what do you think?

[Barbara]

the lady (old witch really) who lives next door,hasn't cut her front lawn, or the privets between us all year.
when we cut our's,
her side sticks up and just looks a mess,
to-day my hubby trimmed the said privets then went into her garden and cut her side, i think world war 3 could break out,
and i dont think he should have done it do you i'm dreading her coming home from work, think i'll go out for a while at 5-30. barbara( who just likes a quiet life)

[snowowl]

Why does she not cut her lawn or hedge Barbara? I have the same problem with my elderly neighbour.
She cant do her garden herself but she pays a profesional to do it for her but hes a lazy git and never touches her boarders the birds have carried seed and things are growing wild.
She has gone on a hospital visit today so iv been out with my cutters.
I cant blame you for feeling bad but if she doesnt do it herself she should be pleased your OH as timmed it for her.
If only we had neighbours who thought like us.
The other side of me has a weeping willow at the side of the fence and thats been the bain of my life for years.
My lawn is never tidy because of the leaves from it i would love to chop it down but they dont seem to care.



This is my fence thier bloody tree.

[beanie]

i'm a coward and always try to avoid confrontation, probably would have been better to tell your neighbour that you would be cutting the hedge and ask her if she would like you to trim her half at the same time. i would be a bit annoyed if someone came into my garden and started to work without my permission. my neighbour is older than me so we have agreed that if she does her half of her hedge we will do our side and the top.

[Barbara]

i just dont think she likes gardening,
last year she strimmed the lawn once.
it's just a mess, but i dont think we should interfere.
a man comes and does other gardens in the street once a fortnight.
he only charges £10 not a lot, imo

[Rosefriend]

Well our direct neighbour is the same and does nothing as I have said before on here.

We now do not get any sun on the terrace early morning now because of his hedge/trees that he refuses to cut down. We used to cut his hedge every year and then he got a bit funny about it all.

My OH went across recently and once again asked him to mow his "lawn" - the answer was that he was too busy and hadn't the time.

Busy means watching TV from 7am until 2/3 am the next day.

I daren't go across because I am really getting so angry that I would say something that I would regret and my OH came back last time shaking he was so angry.

Not worth it all really and yet by just saying - "I am too busy, or I can't be bothered" people tend to get away with everything.

The laws here in Germany are very strict but if I do use them, I risk that we live next door to someone and we never speak again.

Well I don't want that - so we put up with it all.

RF

[thecleaninglady]

Barbara, I hope it doesn't end in the outbreak of World War 3 for you.
In my last house, the front lawn between us and next door had no division. I always just used to cut my half though and they cut theirs, when they were able (they both worked shifts and were also away a lot. One year when they were away, I cut all the lawn and tidied their borders, but then I felt guilty. I went round when they got back, to confess. Fortunately, they were delighted and after that I always did their front garden when I did mine. (I had time as I was at home with 2 little ones).
However, it has worked the other way for me too. I once cut my sister's lawn when she was on holiday, so it looked neat for her return. But my brother- in -law was not impressed. Apparently I hadn't started the stripes from the right end!! I never did it again.

[Weeterrier]

I'd try to make out that you did it out of the goodness of your heart. If she complains, put on a sad expression and say you are terribly sorry with a really regretful voice. If that doesn't work, strangle her.

I'm lucky in that neighbours on both sides insisted that all the hedges were mine, so I cut them as short as I like. Of course, I have to do all sides, but it good to know no-one can complain. They know they are on to a good thing!

As for that tree Snowowl, that is awful. Does it overhang the fence? Because you can cut it back quite legally. It looks as if it is making your garden so dark.

[nightowl]

The law as I understand it WT, is that you may cut off what is overhanging your property, but you must give what you have cut off back to them.

Should think it would add insult to injury to come home to find half your tree gone and a big pile of branches lobbed over the fence, , but that is, apparently the law (may be different in Scotland of course, most laws are)

[snowowl]

WT we had a proffesional cut it back last year that was overhanging our garden it cost us 125 pound.The photo is not showing its full height you cant reach the top its huge.
I hate it its right near my fence but on there side its in a corner of their garden so not so troublesome.

[nightowl]

BTW, you think Snowowl's got trouble WT?

These are the "protected" Silver Birches that hang over my garden, and that's not showing the full height!!!

Luckily they don't block the sun ........ The tree-hugger at the council won't even let me take a branch off!

[prodigal gardener]

Crikey !

[snowowl]

You have my every sympathy N O the leaves you must get in your gutters.
I didnt no silver birch was protected the old lady the other side to the willow next to me has a massive silver birch i get all the leaves in my kitchen if i leave the back door open on a warm day.
It just isnt fair on people who have to put up with the mess and shade.
The tree looks very close to your house hope you are not having any damage by its roots.

[flowersfriend]

I feel for anybody who has neighbors huge trees or hedges next to their garden or house. I thought there was a law about trees if they were over a certain hight??? It must be miserable if they take your view or light. I must look into this law as we have have horrible laylandii behind our house, OH cuts our side as much as we can but it is very dangerous as he has to use a very long ladder and then lean backwards!!!! it scares me to death. The neighbor actually said "he wanted to see how high they would grow"!

Our other neighbor is across a narrow lane and they have loads of fern growing all along their wall. We also have an old sandstone wall. The seed from their fern lodges in our wall and grows... OH has to go around there and cut the fern every year before it seeds... We ring our farmer neighbor every year and they always say they were going to do it and never got round to it, so they are gratefully that it is done. Two different neighbors similar problems, both taken on by us, one is pleased, one is not! Hopefully (old witch) lady will be pleased, and you have inherited a job every year or if not whats done is done. Maybe next time she might consider sorting it out herself !

