Neighbour has cut my tree...a lot!

[NeighbourCutMyTree]

How much is usual? I know they can trim overhanging branches, they've gone right to the top of the tree. I'll see if I can add a photo.

Well clearly this idiot is no tree surgeon & would probably be surprised to learn that birds nest in trees & do lots of good for the environment! I think @Tauranga has it right, they're probably bothered by real leaves on their plastic grass.

You sound like a responsible neighbour who respects your neighbours. Not all people who have trees act like this though. As many have said on here, lots of tree owners only care about their view of the tree and neglect to maintain the view the neighbours get with all the associated encroachment and mess it can bring

Whether or not it's deemed to be too big would depend on the size of the garden, I think. We have mature oaks and firs in our garden, close to the boundaries, but they are 200 feet away from the house.

No, there doesn't need to be a dialogue at all, apart from the neighbour offering the cut branches back.

I've seen this done before.😂😂😂Was it blocking your neighbours light?

who put a bee in your bonnet, your going to upset yourself on this fine day. I'd be growing more trees back from the boundary so they don't overhang and in such a position that they block as much light as possible OP.

Love people saying thats too big a tree, you shouldnt have it so close to their fence, your selfish etc...

Its NATURE people and its a simple tree not a planted rose and ivy boarder or topiary bush lol.

Every single plant in my garden (and my parents garden) planted themselves and my options are to pull/kill them (unnecasery, hard work, bad for the enviroment and expensive) or leave them.

Im certainly not digging up the bloody oak trees that are 3 times taller than me (dispite only being 2-3 years old) to move them a few foot over because a person deemed they grew close to a manmade up boundry line lol.

This is what I'd do and I'd also apologise that it was overhanging their garden.

Sorry but I would have done the same.

Our neighbour has an apple tree just the other side of the fence. They don't maintain it. Every year it drops apples in our garden that flattern and ruin my plants if I don't do anything. Every Autumn I get a proper tree surgeon to cut every last bit that hangs over my fence. It's bloody annoying as it's £100 to sort out someone else's tree that should never have been that close to a fence.

Three neighbours trees overhang my very small London garden. I love them. They provide privacy, shade and look beautiful. It's one thing if a tree is cutting out all your light, but your tree looks fairly vertical. They may be allowed to under the letter if the law, but it's a shame they couldn't work with you to reach a compromise.

Our new neighbours did this to my beautiful 40 year old Mountain Ash tree that my grandparents had planted. It’s all lopsided now. Sadly, nothing we can do as it was hanging over their side (although was at the front garden and doesn’t block light etc), they were within their rights to do so.

I think technically it is fine however they should have discussed it with you if bothered by it and the right thing would have been that you pay for a tree surgeon

@bruffin : your neighbours certainly can touch your trees with a TPO on them, it just means they have to get planning permission to have them cut back. A reputable tree surgeon will apply for it prior to work.

I wouldn’t ask this sort of thing on here. The replies will make you despair!

I despise the type of people who don’t like trees. I had a window replaced with clear glass in my bathroom solely so that I could see my neighbours tree.
I think he’s a bit worried about having it trimmed now because I’ve expressly forbidden him from chopping it down😆.

Trees make an area beautiful. All the ‘middle class’ leafy areas are lovely because of all the trees. Even less aesthetically pleasing areas could look nice with the addition of some mature trees. Obviously I’m concerned about the environmental reasons for not removing trees too and the shade they provide will become more and more important. Without trees I wouldn’t have been able to walk my dogs at 9am in recent weeks.

Well OP it actually looks terrible on their side so 😂

Not really as trees planted in the middle of your garden and not the edge also provide those benefits!

Hope you live on a big property, then, and that the oak trees didn’t plant themselves too close to your house.

Nature is amazing. Trees are amazing. In the wrong place they are also extremely costly in the end.

Pulling up a seedling in the wrong place saves a great deal of hassle in the future.

Surely "too big" depends on the size of the garden. My grandparents have a 300 year old oak in their back garden, it's massive in all directions, but their back garden is huge so it's not a problem

What sort of tree is this? It looks like an overgrown shrub with multiple stems although the shape is conifer like.

If its an overgrown shrub they can usually take heavy pruning and come back.

Looks reasonable to me, I've trimmed similar overtime my gardens in the past

Yes they are entitled to do this . It’s unfortunate for the tree.

Is it a holly as some people have suggested? It was probably planted as a hedge plant but if you don't keep them trimmed, they will grow up into trees. They aren't particularly nice garden trees as the leaves drop and don't rot away like deciduous leaves so you have a prickly carpet.

If it was overhanging their boundary then they are free to chop it back.

we have loads of trees and bushes and just like the neighbours we make sure there’s no encroachment.

How are people supposed to "maintain" a tree? It's not a flipping bonsai.

OP from photo it looks like it might be a dreaded Leylandii? They are not suited to small English gardens (or any gardens?) at all and can grow to 90m.