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Original poster

Hedge trauma

23 replies

HedgeWoes · 25/04/2025 20:29

Hello

All thoughts and ideas welcome but please be kind.

I recently moved into a house which has been a little unloved, the bottom of the garden was what we called a wilderness with two rotten fences and also a hedge.

We wanted to tidy it up and so got some landscapers, I asked them to remove the wilderness in front of the fence put a new fence in along the boundary where there was a hedge not a tamed one it’s maybe 20 foot high.
I checked with the person that owns the hedge which is the straight line in red in the picture we live the other side. He’s moved out as he’s gone bankrupt but still currently owns it and he said he didn’t mind what we did.

I expected them to thin the hedge and trim it down to allow them to fit the fence. Instead they have removed the whole thing and now it does I have to admit look a mess on the other side which is at the bottom of a shared driveway.

I guess my question is what do I do now one of the neighbors who can see where the hedge was is threatening to report me to the council and it has all gone so very wrong

OP posts:

violetqueen6 · 25/04/2025 20:50

I'm just posting to bump this really.
Try not to worry too much , it sounds as if a hedge has been removed and a fence put up in it's place.
And you've tidied up a bit of a wilderness.
That's hardly a crime!!
I don't understand what it's got to do with council ?
They don't own the hedge do they?
They won't be interested.
New fences often look very jarring and raw but it will weather and not so obtrusive in time.

canyon2000 · 25/04/2025 21:39

If the guy who actually owns the hedge doesn't mind then I don't see a problem. What has it got to do with the other neighbour or the council?!

Original poster

HedgeWoes · 25/04/2025 22:11

Thank you the hedge belonged to the bankrupt neighbour who doesn’t care what we do and us as it was on our property and some of the trunk was on our side.
According to the landscaper it was a Hawthorne hedge that had been suffocated by masses of ivy. Now the hedge is gone but the ivy remains I live behind the new fence but the removal of the hedge has left what doesn’t look great and you can perhaps see from the picture.
I don’t know if I should tidy it myself it isn’t my land. There are a number of houses that can see this and I feel bad about it

OP posts:

TheReturnOfFeathersMcGraw · 25/04/2025 22:13

It's probably that you've had a whole hedge cut down during the hedge cutting ban season

ACynicalDad · 25/04/2025 22:33

The woodland trust sell hedging packs quite cheaply. clear it and buy a pack and plant them in front of the fence.

eurochick · 25/04/2025 22:41

If you’ve just done it, you’ve cut down a hedge in nesting season, which is probably what you have been reported for. Otherwise I cannot see what it has to do with the council as the neighbour agreed to it.

TheHerboriste · 25/04/2025 22:45

eurochick · 25/04/2025 22:41

This. So reprehensible.

Original poster

HedgeWoes · 25/04/2025 22:49

The landscapers said there wasn’t anything in there otherwise I don’t think they could do it. Well that is apart from a football a mattress a fish tank and what looks to be a broken gazebo.
What’s a hedging pack?

OP posts:

INeedAnotherName · 25/04/2025 22:54

It looks like they've cut down trees in front of the old fencing too, unless they haven't finished replacing the other panels?

And yeah your fencing company SHOULD be reported for cutting it down during nesting season. Absolutely disgusting behaviour.

Gunz · 25/04/2025 22:56

I have a hedge that runs around the boundary of my garden and you basically can't cut the hedge between March and August due to nesting birds. I end up doing a cut in January and then one in September ish and trim the tops and in the interim any bits that interfer with the public footpath. My area the council will fine you if the hedge overhang the public footpath.

Original poster

HedgeWoes · 25/04/2025 22:59

It gets a bit more complicated the new fence is mine, the old fence is the neighbours to the side of my house. The picture shows the area behind my house and the fence which I don’t see.
Whilst my new fence was being put in they got them to cut down the trees and things in front of their house.
Mine didn’t have any trees in it just the hedge with abandoned things in it. I though by getting the agreement of the other house connected to the hedge all would be good but not that simple

OP posts:

Honon · 25/04/2025 23:08

INeedAnotherName · 25/04/2025 22:54

It looks like they've cut down trees in front of the old fencing too, unless they haven't finished replacing the other panels?

