My neighbours Holly tree...advice please!

[ThisMustBeMyDream]

My neighbour has a holly tree, which whilst it looks beautiful - is a menace in my fledgling garden. 12 years of living here, and having stood on far too many holly leaves barefoot to remember, I've finally had enough.

So I need a tree surgeon to essentially cut the tree in half by removing anything overhanging my garden. I'm guessing at it being around 4m high. What kind of figures does this sort of thing cost? Im in NW England if it helps.

I can not speak to her without repercussion. I'm not prepared to open that door again after 3 years of peace following 9 years of being afraid in my own home.

If I do get a tree surgeon I will ask them for advice on the situation. They may be happy to go and inform the neighbour.

It looks like the tree overhangs in the corner, so if you're stepping on the leaves do you mean on the corner or do they get blown all over your garden? Because if the leaves are all over, then that probably wont change if you cut the tree. The leaves will still get blown around.

Depends where you are OP. My tree man (fully qualified insured etc) wouldn't charge more than £150 for that and probably would be less.
He would probably advise about shaping it properly and in an ideal world would discuss fully with the owner what the plan was. Sounds like that could be a non starter though.

Someone needs to speak to her. The chopper downer may well have to lean over into her garden and dont forget that you cant cut trees or shrubs down during bird nesting season. Local florists or crafters would love this at Christmas.

Looks like it's overhanging to me. I'd get it chopped.

Got to Costco & buy a garden tool for £65 + vat. It extends to 16ft & will make quick work of all those branches on your side. Or screw fix https://www.screwfix.com/p/fiskars-telescopic-bypass-tree-pruner-94-157-/4166T?tc=RA5&dskid=92700052138698248&dssrl=1249410&gclid=CjwKCAjwiMj2BRBFEiwAYfTbCtcXdJCwvBmDHulBTfjTF072TlDuMN2cgmjG6S3nKzmMJqr8ha88RoCUAsQAvDDBwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

That's what I do to my (selfish) neighbours trees.

I understand now re position. We are on south coast. We had tree surgeons in to lop 4 oaks, remove two pine trees and cut back another huge tree. It cost us £1000. So a prune of a holly tree wouldn't be too bad, probably about £150 i think. And yes, there still will be leaves in your garden, but fewer!

If the previous problem was ‘officially’ could you speak the neighbourhood team at the council. They may be prepared to act as a mediator.

Where do you live? I'll cut it for nothing!

Seriously, what will happen is it'll bush out on her side. Which means you need to plant something which will grow up fast - bamboo in a pot for example. This of it as a game of chess

CUT IT CUT IT CUT IT!

@ThisMustBeMyDream

I contemplated including in my OP... but decided not to, but the relationship between us broke down. After 9 years of harrassment from the woman, it ended in me ringing police who warned her off. We haven't spoken since, and I'm more than content to keep it that way. She is drunk a lot. Probably explains a lot.

Anyway, the overhang is what I want to cut. £150 sounds reasonable. I'll search for local tree surgeons with a bit less concern for the bank balance now!

Don't you think that chopping half her tree down is going to attract her attention at all?

Get a few quotes. My mum paid about £3,000 to have the branches of a large, overhanging tree cut, and the offcuts removed. (She did ask the neighbours first, who had no problem with her getting the overhanging branches removed.) I think the cost will depend on the complexity / length of time it will take.

I recently paid my neighbours gardener to come in to do exactly this. He's very inexpensive, he was£15 an hour and I paid him £45.

The only down side was he was purely labour. I had to buy a mulcher chopper that you feed garden waste into and it shreds it. I could then get in on my car to take to the tip.

But all in all quite cheap.

He used his own ladders and easily reached with loppers whilst standing on them.

Our boundary was behind some old sheds we removed so hadn't been trimmed in a decade. Easily 4-5 meters high. But mostly shoots that were easily chopped off further down.

Here is the finished hedge/ lopped holly and other huge shrubs, a year on.