[prodigal gardener]

You know what - maybe she will be grateful that your OH has saved her a job ? Well it could happen Let us know what goes off, well me any way I'm terribly nosey ;D

[Weeterrier]

nolawn said:

The law as I understand it WT, is that you may cut off what is overhanging your property, but you must give what you have cut off back to them.

Should think it would add insult to injury to come home to find half your tree gone and a big pile of branches lobbed over the fence, , but that is, apparently the law (may be different in Scotland of course, most laws are)

No, it's the same up here, and I agree about the insult to injury.

[Weeterrier]

I was thinking about your tree today, Nightowl, when I was outside my house and looking at my Silver Birches. It is an entirely different set up here, as we are in a rural community, and none of the trees are near our houses. Remember I told you about my neighbour who said my tree robbed her of light (for sunbathing) , even although the sun is in the wrong bit of the sky for that, Had she been out today, I was going to send you a couple of photographs of her garden. Everything she has is overgrown and that is what is robbing her of light.
My trees aren't anything like yours, they must be far younger. That one is certainly wrongly placed. I wonder why it is protected? If it was an ancient oak, i would understand. Strange.

[Weeterrier]

Sorry, I should think before pressing the button.

Barbara, I didn't see anything on the six o'clock news about WW111, Has your neighbour not arrived home yet?

[Weeterrier]

Come on, Barbara. What happened??

[nightowl]

snowowl said:

You have my every sympathy N O the leaves you must get in your gutters.
I didnt no silver birch was protected the old lady the other side to the willow next to me has a massive silver birch i get all the leaves in my kitchen if i leave the back door open on a warm day.
It just isnt fair on people who have to put up with the mess and shade.
The tree looks very close to your house hope you are not having any damage by its roots.

I don't think Birch is protected generally, and certainly shouldn't be round here, they are weeds!

But it is a large and fairly modern ( just over 20 years) estate so they put an order on all the trees left between the houses, to keep the "rural" illusion. The Council "Arboricultural Officer" is a bit of a tree-hugger I think. Nothing wrong with that, in its place.........but

There is a HUGE Oak, not very close to me but causing others big problems, and he won't allow that to be cut back! And he told me he would only allow the birches to be felled if they were diseased, and even then would demand that they be replaced!! Won't even let us get the tops taken out!

There is an optical illusion on the pic, roots are not really that close, cos they lean towards me, and Birches don't have a huge root spread.

Now there's a comforting thought on a wild and windy night!! ;D ;D

Btw, anyone want any Birch seedlings? I am selling them by the 1000!!!! ;D ;D

Also btw Flowersfriend, I think you may find there are new rules about problem Leylandii, and quite strict height limitations on them now because of the trouble they can cause. You might very well have the law on your side over those!

[nightowl]

Just popped out to take a pic of the trees (sorry it's a bit dingy, so's the weather! ) Taken from the open ground kids play area (aka the slug and snail landing pad!) ;D

Shows how big the Oak tree (centre to right) is, and that's very near houses that you can't see. A lot bigger than the Birches, and they are about 50-60ft!!!! My lickle house in bottom left corner.

[Barbara]

she did'nt go into one for a change, she just sort of scuttled in to the house.
the man the other side got a solicitors letter when he cut the privet on the other side ;D
maybe i should wait for the postie

[Weeterrier]

No sigh of relief yet then Barbara? She should spend her money on the gardener rather than a solicitor.

[Weeterrier]

Here are photos of my neighbours house. She says my trees ruin her view and rob her of light.
One photo is of her lounge and bedroom windows, almost obscured by climbers. Very lovely, no criticisms. The other photo is of her own tree directly in front of her windows. I think perhaps her problems start closer to home. ;D Sweet wee house though.

[cjhomebird]

Apparently (and a solicitor told me this so it must be correct) No one has a right to light!! :-/So the sunbathing lady needs to move house, I suggest the middle of a field.!!
And Silver Birch trees are short lived (again I have been told,but not by a solicitor) they only live about twenty years and they can come crashing down at anytime, as the ones in our local woods do all the time. So maybe the neighbors with the silver birch might wish they had cut them down.
But I may be wrong on both counts.

CJ

[Weeterrier]

You are certainly correct about the first one! Don't know how I know that?

[cjhomebird]

Funny how we know certain things. I always say I am full of useless information. ;D
CJ

[Biggles]

I always thought that when someone seeks planning permission for an extention it had to be a certain height so as not to take the light from their neighbours. If this is correct it should follow that trees that exclude light should also be controlled by "Planning Laws"
If the trees are not protected surely you can complain?

[nightowl]

cjhomebird said:

Apparently (and a solicitor told me this so it must be correct) No one has a right to light!! :-/So the sunbathing lady needs to move house, I suggest the middle of a field.!!
And Silver Birch trees are short lived (again I have been told,but not by a solicitor) they only live about twenty years and they can come crashing down at anytime, as the ones in our local woods do all the time. So maybe the neighbors with the silver birch might wish they had cut them down.
But I may be wrong on both counts.

CJ

CJ, the neighbours would be as happy as me to cut them down, but we are not allowed to!

And if they fall down, they will fall in my garden cos they are already leaning that way!!!!

[cjhomebird]

I really do not understand these laws with trees.
I know we need them and I love trees, but in the right places.
When builders put up new house why do they insist on planting trees that are obviously going to grow to enormous proportions and swamp the neighbourhood?
Perhaps these companies need some of us guys to give them some gardening info. ;D
CJ

[bagpuss]

I agree CJ, I think they could use some advice. One thing that really bugs me about trees and where they are planted, is when they are planted in paved areas.

I will now get off my soap-box!