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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Bloody tree hating neighbours

203 replies

Gettingbysomehow · 10/09/2023 08:26

What's wrong with people? I live in a rural town where grass is replaced with gravel in almost every garden. There are hardly any trees and new estates are being slapped over every bit of spare land.
I believe that no matter how small your garden you should have a tree and a pond for wildlife. I have a flagpole cherry and a big tree that grows up like a pencil so goes up not out and I've put a nice wildlife pond in. None of these things impact the neighbours sun in any way and the autumn leaves only fall in my garden. No over hanging branches at all due to the trees upright habit.
God the moaning.....when are you going to cut those trees down. Get some fake grass, your pond solar fountain is too noisy ad nauseum. Then I got home to find my bird feeders had been thrown into the pond.
What have people got against nature!!!!
The offending neighbour has wall to wall fake grass, no water features and no other plants. Said he can't stand trees. Always has his stinking barbecue on and his dogs bark 24/7..

OP posts:
DustyLee123 · 10/09/2023 08:31

To be fair, I hate the constant gurgle of my neighbours water feature. They hardly sit out in the garden, yet it gurgles 24/7.
And another neighbour feeds stale bread to the birds, so I frequently have stale bread in my garden that I have to get to before my dog.
Other than that, YANBU.

TheLongGloriesOfTheWinterMoon · 10/09/2023 08:34

Each to his own.
I hate barbecues and water features equally.
I like trees though.

MuchTooTired · 10/09/2023 08:35

I feel that your post is probably to vent about your neighbours, but as someone who has an entirely paved and decked garden I think YABU. I’m not planning on ripping it up to grow a tree nor install a pond. I’d lose my view if I install a tree, and I’ve young children who would destroy the pond!

ZekeZeke · 10/09/2023 08:35

How noisy is your pond?
Are you sure the leaves aren't blowing in their garden?
Get cameras installed, if someone came onto my property and caused damage I would call the police.

TheBarbieEffect · 10/09/2023 08:36

YABU to have anything noisy in your garden that affects others. If you were my neighbour it would mysteriously stop working if you refused to be considerate.

I don’t want wildlife in my garden so I would never have a pond/tree/those ridiculous bug houses popping up everywhere.

ICanBuyMyOwnBooks · 10/09/2023 08:36
Biscuit
Dizzydahlias · 10/09/2023 08:38

My next door neighbours hate trees. They moved in when the houses were first built so there were only saplings. Now there are lots of trees and they hate it.

I love trees so won’t be cutting mine down which they would want me to.

Syndulla · 10/09/2023 08:39

When we have crop failures in a few years time because of the collapse in pollinators at least you and I can say we did our bit OP!

I'd get CCTV. Though, I would say I have a very clever rook that visits my garden and is able to unhook all the feeders to get them on the floor and open them. I've seen him do it!

DustyLee123 · 10/09/2023 08:41

The other thing about feeding birds is that it can encourage rats, so I can see why people would be against that.
My neighbour has bird feeders and decking, which is rat heaven.

Tilllly · 10/09/2023 08:42

My neighbour has a tree that sheds leaves all over
Bloody nuisance but I wouldn't ask him to cut it down over a few leaves

Neighbour on other side has a water feature. Bloody annoying

A constant trickling sound is really irritating, I would definitely get rid of that if you can, as for the rest, sod him

Tumbleweed101 · 10/09/2023 08:43

The noise of pumps can be irritating when windows are open at night. However I’m otherwise with you. My garden has lots of young trees - planted in a way that they shouldn’t shade neighbours when they grow - and a wildlife area, fruit, veg, a little barrel pond. I feel that this is the only space I have any control over to help wildlife so I try to make it as wildlife friendly as possible.

HowIsItSeptemberAlready · 10/09/2023 08:44

YANBU

Plastic grass should be banned

LolaSmiles · 10/09/2023 08:44

YANBU on the principle, but are unreasonable thinking everyone should have a pond.

I've got trees, a pollinator friendly garden, and bird feeders but I'm not having a pond.

Some people hate nature, but having trees in an area is important. They can keep their ugly plastic grass pretend plants.

greenacrylicpaint · 10/09/2023 08:44

yanbu
I don't understand it either.
it should be illegal to have the whole surface area paved/tarmaced/shingled over.

plants are good.

