Nightmare garden

[Mimimayhem18]

I’m really hoping someone here can offer me some help, I moved to a council property about a year ago with the most terrible overgrown garden you have ever seen! I have spent the last few months removing rubbish and cutting down brambles, it’s starting to look better but the main issue is the neighbours garden. If it’s possible it looks worse than mine did, very thick brambles that look like they have been left to grow for years. They are now coming over the fence and through the slats down into my garden, I cannot afford to replace the fence, is there anything I can put over it to keep it back? Can you nail panels onto a wooden fence?

Is there any way you can ask the neighbours to tackle it from their side? Brambles are very invasive so even if you keep cutting them back etc until you tackle the roots they will continually keep popping up and they grow so fast. You could plant some fast growing hedging in front of the fence like leylandii but the brambles will grow through if they are not tackled. I feel the neighbour is elderly or infirm could you volunteer to try and help sort them out from their side?

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My neighbour and I removed brambles from our mutual rence, it took a while and involved lots of digging out of roots. Eventually the fence fell down.!! I think the brambles were the only thing holding it up.

(fortunately my landlord replaced the fence after that).

Unfortunately she has no interest in sorting out the issue from her end, I even offered to help her! It's also been left so long that you can't even walk through them, it's just like a wall of brambles . So I'm looking for the best/cheapest solution to keep them in her garden

Also the neighbours are not elderly or infirm, in the early 20's I would guess- they just aren't interested and use the garden as a dog toilet

If your neighbour is a tenant in social housing can the landlord assist with the garden? Or if the neighbour is a homeowner could the council help? This was the case with my mum's neighbour. The council eventually cleared the garden because it had become unmanagable for tbe person living there. She did have a mental health problem and was known to the council. This could be the case with your nrigbour. I would speak to your local council.

She's also a council tenant like me, they have been out to see her and she was issued with a formal warning for breach of tenancy. After that it was all cut down by her and I assume her parents, but as a previous poster mentioned it's very persistent. I don't think she has any issues, she just doesn't want to do it.

What about spraying weed killer. Not ideal, but you could then cut the brambles back from the other side by reaching over?

Is it possible to nail some bamboo screening to the dilapidated fence?
It might provide a barrier.

I don’t know if perhaps sinking something down on your side of the fence would stop them creeping under? You have my sympathies as our old neighbour was similar and we just had to keep cutting them back as they grew over/ through.

Thanks everyone I have decided to go with weed killer spayed in stealth on their side of the fence and after searching for bamboo screening I found some willow screening that I think could work.

I am not sure weedkiller works on brambles, they are very robust. You might need something only licensed contractors use. Try and look up, there are some good gardening sites out there.

Willow sometimes can ‘strike’ and produce roots, so you could have the bonus of a green fence.

Can you get in touch with the council again to let them know she is not maintaining the garden of the property properly.

I know it won’t help much during CV but it may later on?

Weedkiller does work on brambles - best used when they are actively growing. Then dig the roots out once they've died back. The digging out was hard work and the OP won't be able to do this, but I successfully got rid of a big patch of brambles doing this.

You could try a systemic weedkiller which will kill not only the bit of bramble you spray it on, but also translocation back to the roots and kill the whole thing. If it's a tough weed, sometimes it works better, paradoxically, if you make up the solution somewhat weaker than normal.

contact council, when it gets cut back again spray with weedkiller on the new growth.

Are you suggesting the OP sprays weed killer in someone else’s garden? What if the dogs in the neighbours garden are affected by the weed killer she has sprayed into their garden though? The owner could sue for vet fees as the OP has no right to be in another persons garden?

I honestly think the council is the way to go. If that doesn’t work then a plan B is required!

I'm suggesting she uses weedkiller in her own garden.

Phew, I knew someone that out down eat poison in their next door neighbours garden and their puppy ate it and died.

Put down poison

Would hot salty water kill the roots maybe?

Report her to the council again and let them sort it out. Maybe they’ll evict her and you’ll get decent neighbours 👍🏼