To silently seethe about neighbours weeds in my garden (pics)

[annoyedneighbour1]

They're growing over, under and through the fence.

I've been cutting them when they grow through for the last 2 years but this year they're growing like never before. Almost faster than I can cut them! I think the fence will end up damaged.

I last cut them 10 days ago and they look like this already. I don't have the time to keep up with it as well as my own garden.

They never use their garden and it's a complete jungle. The whole thing is covered with massive weeds and ivy.

The reason I haven't said anything yet is because whoever lived here before us planted conifers in the front garden. I keep them well trimmed on my side, but they don't cut it on theirs and it looks such a mess. I couldn't cut their side of it without going into their front garden. I think if I mention the weeds growing through the fence, they will just say 'but your conifer encroaches on our front!' And they would be right! Even though I didn't plant the damn thing! Gah!

I'll bet that fence is south or east facing OP. They'll strain themselves to go after the sun like that. Not much you can do but keep up with it.
Tbh, I think I'd have offered to trim your conifers back on their side too when you did yours if it's so unsightly.

Weedol sprinkles

The fence is west facing.

I have tried to offer while I've been doing my side but they work nights so I rarely see them and they don't answer the door.

It's just so frustrating! Like I don't have enough to do!!!

I'll look up the weedol, thanks!

Can you offer to trim your Conifer, then bring up the weeds?

Silently seething in solidarity. My previous NDN was an avid gardener who put raised beds everywhere, along with beds alongside her fence, foundation, drive, etc. She hand weeded everyday. All very nice until they sold the house to a nice young couple with three small children and the wife is a teacher so no time for all of that labor intensive gardening. They could have pulled out all of the beds but instead they have evolved into weed gardens. Idk how the kids play even, it's such a jungle.

Spray over fence with lots and lots of weed killer.

To be fair, those look like some pretty determined brambles. Annoying.

Those look like brambles to me. If you spray them with a systemic weed killer like weedol ( horrible stuff) it'll knock them right back, probably for the whole season.
Can't you drop a note through the door asking if you can cut back your conifers at the front and also weed kill the brambles in the back garden. Most people won't mind.

They looks like brambles, and they are a nightmare to get rid of. You would need industrial (and hazardous) quantities of weedkiller and probably a JCB to solve the problem entirely, so the only thing you can do is keep cutting back every time. Nothing stopping you spraying weedkiller onto the bits that come through, then wait a few days before cutting off. Make sure that any spray doesn't drift back into your garden or onto you though.

Am I the only one that likes the effect it's created? 😂 I don't like gardening though, I'd just ignore it.

I sympathise because I have neighbours like that on one side. They've got kids and lots of play equipment in the garden and then just weeds round the edge, which is fair enough but their brambles grow through and over the fence just like this.

They're brambles and they're very invasive and persistent. Also a bugger to try and pick up - they seem to get through any gardening gloves and prick you.

Brambles and raspberries are prickly bastards. My DH is fighting a losing battle with them in our garden. We are surrounded by fields so we can't blame anyone.

No, @ILikeHotWaterBottles I think it looks quite nice too, like a climber! But I feel the OPs pain, everyone compliments me on my ferns but they are not mine... They come through the fence from the neighbour's jungle and because I didn't choose for them to be there, I don't want them there! The very definition of a weed, I guess!

We have brambles growing through the fence from the neighbours, though not to that extent. I keep them vaguely in check, prevent anything from taking root on our side, and harvest the blackberries!

This is bad advice. Brambles are shallow-rooted. If you have thick protective gloves you can pull them up at the root. All you have to do to get rid of them is to cut them at ground level (a brush-cutter type trimmer is great) and keep cutting at ground level. They give up, unlike ground elder, mare's tail and other horrors. We inherited a garden infested with them, including the lawn. We just kept mowing and cutting and are now bramble free. It took a couple of seasons to get clear but there are far worse problems to have and you don't need to use nasty pesticides that will kill all the useful insects in your garden.

I realise that isn't much help to the OP, because the roots are on the other side of the fence, but I'd hate anyone to think that industrial quantities of weedkiller were required.

You didn’t plant the conifers and they didn’t plant the brambles. Im not sure you can get upset about the brambles when you are doing exactly the same- and the brambles will die back in a few months and the bloody conifer will still be there

Just spray it all with industrial strength weed killer 😬

Move your pots and spray or 'paint' them with glyphosate. You might need to make a few applications. Then when it looks dead or at least unhealthy cut off as much as you can on your side.

Brambles and Ivy growing through a fence can damage it if the stems get thicker, so it's best to get rid of as much as possible asap.

Brambles provide nectar and pollen for many insects and bees are also very keen on them. "Pardon my weeds I'm feeding the bees" reads a sign in my front garden (I have a very judgey neighbour). The time is long past where we don't have to worry about our pollinators - be kind to the brambles, and thus the bees.

@ILikeHotWaterBottles same here for some reason I think they look nice 😂

But OP maybe talk to neighbour

The brambles and ivy from next-door are coming through my bathroom window and pushing up under my soffit boards into the loft space, I can't get close enough to pull them out as my bathroom is over their downstairs (flying freehold) so I empathise. Keep cutting them back and speak to them about pulling them out altogether.

A bramble thicket will also provide habitat for birds, but not many people want one in their garden and certainly not on their fence. Similarly thick arboreal Ivy - fantastic late season source of pollen and nest sites (I do have that on some of my fences ... but at some point the whole lot is going to have to come off to replace the fence).

I'd encourage the op to plant nice climbers if she can get the brambles and Ivy under control. Brambles are quite literally a pain.