TheAOEAztec · 10/09/2023 08:44

Ah don't worry OP, eventually even these people will realise they are creating liveless ovens but with weather getting hotter, less insect to polinate and feed other life, we will all suffer consequences 🤷

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 10/09/2023 08:48

I don’t want wildlife in my garden

How utterly soulless. Also, impossible to achieve, fortunately.

Trees are an essential part of the ecosystem, and they're also beautiful (I make an exception for leylandii!). I love trees. We are fortunate to have lots of trees visible in neighbouring gardens and the street from front and back of our house, including our own small garden. I wouldn't want this to change.

Gardens with no bare earth increase the flood risk, don't they? Nowhere for rainwater to soak away. It would soak through gravel, but not tarmac or block paving.

WandaWonder · 10/09/2023 08:49

Birds feeders are not healthy for birds and also encourage vermin and solar pumps are not natural

I do think proper nature is good

smilesup · 10/09/2023 08:51

TheBarbieEffect · 10/09/2023 08:36

YABU to have anything noisy in your garden that affects others. If you were my neighbour it would mysteriously stop working if you refused to be considerate.

I don’t want wildlife in my garden so I would never have a pond/tree/those ridiculous bug houses popping up everywhere.

"I don't want wildlife in my garden" is one of the most depressing sentences I've read on here.

PollyPut · 10/09/2023 08:52

I prefer the natural approach but water features can be noisy - can't you just have it on when you are in the garden?

Bird feeders close to the house can attract birds noisy in the morning, should be placed carefully not to wake people in either house.

How many bird feeders in the pond? Sometimes squirrels run off with them (although I doubt they'd manage more than one a day).

frustratednomad · 10/09/2023 08:52

Not all gardens are suitable for trees. We had two when we moved here, a cherry in the back garden which had been planted next to the oil tank and the roots were lifting the slabs around it. The other was an immense ash which was planted next to the sewer pipes and had affected the drainage, both had to go.

We had bird feeders but we also have cats and although the planters were high up the birds would drop food on the ground and eat from there so the cats would kill them, we got rid of the feeders as it wasn't fair on the birds.

We have planted buddleia and lavender for the bees and butterflies and have grass and shrubs too, we also have a hedgehog which visits every evening for the special food we put down and and a dish of water.

WombatBombat · 10/09/2023 08:53

I have a two year old, I would not want a pond in my garden.

A lot of new builds have attenuation ponds and have to plant a certain number of trees. We are very lucky where we live to have a lot of wildlife around our new build estate (foxes, hedgehogs, owls, deer, ducks, woodpeckers, bats, pheasants, frogs) plus a lot of bees, butterflies and other insects.

We do have grass and some plants & a cherry blossom in planters, but wouldn’t want the upkeep of raking leaves, treating moss, pond upkeep etc, as we have a young family and work highly stressed jobs with little help. It’s enough to keep us fed and happy, not to add more jobs.

megletthesecond · 10/09/2023 08:53

Yanbu. IMO it's criminal to ruin a garden. No matter how small they need some shrubs, flowers, grass and a small tree. Mine is only 5x3 fence panels and even I've got a little tree in it.

Ideally only those who ruin a garden should be affected by flooding, lack of bees or excess heat but unfortunately it's not fair like that. We'll all suffer.

ResponsibleWalrus · 10/09/2023 08:54

I'm a bit stunned by all the anti wildlife posts. I don't want any wildlife in my garden? How depressing.

We've just moved in and we're planning to redo the garden next year. I will be removing quite a few of the trees and shrubs but I'll also be replacing them. At the moment the layout is that classic one where all the trees and shrubs are pushed up to the borders by the fence with a big expanse of grass in the middle. We'd like to have more planted areas with small trees in the middle of the garden. It's not just about wildlife and pollinators, where do people think the rain will go if everything is paved?

TicTacNicNak · 10/09/2023 08:57

Unfortunately OP there are a lot of people who are completely ignorant as to why trees and insects are important to the planet.

Trees remove pollutants from the air and make sure the environment is oxygen rich. With the threat of global warming it's never been more important to nurture trees.

Bees and bugs are our pollinators that ensure flowers and crops grow. Removing suitable habitats for pollinators is just as bad as polluting the environment.

I hate to think what the planet will be like in years to come if people keep installing plastic grass and cutting down trees. Fortunately I won't be around to witness it, it's future generations that will suffer.

VainAbigail · 10/09/2023 08:58

I believe that no matter how small your garden you should have… a pond for wildlife

Erm….. no. I love nature in my garden but no thanks to the pond, and I never will.