had it topped a couple of years ago - cost £££ but looking good. It overhang/ overhung next doors garden. Neighbours moved in a while ago - we've only spoken briefly but all pleasant enough.

I've just noticed that half the tree has been cut off. Tree looks ridiculously lop sided. Why onearth didn't they speak to us? I know they have a right to cut off anything which overhangs, but who not just warn us?? I feel really sad. Poor bloody tree!! Don't know when it was done, I've been working from home and never saw anything? They must have waited until we were all out? Aibu for being a bit annoyed?

@Laiste

I agree with majority it has been planted way to close to a boundary fence to maintain an equal spread.

Shame.

Talking to you first wouldn't have done anything much except caused a row imo. There isn't really any middle ground between your tree branches hanging over the fence and your tree branches not hanging over the fence.

@Auntieobem

There isn't really any middle ground between your tree branches hanging over the fence and your tree branches not hanging over the fence

No, but there's a HUGE difference between getting it done professionally at the right time if the year & hacking at it at the wrong time if the year!!!

@Booboobibles

I’d be very upset too. It’s at the end of their garden so it isn’t impacting them anyway and it would surely just add beauty to their garden.

I think most of the comments are from people who like tidy gardens, probably with fake grass. It makes me despair…surely we should be planting as many trees as possible and providing space for wildlife?

and again, at least in my case, wrong. my garden is never tidy, my grass is not fake and I leave fallen leaves where they fall.....but I expect my neighbours to have the same freedom of choice as I do.

@FantasticFebruary

It is the right time of year.

I too like growth in my garden, and not a moss ridden dark depressing corner of my garden, as my neighbour wants to retain a tree.

Moss, shade, puddles, insects and damp, or even dead wood are all unsightly, but important habitats for a variety of life.

Of course trees are even more important for habitats and you know, oxygen.

Out of interest how could they have trimmed the tree to keep you happy whilst it not overhanging there garden?

I feel your pain OP. Neighbours asked us to cut a beautiful mature tree on the boundary and we paid a tree surgeon to do a proper job. Without saying anything, they decided that wasn't sufficient and lopped a load more off without a discussion, leaving it damaged and disfigured. I've grown a wildly vigorous rambling rose through it which disguises the worst of it.

@Ijustreallywantacat

I too like growth in my garden, and not a moss ridden dark depressing corner of my garden, as my neighbour wants to retain a tree.

Moss, shade, puddles, insects and damp, or even dead wood are all unsightly, but important habitats for a variety of life.

As are an abudnance of pollinators that would not thrive in the shade

As someone who has tree problem with the neighbour I would say it is y our responsibility to stay on top of it.
I have asked my neighbour to do something about the 3 leylandii in the corner of his garden but his response is it will look stupid if I cut it straight up but I can only do this so that is how it is going to end up, they block all my afternoon sunshine

As it's a willow you could have it cut down much, much lower, to the base even and grow it as a multi stemmed coppiced shrub or low pollard instead of a tree, thinner stems all from ground level or a foot or two above from a short trunk, it'll still grow higher than the fence, but not as tall or overhanging as much, the shape would be better more even confined within the fence better. This will always be a problem as its so close to the boundary, neighbours will keep cutting it back like a hedge, flat, but you could manage the pruning of it to make it more neighbourly and aesthetically pleasing at the same time. You'd get nicer, younger growth that way too, the 'prettier' corkscrew growth looks nicer and fresher managed that way. Cut right back every 3 to 5 years, or longer cycles, depending on the space, or thin the thickest stems each year. You could even cut it back right down annually, they grow quickly enough.

@FantasticFebruary why so hysterical? The neighbours have done nothing wrong, if OP was so keen on manners, they could have planted a thirsty tree in the middle of their garden & removed the one in the wrong place. As for neighbours paying an invoice, that's nuts! OP can get a professional to even up their side if it pleases them. In a small garden I'd want to use my space. The roots of that tree will clearly already be having a negative impact on the neighbours & what they can grow.

I can never understand people cutting down lovely trees unless it was 100ft tall and in danger of toppling over.

Your neighbours will probably install plastic grass next.

@Wellshellsbells

How would it have been done right though? Cut some of the precious tree on your side??It actually looks like they could have cut more.i bet you’re not offering to go in and pick up the leaves that blow into their garden from it.if you love it that much you should have planted it in the middle of your garden so no neighbour would have to deal with it.

