AIBU to object to a neighbour growing ivy on our fence?

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Our neighbour has planted ivy up our boundary fence (owned by us) for the second time. They previously grew ivy up the fence, and we eventually replaced the fence as it was getting old and worn. The new fence now has ivy poking through on our side! It’s such an eye sore and really does look a mess.

What can I do here? Are they technically “allowed” to grow a climbing plant up a boundary owned by us? They are elderly but also very unreasonable hence why I haven’t approached them about it yet.

Why on Earth don't you just pull out the bits poking through? It takes no time you just pull and off they come suckers or not.

I do it as a matter of course!

they don't grow again in a day. We have a LOT of fence with ivy no doubt on the other side. I just keep on top of it.

Also why have you left that Ivy come way above YOUR fence. If I see Ivy oon the fence if we been away for a few weeks I get the hedge cutter out and trim it down to the height of the fence, leaning over if necessary!

Bear in mind I let the ivy grow a few years ago and it actually bought the whole fence down with the weight of it. It cost a fortune to replace the fence.

A lawyer would be able to advise better than I, and I know the law varys between Scotland and England, but if it's your fence, paid for by you, then you may be entitled to remove weeds likely to damage the fence, without trespassing, using common access for maintenance.

very true this.....or extreme hot weather.....

ha not in my garden! google winter flowering shrubs

Objecting to ivy is a bit like objecting to the sun shining. Who the fuck worries about ivy anyway? Sounds like you need something better to worry about.

UPDATE😂:
I bought the weed killer suggested on this thread. I sponged the ivy leaves growing through the fence with water mixed with fairy liquid, and then sprayed with the weed killer.
When nothing happened over the next few days, I thought it hadn’t worked. However a couple of weeks later I noticed it all turning brown and then a couple of weeks after that, I noticed that there was no longer any ivy! So I can only presume that the neighbours dug it up once it started dying! Hurrah!

Yay! Great result and if they plant more you know what to do!

OP, what weed killer did you use?

you want one with glyphosate in. As the Op has said, the secret is being patient. You will think it hasn't worked, you make even see a burst of accelerated growth in the treated plant which is a part of how the weedliller works. I have never used the washing up liquid pre treatment and its always worked but ivy does have a shiny coating on the leaves and I could see that this might help the weedkiller to penetrate. If you are treating older ivy leaves, ie not new growth, and have time to wait, you can make it more effective by cutting down the old growth and treating the ensuing new shoots.

Illegal. If the plant's roots are on their side, you have no more right to damage it than for someone to come onto your driveway and scratch your car because they don't like the colour you chose. You can cut back the bits that come into your garden but you are not allowed to damage anything on their side of the fence. In this situation, contact your local council who can be very helpful and act as intermediaries.

OMG I might have to try this.

We have a long fence boundary and so much ivy coming through from the neighbour's side. I don't think they planted it but they don't keep it under control.

Our fence is old and does need replacing as it's falling apart, but one of the main reasons it is falling apart is the ivy roots pulling the slats apart, which will only happen again if we replace the fence.

Would you mind saying which one to save scrolling back through the thread please? Or a screenshot of it.

What a ridiculous analogy 😂 2/10

Image of the ivy in our garden from my office window 😄. As you can see it's a bit of a beast but I love it, so does my neighbour. It's decades old. We look after it, you have to as it has a mind of its own. Sadly neighbour other side didn't, as a result we had to suck it up and put a fence in..This time of the year the ivy is flowering, its covered in bees. Wonderful. In this bush there are 3 different types of ivy, the two smaller varieties grow very slowly indeed.

Not really. The point stands. If it is not on your property, you can't damage it! If the root stock is on the neighbours property, then going next door and killing the plant constitutes criminal damage.

https://www.idealhome.co.uk/garden/garden-advice/can-i-cut-my-neighbours-plants-if-they-grow-over-into-my-garden-how-to-protect-yourself-from-an-unwanted-legal-dispute?fbclid=IwdGRzaAVAgO1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBwZG9mAXNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHgD8_8DTPJXy-LqyTIwajGn94cKkpn07bzPFXCEK9MyIlySYQPfqIpwLMJd4_aem_zfb2dS45f1R_5pKO6XFghQ

I use Resolva but Roundup is also a glyphosate based one.

I love Ivy too. I also only have contempt for anyone using chemical weedkiller. It’s toxic and harms plants other than the one you want rid of by contaminating the soil and harms and kills wildlife like the endangered hedgehog, bees, butterflies and blackbirds that nest in Ivy

This one!

This! It kills all the pollinators and poisons the ground. It is also extremely harmful to pets and children. Just cut the ivy back if it comes over your side.

It won't be hard for them to put two and two together and not only will you permanently damage any chance of any type of relationship with them you put yourself at risk of a criminal damage charge, trespass etc. Not only that, you will have poisoned habitat as ivy is one of those plants that is beneficial to all sorts of insects and mammal and especially to bees as the flowers die off around now. Ivy is a massively important source of nectar. Just keep chopping it at the growing tips. It won't get higher but will get thicker closer to the ground. I know it is hard but try to keep it as civil as you can. Even a bit of faux humility and a 'sorry we had a misunderstanding but this is how it affects my garden and if it is too much for you to manage, I don't mind popping round to give it a trim if that helps' type conversation. You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar and you definitely don't want to spark neighbour wars.

It did keep growing higher! In the end it was about the 1.5ft higher than the top of my fence.

But not on your side of the fence?

Yes… all through the slats of my fence too. It made my garden look a mess to be honest. It looks much better now.

oh nooooo you have contempt for me.....how will I bear it.