Would you cut down an established and beautiful tree?

[Cheeriosaddict]

I’m in a bit of a dilemma so looking for some thoughts.
We bought a house last year and intended to remove a tree which is 2 metres from the dining room as it blocks out a lot of light and the roots have made the patio very uneven. I’d like to make it clear I’m in no habit of removing trees and we’ve actually planted two trees and lots of shrubs and plants since we’ve moved in.
However, as this is our first summer in the house, the tree has blossomed and it’s beautiful. Not only that, birds nest there and the bees love the flowers.
Before the spring, we had a tree surgeon thin the tree but it still blocks out a lot of light. The downside of the birds is that they go to the toilet over the patio so whenever we want to use the garden to eat dinner, it’s a big clear up operation. I can cope with this, it’s the light issue that’s the main problem. I’m so torn that I would be destroying habitat of birds and bees and I would feel horrible about it and not sure I can bring myself to do it come October.
what would you do?

You could get a crown reduction which would take a lot of the height out and open up some space. It would also stop the roots growing out as the tree would put it energy into growing up again. Then just reduce it again.

I would cut it without a second thought. Why compromise your comfort, enjoyment and incur a possible huge financial cost?

Plant some lavender for the bees and stick a nest box up for the birds if you feel that bad.

My parents live in an area that is full of large, mature trees and while they are lovely to look at, a lot of houses including theirs are very dark and gloomy in the summer months because so much light is blocked. I find their house incredibly depressing for half the year. I would not hesitate to get rid of your tree.

Cherry laurel are a penny a dozen. Cut it down and plant a new one, you won't have to wait long for it to get a decent size. If you like wildlife plant something native, it'll have better ecological value. Don't waste your money pruning it, it'll come back with gusto.

Hi @Cheeriosaddict. It does sound like a cherry laurel, Prunus lauroceracus. Especially as it has been planted so near to the house, it would have gone in as a shrub and not been maintained.

We had the same dilemma, in our case slap bang in the middle of the front garden and nothing really grew around it. We dithered taking it out because it screened our bedroom window from the flats across the road. Lovely in flower, a big water and light sucking thig the rest of the time.

Best thing we did taking it out, I now have a gorgeous 9m high Robinia 'Frisia' in its place.

You have my permission to remove it.

I wouldn't sweat it over a cherry laurel. If it's spoiling your enjoyment of your house get it removed. You could always replace it with something really lovely.

If it's cherry Laural you could do a middle ground option and cut it almost right down. It will probably start sprouting new shoots. They are buggers to kill.
I'd get rid of it completely though as I dislike them. There are so many amazing and beautiful native trees you could plant instead.
I'm sitting in the garden under one of my silver birch trees. It's moving in the wind and casting a lovely dappled shadow. It replaced a laylandii.

Thanks for the replies. It seems establishing that it is a cherry Laurel has changed some opinions and it’s helpful to know what it is and it’s expected growth. I’m impressed by the knowledge, I have a lot to learn! After this thread I think we will remove a large proportion of it after the summer in the comfort that it will grow back quickly if we regret it.

@Cheeriosaddict I know you have already made your decision but we have a great tree surgeon who agrees that sometimes beautiful trees are just in the wrong place and might need to be removed. He is always keen to suggest more appropriate trees and locations in the garden. Damage to your patio and possibly foundations to your house may be cause for concern. On our home insurance we have to declare all trees withing X metres of the house due to potential issues.

I would chop a tree down that’s too close to the house and have done ( neighbours house ) When we bought it the branches were touching their roof. It was too big and too close to the house. So down it came

it was an atlas cedar , the previous owners shouldn’t have let it get too big.