Neighbours and bordering plants

[buildingmycorestrength]

We are lucky enough to live in a house with beautifully mature gardens and many trees. These were all planted by the previous owner, and we maintain them a bit and cut back a couple of times a year. We don't know much about trees.

A few incidents have made me realise they are generally a bit funny about plants and borders and I want to know the normal 'good neighbour' thing to do.

Some of our plants and trees overhang their property. They are entitled to cut them down, aren't they? I thought this meant it was their responsibility to deal with them. Are we supposed to manage our plants and trees so they don't overhang or encroach?

What about large trees and storms? Are we supposed to cut down large trees if there is a possibility they will damage their property?

So many questions. Thank you to anyone who can be bothered to reply.

Sorry 'they' are the neighbours on one side. I edited to make it shorter .

Trees etc - don't worry, leave it to them if they want to do anything. Clearly if you notice that one of your trees has a branch that looks as though it is going to fall on their garden / greenhouse / house, it is your responsibility to sort it out - but if it is a normal health tree, you should be fine.

If it is a hedge, normally people cut their own side - but its probably worth asking them if they're happy to do that.

BTW, if you live in a conservation Area you need to be careful what you do with trees in any case.

Thanks. I think they are just being weird. We did clear a load of creeper that was getting under their fascia, at an expense of over £100, so it isn't as if we haven't been accommodating. They just approach it in a weird prickly way, and seem to expect me to read their minds.

Okay, so general question about trees with overhanging branches...should these be removed as a matter of course if they overhang a building or are near a building?

Just go and ask them got goodness sake!

My neighbour is a useless gardener and hacks away at his garden so badly it makes me twitch! Personally I'd rather have the over handing branches.

They may be fine with the overhanging branches. Then again they might not be. BUt they might hate it if you take them off, particularly if you don't ask them - so please discuss it with them first!

Thank you both...I am definitely of the 'just ask them!' persuasion but since they seem to have these unspoken expectations, I just wanted to check that there isn't some unwritten rule everyone but me knows. Wouldn't be the first time. .

Thank you both...I am definitely of the 'just ask them!' persuasion but since they seem to have these unspoken expectations, I just wanted to check that there isn't some unwritten rule everyone but me knows. Wouldn't be the first time. .

So I went round last week with a letter saying that we are always happy to discuss any issues to do with bordering plants and trees. They are selling their house and wanted this reassurance for the buyers.

I spoke to the current neighbours (the funny ones) face to face and reiterated that we are always happy to discuss. No comment from them, just a load of stuff about how their sale might not go through now, etc. At no point have they ever said the branches are endangering their property, or in fact discussed it with us at all.

Today, I notice they tree surgeons in. Nothing has been said to me. A few minutes ago, the neighbour comes by and says that the tree surgeon says all our trees are in a terrible state and they have spent £1000 lopping them all back to the level of the fence. I said, 'That is absolutely fine with us. No problem.'

He stormed off.

When they first moved in a few years ago, they made a big song and dance about cutting some branches on our side of a tree that grows on their side - which we never asked them to do or even particularly wanted them to do. Since they seemed to set on it, we let them go ahead and made no fuss even when the tree surgeon came in on a Sunday during a family event with no warning.

So I am totally bewildered about all this. They obviously think we should shoulder some of the cost but why not talk to me about it and discuss quotes and so on? Why just be so arsey?

There are just some people like that. It is up to them to cut the trees back in their garden if they want it - and as they have done that, it is completely up to them to pay for the work that they have had carried out.

Thank you for your reassurance. I am getting tree surgeons in to look at our garden later in the week just to feel like I've done my bit.

I honestly don't mind being a good neighbour and contributing to costs if it seems reasonable but the law is clear AND they've been idiots about it.

Once we came home from church on a Sunday morning to find her banging on our door and when we got out of the car she just said, 'I've been trying to reach you!' As if we were completely unreasonable for ever being out when SHE wanted to come over. I said, 'You can always pop a note through the door, like I do - or shall I give you our phone number?' She just ignored me.

I hate them now.

I also found this

www.which.co.uk/documents/pdf/the-law-on-trees-153989.pdf

which is pretty clear.

