Obsessive neighbour losing the plot over leaves

[Sparkies2012]

Our neighbours are a relatively elderly couple and since they moved in have had a bee in their bonnet over leaves that blow onto their driveway. The gate to our driveway is opposite to their open driveway, separated by a narrow road. Our next door neighbour has a massive old tree in their garden that produces a lot of leaves, most of which fall into our driveway. We don’t really bother collecting the leaves, as it is an endless task at this time of the year, but the elderly couple is constantly on at us because the leaves blow across the road into their driveway and the odd one gets in their front door. Now we have told them we don’t produce the leaves, and they don’t bother us, so if they are bothered by the leaves either pick them up or take it up with our neighbour who owns the tree. But now they have even started collecting them in black bags and, under the cover of darkness, leaving them in front of our driveway gate, or throwing them over our fence. I’m tempted next time they do this to open the bag and dump it over their driveway again. AIBU by not picking up the leaves in our garden?

I'd open the bags and scatter the leaves back over my driveway.

That will drive them more crazy than anything else you could do with the bags.

Wow! 🌲🌳🌿💐

They’re batshit, they would lose their minds and die if the lived in my street. Live opposite a school which is a wall of trees as it’s the end of the playing field. Our street is absolutely covered in leaves this time of year.

Keep the leaves, wait until you have a massive pile then hide inside and jump out when they go out one day. You might find yourself relived of one or both neighbour afterwards.

No you are absolutely not being unreasonable!
I felt compelled to answer even though there's so many replies!
I'm astounded at what a sad life this neighbour must lead!

🤣🤣 this is brilliant would so love this

These are leaves! What is wrong with some people.

@Sparkies2012

We had exactly the same problem with our elderly neighbour - although I’d say some of the leaves were ours.

From her point of view - she did have mobility issues - she was worried about slipping on the leaves. I did cave in and sweep them up - it was literally only a handful.
She is now in a care home after paramedics had to break into her house. I think her issue about leaves (and other things) were part of an illness. Another neighbour told me things about her life that are incredibly sad and she was very alone.
I wish - looking back - that I’d just swept the leaves without making a fuss. When I eventually caved in she was really grateful and friendly.

There must be something in the air. (ahem- leaves). I have a neighbour who has the same reaction. He rings me up to abuse me over leaves on his side of the fence. They are not my leaves and we all have quite large detached gardens. Plus it's autumn. And windy.

We are in a very tree-sy area. Neighbours built an outdoor kitchen and patio area right under our largest tree, after which they realised for the first time that leaves fall in autumn and decided that we should pay to prune our tree... having been manipulated by them into a previous £££ garden change shortly after moving in, funnily enough we weren't up for spending more money than we have to fund more of their vanity projects [noisy garden piss-ups]. They paid to remove the overhanging branches [and ones several feet into our garden without our permission, CFs] but sadly there are still leaves in their garden this autumn

As for your neighbour, I'm afraid hell hath no fury like that of a baby boomer who's been mildly inconvenienced...

Take a screenshot from your security camera of them dumping the leaves. Print it and accompany it with a note through their doorway threatening them with trespass and fly tipping…
They sound bonkers!

@VanGoghsDog gosh that is a palaver! What's council tax paying for these days?

Talk to me about this please wise one.

we have millions of leaves from the trees that line our drive but belong to the school next door. Every year I pick up and take to the tip around 100 bags of them. I would love to use some of them for compost.

do you literally just bag them up and leave them? Damp or dry? Garage or outdoors?

do you then just put them on the garden soil ?
how long do you have to keep them for them to rot down, you said a year so I can’t use them until next autumn?

TIA 😃 - newly given up work and my garden is becoming a hobby!

@TerfTalking
literally just that.

I made a small container out of chicken wire for them. Which is good as plenty of aeration. Damp them slightly and after a year just either use for mulch or dig them into the soil.

I just use a large plastic container when i rake, transporting the leaves as-is to my borders, flower beds and behind/around all shrubs. Within a few weeks they have darkened enough to look vaguely like mulch and by spring are mostly decomposed.

So much better for the eco system. Plus animals need to replenish their nests over the winter. Leaves are like gold.

If you have a mower with a bagging system you can just mow over the leaves and use the chopped ones as mulch or start a compost pile with them.

I know this must be really annoying for you but this thread has made me laugh so much, thank you for cheering me up on this dark, wet, miserable morning.
Neighbours worried that loose leaves from driveway will make their way to their own driveway - solution pick up leaves and places them on the bloody driveway.
Mumsnet solution- hide in pile of leaves (please do this)
And I discovered leaf mulch.

Absolutely this. They are so far up their own arses they need told. No passive aggressive revenge tactics are required. On this occasion, a simple verbal statement of facts is appropriate.
They need to fuck off.

Yes to the leaf mulch! But also, if you can and the leaves aren’t in anyone’s way, just leave them their (unmown) for the pollinators to hide under over winter. Grubs, queen bees etc like the shelter and then do all of their useful work in Spring.
No advice about the neighbours, but I do feel sad that they obviously have nothing better to fill their time with than bothering you and obsessing over normal seasonal nature!

Another leafmould fan! I put mine in half-filled bin bags, which I stack behind the shed for about a year. So, neighbours providing leaves already in bags would be really helpful!!

Could really have done with less of the boomer shit.

Ageist bollocks.

Out of interest are either of the couple unsteady on their feet? Wet leaves can be slippery and would explain the obsession. Or is it just they dislike the look of them?

Black bags are expensive nowdays id empty the leaves out and keep the bag. Thanking them for the bag as youve run out and it will save you buying some 😁

Oh god I think I they are now my neighbours!! Will spend six or seven hours picking up leaves, sometimes individually. We live on a really tree lined cul de sac, currently can’t see the lawn or the drive for leaves. Last time I was on rightmove I saw their house was on the market. Hooray!

Itwasafterallallaboutme · Today 02:13

I am old, and I love leaves, particularly those on our deciduous trees. After a long winter you suddenly see hundreds of little buds on the trees, and as the days get longer and brighter they start to unfurl, then it seems like one day you go out and all the trees are fully robed in their glowing mantles of differing shades of green, with the occassional glorious purplely copper of the Copper Beech Tree

Well, if that isn't MN Post of the Year, I don't know what is!