Neighbour's laurel bush

[KatOD]

Sorry, neighbour overhanging bush story (!), will be brief...

We moved in to our house (quite rural) nearly 2 years ago about the same time as our neighbours. We both had to do a lot to gardens etc as both sides were quite unkempt. They've done a lot of very serious work and we haven't said a word about the constant chain sawing or the fact that they completely blocked our road (for about 40 mins) at no notice to remove rubbish from their garden and were quite rude to people trying to get past. We've also been accommodating if they've wanted to pop over to our side to do stuff more easily...

However they have huge (talking 3-4m high) cherry laurel bushes that overhang our garden/decking. It's so intrusive it's grown over an old shed roof causing more damage/preventing us from fixing it and it's berries are just about to drop all over our decking (which will stain it and is where our 19mo DD plays). I mentioned it a year and a half ago and was told they were dealing with it in spring 2012, our other neighbour mentioned it and they shut her down, I've left an answerphone message asking them over for a cuppa to have a chat about it and have been ignored. What next? I should add that the guy has just starte his own business as a landscape gardener so it's not as if he can't deal with it....

If its overhanding, just chop the bits that hang over your garden down. I would let them know in advance, just to give them a chance to know in advance, but certainly do it before the berries ruin your decking.

In order to focus their attention I'd also mention in passing that you will of course be returning the chopped off branches as you are required to do by law.

A l

Bother...

A load of chopped of branches landing regularly in their garden might be persuasive!

Yes I think you're quite within your rights to remove branches and shrubbery overhanging onto your property.

Our neighbour has an absolute jungle for a garden and we have weeds galore pushing through the gaps between the slats of our fence. Really bloody annoying as they will make no effort to sort it out. At least laurels are attractive (but I agree you don't want the decking stained)!

And I'm talking weeds that are about 2 - 3 ft high, not just a few dandelions .

You are perfectly entitled to chop back what is overhanging the boundary line. You have to offer the cuttings back. You shouldn't just dump them over the fence though which is what the wankers at the end of my garden did with whole branches nearly 8ft long and which I have no way of moving or chopping up. But I digress.

You are probably meant to mention to the owner that you intend to do it, out of politeness if nothing else.

I think Laurel berries are poisonous.

Thanks guys. Will try, problem is that it's quite hard to do without the right equipment (that they have grrrrr!).

Well could you ask to borrow it? If you're capable of using it, obviously! Just pop round, say you know they're really busy, so would they mind if you did it?

There you go, repeat what SoupDragon said, after checking it's correct, then ask to borrow the stuff and crack on. Hopefully with him being a landscape gardener and all that he'll then do it.