Plants from next door-who's responsible?

[Jumpking]

I moved house recently and cutting back my already overgrown plant on the shared boundary has been low on a long list of jobs to do.

I've had a note from the neighbours asking me to cut it back as it's spilling into their garden.

I've lived in many houses and whenever next doors plants were growing into my garden, I cut them back to the shared boundary.

Have I been wrong all these years? Who's job would you consider it to be?

I'd reply that you'll get to the garden as soon as you can, and in the meantime they can feel free to cut it back where it overhangs.

Depending on the plant, it may need you to sort it. Some things simply won't stay back unless the original plant is taken in hand. It's pretty would destroying to spend all your time and energy battling a neighbour's invader instead of the garden jobs you'd rather do.

Thanks for that. It's quite a gentle growing plant. Yellow. Who knows what it's called? 🤣

It's definitely not bamboo or anything invasive like that.

People are entitled to cut back anything that overhangs their garden but it’s your plant so it’s really your responsibility.

I had a most frustrating situation. Neighbour's climbers used to invade my side of the fence. They were very vigorous, but rooted on his side. They cast my side into shade and crowded out anything I planted.

One day he decided to cut them all off at the root on his side, and plant something that worked better. I was left with 10m of dead clematis hedge to remove and take to the tip- several car loads.

Boundaries are tricky.

If you post a photo someone can probably tell you.

As I understand it OP, anyone is allowed to trim off any parts of a neighbours' plant that overhangs their boundary. However, they should really be asked if they want the branches/foliage back.

If the neighbour seems reluctant to do it, then it falls to you.

Just tell them it's on your 'to do' list.

Can you describe the plant more, is it small and creeping along the ground eg creeping jenny or yellow archangel? or a bush of some sort, eg mahonia? Will try and ID :)

I've always thought the neighbour should just cut anything off that grows through their fence that they don't want, unless if its something really invasive that grows very quickly and is damaging their garden (like bamboo, Japanese knot weed etc) then the person whose garden its growing in might need to step in and remove it from their side too if they're happy to.

I have some plants that invade my garden and next doors and i keep removing them as best i can but its hard when theyre under shrubs etc, and just when i think i've pulled it all out they keep growing back, so it is tricky sometimes!!

My neighbour has shrubs planted tight up against the fence all along and while I find it annoying I just go out and chop them back to the boundary periodically. It would be impossible for neighbour to do it without coming into my garden and I wouldn't want them stepping on my beds. They inherited the shrubs so it's not their fault that they're really far too close to the fence. Plants tend to spread and obv don't respect human boundaries so its just unavoidable in small gardens.

I don't think legally you are obliged to cut back overhanging plants, but it would be good for neighbour relations, since they've asked you to, if you do it. It's unlikely to be a huge job if it's just a shrub?