Plants going through/ over fence to neighbour

[DoreenGrey]

Hi, I live in a terraced property. The fence which I own, and had put in several years ago, is open slatted, so plants by the fence in my garden are able to grow around the slats and are of course visible to the neighbour’s garden on the other side.
My neighbour calls this “overgrowth” and asks me to remove it. One of the plants on my side is Virginia creeper, it was there before I moved in. This will grow up and over the fence. It has also crept along under his decking and has popped up at the back end of his garden, which happens to be the side wall of another house, which fronts onto a street round the corner.

He wants me to remove the plants that come through the (my) slatted fence, and the creeper that is going up the wall at the back of his garden (the same wall is across the back of my garden too). He also gave me the ‘option’ of him calling the garden people he uses (to wash his decking), to do it, with the expectation that I will pay for this!

Could anyone who knows what the rules / law is on this please advise?

And is there a website / other source anyone can recommend that I can quote from when he tries to argue?

Thank you!

Prune your plants by your fence so they're not going under your neighbours decking.

Why can’t you prune your plants?

It must be annoying.

professional gardener here. Trees, shrubs and any other plant known to man do not know about human boundaries.

As far as i am aware any intrusion into someone else’s garden is on them. They can have them removed if they want be you are not liable.

Surely he's allowed to cut / trim / prune anything that is on 'his' side of the fence.
That way, you keep the foliage and look that you want, and he gets a foliage-free fence his side.
He can't dictate what happens your side of the fence.

You tell him he is allowed to chop back any of the growth from your plants, that have extended on to his land, up to his boundary.
Also tell him, because it is relevant, that he doesn't have to offer you the cuttings back, and indeed, you don't want them (unless you have a compost heap and don't mind). He can't just chuck them over the fence, that's fly-tipping.
If he chooses to use a gardener, that's up to him, the current law only states the two things I have already mentioned, and not that you have to pay for his choice of professionals to do it.
And, finally, cut things back in your own garden before they get to the stage that they are growing in to his, it must be very fucking annoying.

To be fair to him, plants poking through an open slatted fence probably does look pretty shit on his side! Why didn’t you use a solid fence?

Our neighbours plants come through OUR fence and I’ve left them because they look pretty. I’ll prune them back in autumn. The neighbour just wants to cause trouble. It’s not that big a deal.

Honestly op Virginia creeper, going up the wall at the back of his garden and under his decking? Who on earth would want that. YABVU

Our neighbours had virginia creeper that they refused to maintain and it was a complete pain to keep it out of my garden. You seem incredibly dismissive, and don't seem to care that it's damaging his decking and taking over his garden.

He is allowed to prune everything on his side of the fence, which I guess might kill your plants if they are weaving in and out of open slatted fencing.

If he has a go at it with glyphosate it will solve his problem.

Jeez have you any idea how toxic and bad for the environment this is. It should be banned as with all herbicides.

Absolutely he is very much allowed to - he just doesn’t want to do it and thinks I ought to do it!

I am quite relaxed about things growing through and over like trees and shrubs - it just means I have more garden to look at.

But I think you do need to take the Virginia creeper in hand.

I'm not saying he's right to think you should pay for it. But as someone who has been in his position it's incredibly frustrating to constantly cut back and prune a neighbours plant, as it's being left to grow without any thought to how it's impacting the neighbours.

I suppose what really gets to me is that he wants me to go into his garden to sort the stuff on his side out. There’s a gate between gardens so access is easy. I’ve done this before out of goodwill, but I know this is above and beyond and most neighbours would have refused to do this.

But could you perhaps keep your plants under control so you are not giving your neighbour extra work to do?

I have Virginia creeper on one side my neighbour built a pergola bar and wanted my vine to grow over it.

on the other side i have Montana which my other neighbour has trailed through their garden.

Virginia Creeper is classified as an invasive non-native plant, which means "It is also your responsibility to ensure that they are not allowed to spread." So really your neighbour is in the right here and you should ensure it doesn't spread beyond your boundaries (or ideally remove it).

Yep that is correct, if not controlled. However that does not donate liability on the OP.

As a matter of fact most modern garden plants are not indigenous.

I hate this bare fence and decking look so I think he should be grateful that he’s getting the benefit of a lovely climber for free. Unfortunately people have no taste and want to chop back every bit of nature for their minimalist attempts at footballer wives decor. Tell him he’s more than welcome to chop it back and throw the cuttings over. That’s what I understand the law allows.

I think it is actually an offence to let it spread to other properties. I have it and keep a tight control over it because of this!

Yabu you choose to have these he didn't

No it is not

Oh, right, thanks. I read this and thought it meant I could technically get in trouble if I let it spread. Though I doubt anyone has ever got into trouble!

https://www.rhs.org.uk/prevention-protection/invasive-non-native-plants

I still think it good manners to keep VC confined. It is beautiful though.