neighbour cutting down my hedge that I planted for privacy

kate83

I know this isn't moneysaving and probably too long but my neighbours built a conservatory a foot away from the joint fence. Which would be fine but the side is clear glass and stands 4foot above the top of the fence - I felt that I lost all privacy in my garden so I planted a hedge, entirely on my side of the fence.
The hedge (berberis) has finally grown to just above the height of the fence but the neighbours have decided it needed tidying up and have cut it back. Now I don't mind them cutting anything that overhangs, that's their right but they have leant over and cut most of the top off, which is all on my side. It is now 5' high, the same as the fence. I think they have done it because they like to stand on top of the fence to wash the conservatory and obviously berberis is a little scratchy. They do the same to the front hedge but that is at least a joint hedge.

They generally keep themselves to themselves but have to have a clinically tidy garden whereas mine is more a wildlife/child centred one and it just feels like a passive aggressive move. I don't want to start a war, I've had much worse neighbours so know there are bigger things to worry about but at the same time why should they be able to just cut down my plants without asking. The trouble is we are not even on nodding hello terms, we get glared at for saying hello so just knocking on the door and having a chat about it is going to be seen as confrontational.
I genuinely think she has OCD, any ideas on how I could approach this? (I would like to build an extension the same size as their conservatory but cannot afford at the moment)

Mojisola

The neighbours can cut back anything growing over their side of the boundary but not reduce the height of your hedge.

How do you stop them doing it? Ask nicely, tell them they are breaking the law, get an injunction against them - no easy way, really.

As you have planted a very prickly plant, could you fit something between their fence and your hedge so that the prickles don't bother them - reed or bamboo screening, for instance?

I_have_spoken

Assuming there's no local covenant on fence height, you could install a 12" trellis on your side the fence, kind of inserted between the fence and berberis. If they attempt to remove that, it's criminal damage.

NB are the houses on a slope, I'm struggling to imagine a conservatory where the glass is that high above a 5' fence. just saying.

Alfrescodave

The effect of them "trimming" your hedge will probably result in a lot of new growth resulting in a more bushy thick hedge which will eventually shoot up above the fence.
A generous amount of fertiliser might help this growth process!

wellused

Child centred does burberis fit in with child centred?

Davesnave

wellused wrote: »

Child centred does burberis fit in with child centred?

Yes, it does, unless the child is one of those cosseted youngsters, who can't think for themselves or cope with novel situations, because their parents have removed all hazards from their universe.

DaftyDuck

Well, at least somebody thought of the children.....

rach_k

If you don't want to talk to them about it, can you put some sort of mesh at the top on your side of the fence, the kind of thing you might use to keep birds off seeds? It will stop them leaning over the boundary to cut the hedge and give them a definite line to cut back to.

londonTiger

Davesnave wrote: »

Yes, it does, unless the child is one of those cosseted youngsters, who can't think for themselves or cope with novel situations, because their parents have removed all hazards from their universe.

reminds me all the primary school kids who wear high vis jackets when they leave the school gates for a group outing. Or the school that forces kids to wear goggles when playing conkers. LOL

londonTiger

I suspect they've cut the plant because it was blocking some of the sun which may have been needed if they were growing plants in the conservatory.

they have no lawful right to give your plants a trim in your garden. having said that didn't someone mention leylandii overgrowth and that they needed to be a no taller than the fence and a proposed law was put forward to force gardeners to cut back leylandii to below the height of the fence.

Mojisola

londonTiger wrote: »

having said that didn't someone mention leylandii overgrowth and that they needed to be a no taller than the fence and a proposed law was put forward to force gardeners to cut back leylandii to below the height of the fence.

The High Hedge law rarely (if ever) results in having to cut an evergreen hedge down to 2m. It's most often used when a neighbour has let their leylandii grow to ridiculous heights.

It also costs the complainant several hundred pounds to make the complaint.