Neighbour wants me to cut down a tree

[Cantyouseeimanaubergine]

Next door neighbour has asked me to cut down a tree. It’s an established tree, tall as the house. It’s halfway down the garden and at the border. She says it drops debris onto her decking and she’s always having to sweep and clean stuff off her garden furniture. (She has a decked seating area half way down her garden). She says it blocks light to her garden too.
I like the tree and don’t want to cut it down.
she’s a good neighbour, often passing us freshly baked goodies and doing our bins when we are away. I suspect she’ll change if we say no.
is there any compromise here?

Go have a look in her garden and from her perspective.

Say you won't chop the tree down, we need more not less of the green goddesses.

But a strategic prune might be worthwhile....

Oh yes the decking came after the tree. Apparently the tree has grown over the years. Well duh course it will have.
We have been in just two years and I can’t say I’ve noticed it change in size in that time but I’ve not really thought about it. Decking has been down almost ten years I believe.

Well looking at the diagram, her only alternatives were either to fill in her pond or take down her summerhouse. Neither seems a better option to me

It's still her choice to fill her garden with ponds, summerhouses, bendy paths and decking. She can't start dictating what other people have in their gardens too.

A self sufficient wild garden?😂. What does that mean, unkempt and uncared for? Becayde that in itself can cause issues Ie vermin,

from ghr map it doesn’t seem she’s any decent other place to put her decking, and the tree will cause her issues, it doesn’t seem like a big garden, and a rowen is a big tree for that space. Personally I’d have a tree surgeon round to see what can be done,

unbelievable. Is it even allowed to put a window looking onto someone else’s property?!?
Our fences are quite low. I can see how to tree overhangs her side. Probably about 20% of its bulk hangs on her side. It could be chopped back her side but it would look uneven.
she’s a curated perfect garden type and I prefer more natural. I did say something about looking at cutting it back and she said it’s better removed as it’s half way down the long narrow garden (an illogical place for a tree to be) and causing her those issues

I suspect if we get high winds this year a good number of trees will fall down, so make sure it's in good condition. The very dry summer last year, and now again a long dry spell, has weakened a number of older trees.
Otherwise, I think I'd be tempted to leave it be, I'm assuming the tree has been there longer than her rat infested decking?

Of course there's a compromise. She could move her decking.

Sounds like the tree was there long before she put her decking in the wrong place and now regrets it.

I wouldn’t dream of cutting down a tree unless it was diseased or dangerous.

Especially not just to appease a stupid neighbour and keep cakes coming my way.

My mum had a corner garden plot which was surrounded by four 45 year old (as old as the house) rowan trees. She wasn't keen on the berries as she blamed them on giving the birds bad tummies and soiling her washing and windows, but she never had problems with excessive leaves. The trees at the front of the house from the sycamores were much worse.

I offered to contact the council to look at them but she wouldn't let me as according to her cutting down a rowan tree brings bad luck!

I would speak to a tree surgeon about possible pruning options later this year, but unless you too want rid of or want to relocate the tree further down the garden tell her it is an established tree, you will maintaing it but removal wont be possible. Do not offer to tidy her garden.

I agree that she has no right to ask for it to be removed. I think getting it trimmed so that it doesn't cast so much shade is a good compromise that she should be grateful for, and it would probably be in the tree's interests, too.

I have a rowan in my front garden. It doesn't affect anyone else, but I still get it regularly cut back in its interests and mine.

The other name for a Rowan Tree is Mountain Ash. They are beautiful, though not the longest lived of trees. Ours weren't anyway as I remember. 😥

My parents had two rowans in their garden years ago, which they had inherited when they bought their house in 1970. Both trees died suddenly when they would have been about 40-ish years ago. One they managed to have cut down in time before it fell (it had died already) and the other looked to be alive and well until one day, when they were fortunately out, it just simply fell. After that it's remains had to be removed and then they bought an acer to replace it, which is nice.

I also think that if you refuse without doing anything about the tree at all, she'll hack at the overhanging bit, and it'll look uneven and crap. Then you'd have to get someone in to tidy it up anyway.

She can move her decking, the tree was there first.

Tbh I like trees and I'm not arsed about those who have to have a pristine garden (their preference and nothing to do with me), so I'd not cut it down. If they want to spend time fussing over and cleaning away debris that belongs in a fecking garden, that's up to them.

I would just reply oh well not sure why you built the decking next to an existing tree if you don't like sweeping it, I assumed it was so you could benefit from its shade.

Leave it at that.

You may wish to get it professionally topped so it doesn't grow too tall for you to manage.

So many people now remove trees because they like everything perfect. No twig or leaf allowed to land on their lawns or worse still - fake grass. When will people realise that outside can look tidy without being completely baron of any life! It’s quite worrying the amount of people that just concrete, gravel or deck over a lovely garden and don’t want any nature because it’s “cluttered”.

My neighbour’s tree drops flowers on my garden seat and patio every year. I just sweep them up. I’d rather that than destroy a beautiful living thing.

I think we should all be planting as many trees as possible.in fact I think there should be paid incentives for doing so. These threads are always so depressing.

When I rule the world, fake grass will be banned.

If you want to maintain good relations you could pay for it to be lopped so it no longer overhangs her garden but you’re not under no obligations and aren’t responsible for leaves dropping - it’s a natural and expected occurrence!

Absolutely not.

She chose to put her decking beside it.

Trim it and maintain it, but chop it down, absolutely not.

You could well say that the garden held huge appeal when buying the house, especially the tree, so it will be going nowhere.

It is a pre existing tree to your purchase.

Her wish for a perfect garden is not your problem.

But keep the tree in check for sure.

Don’t do it! My neighbour requested the same so a nature plum tree at the front of my house came down. Also, a magnificent oak tree, older than out houses, was chopped down by the neighbours on the other side at her request. She’s been here just under 5 years and has now decided she’s moving 🙄😡Selfish cow

I bloody wouldn't. Too many trees are cut down for tidiness - we're losing all our wildlife at a rate of knots, to the detriment of everybody.

send her this:

Nah she can move her decking if it bothers her, she'll just have to move her path. Why put decking near a tree if leaves would bother you?!