Okay - I know no one gives a monkeys about this except me, but I find it really helpful to come back here and update!

Have just had a much more sensible conversation with the neighbour. He came over and said that the buyer's survey has shown that a conifer of ours which I don't like but which was probably there before their house was built is too close to their house and that his tree surgeon will remove it and chip it for £100. I said I will speak to my husband and get back to him, but my feeling is that this is a reasonable request made in a reasonable and timely manner and it would be daft not to do this in the interests of harmony.

I also think that I may have misinterpreted him 'storming off' earlier - he may have or he may not, he may have just been stressed and keen to get back to the work going on.

We also discussed the climbers and so on, and it all seemed quite amicable. Glad we have got some open lines of communication, anyway. I stressed that we cannot see into their garden so we rely on them telling us about any issues, and he invited me in to take a look some time. Fortunately I had sausages on the grill. .

Are you happy for the conifer to go? Is there any damage being caused by the conifer? TBH, this is something that will enable them to sell their house more quickly and easily - I would be giving them the permission to get the tree cut down if you are happy to lose it and let them pick up the bill - or be neighbourly and say that you'll pay £50 of it to be a good neighbour...

He said that the survey (of buyers which have now pulled out) said the tree should go in case of damage from the roots. It is firmly on our side of the property, about 2m away from their wall, and not blocking any of their windows or anything. I will speak to my husband about the tree in case he loves it but I'm happy for it to go.

He didn't actually ask us to pay. He said this thing about the survey and then I said, 'How much would that cost?' and he told me.

And he confessed that the reason for lopping off all the branches of the other trees was because of their leaves being a pain to clear up. Nothing to do with light or possible damage or anything, so I am not inclined to contribute (although we really do have a lot of trees - but that was obvious when they bought the house).

I love trees soooo much that I really hate those people who don't like leaves FFS The world would be a sad place that couldn't last long without trees. It makes me feel like getting one of those leaf hoovers and on a windy day 'BLOW" the leaves all over their garden.

Leaf mulch is amazing for the garden as well!!

2m away from the wall of their house or from the boundary?

Certainly don't bother to contribute to the rest.

And something coming up in a survey as 'might' be going to cause damage doesn't mean that it is. If you're happy for it to go and they want it to go to avoid that being on any future surveys, I would definitely suggest that they might contribute towards it (if not pay for it entirely)

I would query the tree surgeon price as I have just paid £350 to have one large tree to be removed from my garden. A £100 seems very cheap to remove a large tree.

but if he is onsite anyway then it might be reasonable. Do make sure he will remove roots too, otherwise it will regrow. Conifers are probably easier to fell than some other types of tree.

Another update...turns put the tree surgeon never gave a quote to neighbour about our conifer yesterday, he just made it up.

Tree surgeon said to me he'd do that conifer, and take out another tree and pollard another tree all for £300, so I'm just going to do it today and pay for it all. Don't want our roots damaging neighbours property and if it helps them sell house faster then GOOD....can't wait to be rid.

I did maintain a stony silence when she moaned to me about paying £750 (not £1000) for the overhanging branches, though.

And he will kill roots off. Thanks for all the help and tips.

ppeatfruit- how does one make leafmulch please?
We've just moved to a home with a lot of trees! Do you have to separate out different species or anything?

mistlethrush in a conservation area, does one need planning permission to manage trees? We would be getting a tree surgeon, but the trees here have been untouched for years, and 2 or 3 definitely need some care. 1 in particular is getting awfully close to the house now... (by which, I mean the branches, not that it's some kind of ent!)

Yes, in a conservation area - trees over a certain size get automatic protection, as though they had a tree preservation order on them effectively. If you want to do some work on them you need to get in contact with your local council and speak to the tree officer and get them to come out and agree what work can be carried out - and then make sure that the company you get to do it does what has been agreed not something different!!!

Leafmulch - ideal situation is to make up say 3 small enclosures of chicken wire - and put leaves in them in turn - and hopefully by the time you have filled the 3rd you will be able to empty the first and stick it where you need it...

Thank you!