Neighbour's buddliea leaning on my shed

[Aparecium]

I generally keep my fenceline clear by trimming up from between my shed and the fence. But buddleias can grow really quickly, and this one has clearly loved the hot summer as it has suddenly shot up and over the fence. I've missed the opportunity to keep it in check on my side. It is now leaning on the shed. There's nearly 2ft between shed and fence, to give you an idea of the buddleia's size. If I trimmed up from the fence now, I would probably take out most of the flower heads.

I'm torn. I want to protect my shed, but I don't want to spoil the neighbour's view of a plant they love.

If I wait until it has finished flowering, and then cut it back to the fence, will I ruin the plant? As importantly, well this give it the opportunity to send up stems between the fence and the shed?

Why would it ruin neighbours view when what you want to cut it all out of their garden? Hmm, relooking at the photo I think the house is the other end than I'd originally thought, so I can see what you mean. Ut they'd still have stems in their garden presumably.

I don't think 1 summer of it overhanging your shed will do any damage.

Buddelias are virtually indestructible, I cut them down to the ground and they come back as strong as ever, so you aren't going to ruin the plant.

Leaving it isn't going to lead to stems growing up between the fence and your shed, but if you do this I'd cut back as soon as the flowers start to go over.

i wouldnt cut a budlea

You won’t ruin the plant. We had our buddliea cut back to the ground with a saw and the next summer it was bloody massive again.
It had pushed over a fence (before we cut it right back).

Which fence is 2 foot away from the shed - the one right behind it in the right of the picture? I’d cut anything that has come over there into your garden probably. But it will be back before you know it.

When you say ‘leaning’, do you mean the weight of the plant is pressing against your shed, or do you mean some flowers are overhanging? I can’t see the problem from the photo. Enjoy the flowers and cut it back a little bit on your side of the fence after it’s flowered.

Like this:

I don’t see that that will damage your shed. I thought there was more weight on it from the back when I said to just cut everything coming over the fence.

TBH I don't really like buddleias. The colour is gorgeous, but there's something about them that gives me the heebiejeebies. I prefer to enjoy them from a distance. A great distance. Like a shrubbery on the other side of a stately home's lawn. Not scraping above my head as I work in the shed!

I would trim off a couple of the underside branches and leave the rest.

before doing anything have a conversation with your neighbour if you're worried about it increasing in size next year, as it doesn't look like it's got enough growth on it this year, but will expand it spread in the future, they can grow really tall, like 3-4 metres so maybe the answer is to keep the overhang off your shed roof and leave the rest. I like the dark purple variety they're lovely.

I don’t think it will damage your shed. But you’re perfectly entitled to cut it back to the fence if you don’t like it. And you won’t harm the plant

Just trim anything that's doing damage and leave the rest.

We have one in our garden. They are indestructible indeed. We've cut it down to bare minimum many times and it comes back with a vengeance. When it rains and in the autumn months it leaves our patio beneath it black. The wasps love it too but unfortunately I don't like wasps! I won't remove it because our car uses it as a climbing frame when it's not full. Back to the question...our neighbour just cuts it when it starts encroaching on her garden. I wish she'd do our side. I can't stand the thing. It also leaves most of our garden in shade most of the summer.
Simply ask your neighbour if you can cut it on side. There's no way it won't grow back. It's like hair! Her view is not your problem if it encroaches on you. They can grow as tall as a house! Keep them under control is what I say. We even cut branches off ours as it had a trunk going across to the garden on the left of us.

I meant cat! 😂

That’s quite a disappointing correction

Visions of Herbie the car climbing up it now! 🤣

LOL @ car

I agree with everyone else -
. Budlias are bombproof
. It doesn't look as if it's leaning on your shed much at the mo
. Wait till the flowers are past their best and cut it back to fence line

I'd add that cutting buddies encourages growth so cut it back as hard as you can get away with on your side, ie: the big main stems.

Let it flower so the butterflies and moths can get the benefit. The stems are quite soft so it won't damage your shed, it looks pretty, and you can cut it back to the boundary once flowering is over. We prune ours hard in early spring every year. It doesn't harm the plant at all.

The garden it's growing in is choc a bloc and lush isn't it?

Like pp, I'm not a fan of Buddleia either. I'm not very sure why but maybe I associate them with stuff that thrives on waste ground/beside railway lines etc. where little else would grow!

I'd just trim underneath on your side for now and leave the top, and trim back fully in Autumn/Winter to the fence line.

It’s not leaning on your shed at all, it’s just in the same air space. Buddleias are great plants for butterflies etc. I’m not sure it’s very fair to find them creepy, though I’m sure you can’t help feeling what you feel. It’s completely irrational though! Is it because they grow in wild urban areas like on the side of railway lines etc, as well as gardens?

I guess you’d be “allowed” to cut it back as it’s overhanging your fence, but given it’s not doing any damage at all, and it’s not exactly the kind of thing that drops loads of leaves everywhere, and it’s not making your nice picnic area all shaded or drawing all the energy from your existing plants, it would seem rather unreasonable.

I'd add that cutting buddies encourages growth so cut it back as hard as you can get away with on your side, ie: the big main stems.

Yes, that's also my concern.

It will spoil your shed as ours has spoilt our patio. We can clean our patio but not sure how you would clean your shed as its natural timber.
Just thought I'd add a photo showing it when it got out of control literally it it's worst. My cat misses that branch 😂

My photo is under review! It's only a photo of my budliea with my cat on it.

Photo's here now :-)

i can’t see how it will damage your shed and at the moment it’s at its peak for pollinators to enjoy it so leave it until the flowers die and then ask your neighbours to cut it back

Buddleias aren’t all the same. You can get cultivars in all sizes from miniature through to giant. The ones you see wild are all standard purple. This is a bred adapted variety and won’t be as virulent. It’s probably reached its maximum measurements. They don’t damage buildings. They’re just shrubs and seed themselves successfully if left unchecked. Your shed is absolutely fine and at zero risk.

Just wait for it to stop flowering (prob before September) and then cut it back hard. Seems a shame to lose the flowers when pollinators love them and they’re dying out. But obviously legally you can cut everything overhanging down today 🤷‍♀️