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.

I am interested in this thread as I have been trying to kill ivy that has its roots in my garden. I did not plant it. I have tried quite a few things. It seems pretty indestructible.

No the fence on my boundary is mine. It is my boundary to maintain qnf I paid for the fence. Fortunately my neighbours appreciate this.

I know this will get the eco pearl clutchers out, but I have had some success with glyphosate. Its a bit of a faff but here's what worked for me. You need to cut down the ivy or at least sever the trunk or stem. Once it shoots again and while the leaves are still young choose a dry still day and spray on the weedkiller. Then you leave it completely alone. That's the hard bit. It will take time to die. DO NOT treat the plant again or chop it down too soon. If you treat the top again it will burn off and the roots won't be killed. If you chop the top off, then the weedkiller won't reach the roots and they will regrow. It might take a whole season for the ivy to die. To be clear if you have loads of it in the garden, this wont clear it because it will keep regrowing from other roots. It will permanently remove clumps though.

Thank you for this. I will give it a try.
I am not anti nature. It is just the ivy is a real pain where it is. I deliberately not dead head plants and leave piles of wood for insects etc.

This post is interesting to me because my aged parents have the same problem. Their neighbour has planted ivy everywhere in her garden and thinks it’s beautiful. Her garden looks a bit like a creepy graveyard to me but each to their own. My parents have already replaced one fence because it was falling down under the weight of the ivy. The same is now happening to the new fence. The neighbour is not a pleasant woman and doesn’t care about my parents fence. It’s a very difficult situation. I would get a very strong weed killer and paint the ivy with it. Don’t spray it because you’ll kill other plants.

I would get supermarket tablesalt and add boiled water and 200 ml of cheap white vinegar.
Pour it near the root, it will likely sort it out.
After what they did to her ball i wouldn't go near them.
I would deal with it quietly.

My garden is very wild because I love to share it with wildlife (and my tortoise) BUT if I don't keep some control, my only option would be scorched earth because some of the gardens that abut onto mine are....less than cared for. I allow some ivy and some nettles and but have had to use weedkiller to remove some ivy, a massive clump of nettles taller than me and most of the bramble. I replaced a bramble clump with a thornless soft fruit hedge so the birds can still nest and enjoy stealing my fruit. I have also got resident hedgehogs and a visiting fox and love to watch the bats. Yes I'd rather not use weedkiller at all but using it once a year is for me the least bad choice. Paying for a regular and vigorous gardening service is not in my budget and if I sold the house of course there is no guarantee that the new owners would keep the garden as it is anyway.

Have you watched Small Prophets, where his next-door neighbour has an entirely paved & plastic garden, yet still uses slug pellets "just in case"??

Funny in the TV series, not when it's your next-door neighbours. That sounds appalling. Considering how much our front & back gardens contribute as wildlife habitats, I think that removing mature hedges etc with no good reason should not be allowed, & should be legislated against.

I think its not as easy as "All Hedges Good" I have got trees in my garden that have a protection order on them but over the years many of them have had to be removed because they have put my foundations at risk, become unsafe or become diseased. In every case, even when not required, I have asked for advice from the council tree group on what to choose to replace them and in no case has the advice or requirement been to replace the removed tree with the same species. I am absolutely anti astroturf and my paved areas are block paved to allow for rainwater drainage and the growth of small wild plants in the interstices. Anybody, not just the owner, can request that a TPO be put on one or more trees.
Oh PS and I have 8 waterbutts

It’s strange the differences on opinion. Why would anyone like the look of a bare ugly fence, or even worse a cheap painted one. We planted a smaller variagated ivy by the ugly garage that forms a wall on part of our boundary. Greenery looks so much better than some cheap 60s brick, and better for wildlife. It can’t cause major damage like people suggest and think of all those big old houses that actually keep it on there walls as a feature! Oh and fence panels don’t fall down because of ivy, they fall down because the posts rotted out in the ground - it doesn’t take long with cheap wood in a wet country depending on orientation and ground conditions and localised levels! But of course the ivy was growing on the panel and it had extra weight that sometimes could have pull it down, however I often think they help almost concealed and maintain some kind of barrier structure for longer when ivy has created a big mass over it, then you pull it and the whole thing collapses!