And yeah your fencing company SHOULD be reported for cutting it down during nesting season. Absolutely disgusting behaviour.

The hedge cutting laws apply to large hedgerows in agricultural areas, it's nothing to do with the type of domestic hedges being discussed here. They can't report op on that basis.

INeedAnotherName · 25/04/2025 23:43

They can't report op on that basis.
Correct. But they can report the company she used.

Christwosheds · 25/04/2025 23:55

TheReturnOfFeathersMcGraw · 25/04/2025 22:13

It's probably that you've had a whole hedge cut down during the hedge cutting ban season

Agree with this. Nesting birds love ivy covered hedges, I am shocked that anyone would agree to cut one down now.

violetqueen6 · 26/04/2025 08:38

Whilst my new fence was being put in they got
them to cut down the trees and things in front of their house.
@HedgeWoes could you explain more ?
Who is 'they' ? The landscapers?
The front of their house? So a different area entirely?

violetqueen6 · 26/04/2025 08:46

OP I don't think it's you that are at fault ,I think it's the contractors.
Yes , you should have known about nesting birds , anf and other wildlife that was no doubt using the litter ( mattress, gazebo, fish tank) etc as an ideal nesting environment.
But it's not your job to know about that , though it is that if the contractors.
And you know now. Life's a learning curve.
Mind you that wildlife probably included predators, rats for example,that would have eaten bird eggs so that needs to be borne in mind.
The ivy will grow up again , it's very hard to eridicate.

user1471505356 · 26/04/2025 08:59

I would tidy up the mess because your landscapers caused it.

Tumbleweed101 · 26/04/2025 09:02

I’m surprised they left it a mess, they are usually good at clearing up. Everyone I’ve used for hedge work has left the area tidy afterwards.

Original poster

HedgeWoes · 26/04/2025 17:21

@violetqueen6 I asked the landscapers to put in a new fence along my boundary this is the new fence you can see in the picture.

I’m told that whilst they were doing this the neighbour asked them to remove the hedge and trees from the bottom of her garden. The area in front of the old fence.She paid them for this and it is entirely separate to what they did for me.

I’ve tidied the area which I accept was affected by my fence whilst she has not cleaned the area affected by her tree removal. This area is a shared courtyard for the houses including the neighbour whose house mine backs on to.

I never intended for my part of the hedge to be removed just cut down and trimmed back but apparently they had to remove it as it was so big and out of control to get to the boundary. They didn’t ask me before they did this. Equally I had no clue about nesting I’ve not seen anything they didn’t mention it, there are squirrels that I sometimes see but I don’t think they nest? I’m not sure though.

The landscapers would not have touched that area or removed anything because it wasn’t needed to do my fence which they were being paid for. I think but I’m happy to be told I’m wrong that I’ve rectified the mess I inadvertently made and anything more is for her to do.

OP posts:

user1471505356 · 27/04/2025 08:25

Possibly not your fault but still an issue.

Soontobe60 · 27/04/2025 08:33

INeedAnotherName · 25/04/2025 23:43

They can't report op on that basis.
Correct. But they can report the company she used.

For what exactly? It’s not illegal to cut garden hedges down at any time of year. The issue is whether there were active nests in the hedge. The OP said they checked and there were no nests, which is possible.

violetqueen6 · 27/04/2025 09:17

@HedgeWoes you sound like a good neighbour. You've cleared up a messy area, thought about the impact on your neighbours, gone out and tidied up and put up a top range fence.
It does look bleak and new right now but it will weather and plants will grow back
It is possible that there were nests and if so , then it's a shame it wasn't done in the winter but you relied on the contractors which isn't a crime.
I wish you were our neighbour!

Original poster

HedgeWoes · 28/04/2025 20:21

@violetqueen6 thank you so much for your understanding I don’t know why but I’d been so worried.

I never intended for the hedge to be removed just trimmed back from its 20 foot high and 12 foot wide state but apparently it was too out of control and smothered by the ivy to do anything with. I can’t bring the hedge back but I’ve at least tidied what is left over as a result of my fence being installed.

I’m not good at practical things that why I tend to pay people to try and ensure nothing goes wrong although it didn’t quite work out that way this time.

OP posts:

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