Asking neighbours for money?

[DunePeyton]

So my elderly neighbours have a big corner plot garden which is ridiculously overgrown. Enormous sycamores, including one which has a forked trunk which fans out and blocks a fair bit of our daily sun, and a eucalyptus tree which sheds its bark all over our lawn (but that’s not my main issue). Hundred of shrubs, vegetables,
nettles etc.

My main issue is I feel continuously invaded by all of their out-of-control greenery that grows over (or through) our border line, leaving me no choice but to constantly cut it all back and fill up our green bin with it. I don’t even like the thankless task of gardening!

I have a fairly large back lawn and a bit of grass at the front and a full cut fills up my entire green bin and I haven’t got space for their crap also! I have jokingly suggested to themthat maybe a gardener might be a good idea, but they are adamant they will do it themselves-
onky problem is they aren’t doing it!

AIBU to ask neighbours for a contribution towards our green bin subscription as I strive to keep a low maintenance garden and so much of the garden waste that fills our green bin is from our neighbour’s garden which doesn’t seem fair. I get invaded on the other side too, but it’s not quite so bad as they have a gardener once a week. Am I right to be pissed off? I spent about an hour today getting pricked while cutting back their rose bushes which are always creeping over our walls.

@Pringleface why should people be inconvenienced or out of pocket due to others selfish or entitled attitudes? Anything that encroaches into my garden from the arseholes next door will be tossed straight over the fence, they planted it so they can deal with it.

Just reading through your posts again OP have you actually talked to the neighbours about the problem? It’s not clear you have. Just have a polite conversation with them and come to an agreement (I know that’s not a popular thing on MN but it’s happens quite a lot in real life). After all the ideal solution would be that you don’t need to get rid of green waste coming from their garden, rather than they pay for your bin.

something like - hey neighbour, it’s great that you want to encourage wildlife and enjoy your garden. I’m struggling with the amount of greenery coming from your side into my garden. I’m having to do a lot of work and pay to remove it. Please could you prune and weed around the edges to reduce it?

I would just cut it back and maintain on your side as they are elderly and may not be able to manage it as one day we will be in that position ourselves. They probably cannot do it. Do they have any family who visit and maybe you could mention to them nicely and they could help sort it out. I know is a pain but if it is only a few bits to do now and again I would just do it as it is hanging over your side. Is there no charity groups that could help them with their garden, maybe this is something you could check out and they may be happy if they got that help. If they have the funds to get a gardener then that is a different story. But I would just put the overgrown bits in my garden and not ask them to help out as really it cannot be that much and maybe they have health conditions and just cannot do it.

meant to say I would just put it in my green bin as it really does fit a lot if you squash it all down with a brush. The kindness will come back to you. Just pulled up load of weeds today but my sister said vinegar will stop them growing back so have to buy large bottle of vinegar and see if it does the job.

I've just checked & Age UK offer discounted gardening services & here in Hertfordshire we have Green Aiders who use volunteers to provide free gardening services to elderly people. So there are probably similar schemes nationwide if you search OP 👏 that your neighbours may not be aware of. Good luck

Just throw it back over to their side 🤷‍♀️

@Pringleface once more, for luck 😂

Maybe theyre rewilding their piece of land

Wrong. Dumping the offcuts on their land without asking permission is fly tipping. Strictly speaking it's their property and you should offer it back and you can ask them to get rid of it. But dumping it on their land isn't right.

I'm shook! Never heard of anyone having to pay to get (council) bins emptied!
We have 4, all free

This

Do you think they’d be open to going halves on cutting down the sycamore tree? I agreed to this with my neighbour. The tree was blocking their light, grew like wildfire and shed enormous amounts of leaves. It was mostly a problem for them but since it’s removal it’s not been missed!

Our garden waste bin is a full sized wheelie bin . how much garden waste do you have?

can’t you just chuck any clippings back over their side?

You have to pay for a bin? That is annoying!

😂 It really is like banging your head against a brick wall.

When their shrubbery is over growing into your garden you can cut it back and out the cut parts into their garden.

Posting this again for the ‘throw it back over the fence brigade’. Maybe someone will actually read it!

https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/types/trees/the-law

Once branches are cut off they should be offered back to the tree owner. If the owner doesn’t want them then you will be responsible for disposing of the prunings; you can’t simply throw them over the boundary into your neighbour’s garden!

No, you can’t. See previous post.

there are 2 issues here. the first is that you resent having to cut back their out-of-control shrubbery. In this case, you need to have a quiet word with them to ask them to prune it back as it's become too much for you to deal with. Ask them to get a gardener to do it if they feel they can't cope. The second issue is the garden waste. you have said it fills your green bin. in this case you need to tell them you don't have room in your bin for the cuttings, and ask if it can go in theirs. if they don't have one, suggest it goes on a compost heap of some kind.

Don't know if this has already been suggested but you could always ask them ' I've cut some of your overhanging trees while I was doing my own, would it be OK to put it in your green bin'

If they like/don't mind having bonfires to get rid of garden waste, ask if you can bring round all the cuttings from their overhanging stuff, for them to burn on their next bonfire.

I would mention that their plants are damaging your fence though - that is something they should be addressing/paying for.

Fun thread!
My hedge has grown through the fence into my neighbour's driveway and he pays someone to come and trim it back every couple of weeks or so and get rid of the waste.
Back story: I bought this place in 2021 thinking the hedges were high and ugly but afforded a lot of privacy. Then it quickly became apparent how easy it is for small terriers to escape. New fence panels were definitely on the cards.
2023, new fence panels arrive, some are replaced but due to nesting birds the big chop was delayed. I popped next door to see about how we can slice between their hedge and mine, except, as it turns out, the whole hedge of theirs is grown through the fence from mine. Neighbour has said he will tolerate an ugly fence as it's what we're doing, but IMHO, an 'ugly' (brand new) fence is better than someone else's dog shit on your lawn.
Anyhoo. Chop the hedge and give back the cuttings. It belongs to neighbours after all, so should be their mess to get rid of in their own garden waste bin. Legally, it belongs to them even if it's encroaching your property

@DunePeyton why don't you put your grass cuttings in a compost bin?

By law, you must offer the cuttings back that you take from their overhanging trees/shrubs, however, you cannot put them back on their land if they decline.

You could ask them if you could pop them in their green bin.

@momonpurpose they're elderly. That would be a very unkind thing to do.

@DunePeyton I think you need to stop 'jokingly' saying stuff & go and have a proper conversation.

if you think they have the disposable income to afford the gardener, then I'd suggest getting the number of the gardener from the neighbours the other side if possible

if they can't afford him, could you see if they'd be willing to let you pay him to keep what borders you cut back (& disposed of from their garden (easier & can have a better 'trim'

the thing is, it's bothering you, not them. You can try to push them into dealing with it while you get pissed iff & do it yourself,or you can pay the gardener to deal with it 💁🏻‍♀️(If they won't)

Interesting you quoted me when many people said the same thing. I still say cut it and toss it