I agree. But people will never make the connection between actions for their own convenience, eg chopping down a tree because it’s blocking out their light, and the cumulative consequences of this.

Four of my friends recently moved and all chopped down mature trees immediately to increase their light. They’re removed a ton of natural shade, and now they’re sweltering. The woods are cool this week, but people don’t make the connection.

I agree. Its also something you see on MN a lot with regards to community. People deplore the lack of community and how inbother societies theres a much better sense of solidarity and connection, but then you get threads where the overwhelming response is "ni way would i go out of my way like that for a neighbour". And its like: but community isnt some random innate essence, its a collection of small individual actions...

I've planted ivy (against my own wall) where there was none. It's extremely beneficial for pollinators. Green is nicer than grey in my opinion also.

Yes, I visited someone at the weekend whose back garden was astroturfed, with a few disposable-when-they’ve-flowered pot plants and the dreaded plastic-coated fence. Oh, and the pretend wisteria trellis. They were complaining bitterly about a tree three houses away because leaves blew into their garden.

I fear that in a couple of decades we will have no gardens/hedges as they are “messy” . No trees either - awful nuisance things.

If you paid for the fence and both sides of it are within your boundary, i.e. it’s not on the original boundary line, can your NDN place anything on their side of the fence?
My NDN would not allow my replacement fence to be put on the original boundary line as they would not agree to half a fence post on their land (ridiculous), so the fence got built completely on my land. And yet they still grew plants against it and hung things off it.
NDN was a complete fruit loop mind!

no they are not allowed to do this. Even if the fence sits on the actual boundary (and boundaries are rarely accurate to the inch) if you own the fence then they cannot use or change it it in any way.

Notalotofpeopleknowthis. My very nice neighbour was quite taken aback when, in friendly conversation, I gave her permission to paint her side of the fence that I own. In case you wonder how that can happen, she was telling me that she was getting work done in her garden including fence painting. I said that while of course I was very happy for her to paint my bit of fence, she might like to wait to do it as I am expecting to get it changed this year...but of course up to her.

I am worried that they will know I’ve done this though! As I’ve heard them whispering in the garden whilst I’ve been trimming the ivy in the past. I think they know I don’t like it.

That’s great, but that’s what you like. I could quite as easily say “why would anyone want a nice new fence to be covered by weeds making it look as if you are scruffy and don’t maintain your garden”.

I’ll plant what I like in my garden… I don’t want what my neighbour likes.

We’ve repeatedly asked our neighbours to cut off any of our ivy that bothers them, rather than do what they did which is set fire to it and our fence post.

Twice.

DP had to tell them he’d report them for arson if they carried on. If they would just talk to us like normal humans we’d have had it all sorted out in no time, including us disposing of the cuttings in our garden waste wheelie bin. But no, straight to the blow torch.

I’d be delighted to have a neighbour who would just cut it back if it’s bothering them, and then offer me the cuttings. You’re not being unreasonable about that, OP, and they are out of order whispering away instead of communicating with you, and slashing your little girl’s ball was not on.

However, you need to communicate with them also, and for god’s sake don’t use Roundup that might damage other people’s property and animals, and set off a war of expensive solicitors’ letters. You’re going to have to cut it, and it’s reasonable to ask them also to cut as much as they can.

But getting what your neighbour likes coming through your fence (which you can then trim) is part of living in suburbia FFS!

sorry to read you have batshit neighbours. Thankfully, our neighbours love our Ivy and enjoy it in their garden, just as we enjoy their tree that covers as much of our garden as theirs 🙂

I’ll plant what I like in my garden… I don’t want what my neighbour likes.

Equally, they don't want what YOU like either. They clearly find your fence ugly and, I'm guessing, are looking for some more privacy from you if the ivy's adding height to the boundary.

I have all sorts of things poking through my fence from other gardens - ivy, brambles and more. I just have to clip them off when necessary. As a PP said - it's part and parcel of having neighbours.

If they don’t like the fence they are perfectly entitled to put their own fence up in within their side of the boundary. No need to essentially vandalise the fence which is already there

If they don’t like my perfectly normal and non offensive fence, they’re more than welcome to plant some tall plants in front of it! Or erect their own fence on their own side. Or cover it with sheeting. Just not plant something which damages the fence and comes through to my side.

Wait until a frost spell and do it then. Frost can often kill plants unexpectedly.