If you care to read the OP's posts around 5pm you'd see that she didn't fucking well plant the tree. So snottily advised by her to plant it in the middle of the garden just makes you look ignorant.

@Sceptre86

The polite thing to do would have been to cut it back whilst the old neighbours were moving out, before the new lot moved in. I would definitely keep on top of pruning it in the future.

If I had bought the house with a lovely willow tree sharing a bit of airspace in my garden, I'd have been upset to see it cut right back when I moved in!

Some of us love trees. Don't assume everyone is a tree hater

@OakRowan

As it's a willow you could have it cut down much, much lower, to the base even and grow it as a multi stemmed coppiced shrub or low pollard instead of a tree, thinner stems all from ground level or a foot or two above from a short trunk, it'll still grow higher than the fence, but not as tall or overhanging as much, the shape would be better more even confined within the fence better. This will always be a problem as its so close to the boundary, neighbours will keep cutting it back like a hedge, flat, but you could manage the pruning of it to make it more neighbourly and aesthetically pleasing at the same time. You'd get nicer, younger growth that way too, the 'prettier' corkscrew growth looks nicer and fresher managed that way. Cut right back every 3 to 5 years, or longer cycles, depending on the space, or thin the thickest stems each year. You could even cut it back right down annually, they grow quickly enough.

That's really interesting thank you. Can we do that now that it's so mature?

Then I'd put a note through their door. Dear Neighbours, this is the invoice for the work that needed doing after you butchered our tree, it needs to be paid by xx/xx/xx.. If you had spoken to us & said you didn't like our beautiful willow, we would have arranged a professional to come in & sort it out. Replacing a mature Willow Tree will be expensive if it doesn't recover.

🤡

Yes, do this OP. They may need a good laugh. Crazy fuckers on here.

If they didn’t want anything overhanging then their side is as it needs to be. A professional may be able to make it look a bit better but the real issue is that it’s too close to the boundary.

they butcher it each year when we go on summer holiday (despite me offering to prune in winter)

Well then, prune it in winter.

@GatoradeMeBitch

they butcher it each year when we go on summer holiday (despite me offering to prune in winter)

Well then, prune it in winter.

Lol

@MaudieandMe

I can never understand people cutting down lovely trees unless it was 100ft tall and in danger of toppling over.

Your neighbours will probably install plastic grass next.

Might have to because they can't grow proper grass because of the tree 😉

I can never understand people cutting down lovely trees unless it was 100ft tall and in danger of toppling over.

They might want to put up a climbing frame or trampoline so needed to cut it back.

Good I’m glad they did it. We did the same in the summer. Our ignorant neighbours planted a humongous tree on our border line and it blocked the light in our garden and dropped acorns all the time. We arranged the tree surgeon who chopped the branches and trunk that was on our side off . We asked the neighbours on the day did they want the remains they said no so it all went. My garden has so much light now it’s amazing. Their half of the tree is still there and I couldn’t care less what they do.

In a previous house, our neighbour would cut leaves in half so they didn't overhang the fence.

@alwaysontheloo

Posters on here are always total arseholes on here about trees. Always drivelling on about how trees must be cut to the fence and woah betide any branches should have the temerity to overhang a fence.. They hate trees. OP could have got a professional if the neighbours had asked. Give me trees over people any day of the week. We need trees to survive. People - not so much.

I have a couple of trees. They are planted ridiculously close to the fence. I cut them twice a year to make sure they don’t go over our fence and risk annoying our neighbours. Why should they be impacted by our garden?

In my garden I have compost heap, wild areas, bird feeders, a hedgehog shelter and a little pond for the wildlife. I love trees, but I don’t want to be a twatty neighbour.

Well if it was already lop sided and it must have been very significantly so if they didn’t take much off, as you’ve just written, what’s rhe issue?

[quote buckeejit]@FantasticFebruary why so hysterical? The neighbours have done nothing wrong, if OP was so keen on manners, they could have planted a thirsty tree in the middle of their garden & removed the one in the wrong place. As for neighbours paying an invoice, that's nuts! OP can get a professional to even up their side if it pleases them. In a small garden I'd want to use my space. The roots of that tree will clearly already be having a negative impact on the neighbours & what they can grow.[/quote]
@buckeejit

Hysterical??? Dear God, get a grip!

The neighbours HAVE done something wrong, they've hacked at a beautiful tree that could have been dealt with by a professional IF they'd bothered to talk to the OP.

I'm guessing you're another fan of AstroTurf.