Ok the height would get to me if it was making the garden shady, but I don’t really know what you mean about prickles. I have a holly in my front and back garden. They don’t tend to shed leaves ever. The only time I get any leaves in the borders is when I prune it

I’d do it yourself for the bottom branches. Get a stepladder and a saw. The top branches will shed less.

Holly don’t shed many leaves and they tend to fall straight down as they are heavy. Why not buy a triangular canopy for that corner of the garden? Make a nice corner feature and slope it backwards to catch any stray leaves.

We had several holly trees that tall. We had them all removed including stumps for £100 last summer. He was a gardener and it didn’t take him too long to do. They didn’t shed much but I can imagine in the high winds we’ve had over the last few months they would have and I suppose you lose a full section of your garden that you can’t stand or sit in or risk being too close to the prickles.

I would knock next door and say that you’re getting a gardener in to chop your side of the holly tree as it’s leaning over the garden too much and the kids keep pricking themselves on it when they’re playing; where would they like you to put the branches as you’re aware they need to be returned to the owner of the tree. I’d probably drop into conversation that the gardener is reasonably priced if they’d considered cutting the height of the tree slightly

It's a bush that should have been regularly trimmed. Ask your neighbour if they wish to trim it back if not get some shears and do what you can. Ask them if they want the cut offs to be returned on their back or front garden. They should dispose of them. You may need loppers or a saw for thicker branches. It isn't a difficult job.

You are allowed to cut off branches that overhang with the provisor that you are not allowed to if it will damage the health of the tree.

You're quite reasonable to want the leaves removed from your garden. However I grew up with holly trees and a paddling pool. And went bare foot all summer. Children learn. Even now, I'm very good at not tripping over things because I'm always keeping an eye on where my feet are.

I can not speak to her without repercussion. I'm not prepared to open that door again after 3 years of peace following 9 years of being afraid in my own home.

Cutting her tree is definitely going to open that door. I’d drop a note in beforehand.

I feel your pain. Our neighbours at the back have a 15 ft holly hedge and even though it’s cut back every August, we can never use the garden without shoes or garden without gloves.

I would have a go with telescopic pruners if it was overhanging my garden. She might not even notice you doing it. Just double check for nesting birds because they love holly trees. Good luck.

@MereDintofPandiculation

You are allowed to cut off branches that overhang with the provisor that you are not allowed to if it will damage the health of the tree.

You're quite reasonable to want the leaves removed from your garden. However I grew up with holly trees and a paddling pool. And went bare foot all summer. Children learn. Even now, I'm very good at not tripping over things because I'm always keeping an eye on where my feet are.

My kids are hypermobile. You don't learn to not be hypermobile. Not everyone learns where to put their feet - because they might have a medical condition that prevents that.

@RedRed9

I can not speak to her without repercussion. I'm not prepared to open that door again after 3 years of peace following 9 years of being afraid in my own home.

Cutting her tree is definitely going to open that door. I’d drop a note in beforehand.

It might do, but I'll be in the safety of my own home and ready to phone the police if she gets aggressive again.

I could put a note through, but I'm not doing anything wrong, nor do I need permission. I have no reason to be neighbourly- she burned that bridge when she nearly put my windows through for parking in front of my own house, and terrifying me and my young children.

Hyper mobile children can still learn to wear crocs or other playourdoors shoes.

And what if they want to be barefoot? It's their garden.
Bloody hell. I wanted to know what the cost of a tree surgeon was.
It's the gardening section. Not AIBU.
I did not ask for advice on managing the issue. Or the legal implications.
I know the law.
I don't, however, know how much tree surgeons cost.
Now I do.
Fucking hell.

Holly does shed leaves and the OP isn’t unreasonable to want it trimmed. Looks like it’s been allowed to grow without any maintenance anyway. Not sure of the cost OP, nor why you’ve had some odd replies.

Would it be worthwhile getting some loppers and doing it in stages yourself so it’s more discreet? May be less likely to inflame the situation as she probably wouldn’t notice you doing it by bit, unlike if a tree surgeon turns up and lops half off in one go. The loppers are sharp and easy to use. Just a thought.

P.s. your fence colour is lovely.