Neighbour's creeper growing over my conservatory roof

littlerock

We moved into our Victorian house around 25 years ago. Five years later we had a lean to conservatory with a glass roof constructed in the side-return. This was built from the top of the party wall which is around 7 feet high. This was all carried out with the explicit approval of our neighbours at the time who planned to install their own conservatory on their side of the wall.

However they changed their minds a couple of years later and decided to sell up. The house was slow to move and they asked us if they could show prospective buyers our conservatory as an example of how the "dead" area in the side return could be utilised.

Following this, the house sold to professional couple who had come round and admired our conservatory beforehand and they expressed similar plans to expand into their side return. These changed to a reorganisation of the layout of the rooms at the back of the house. At the same time, he started filling up his garden with large rampant plants. The last time I was there, walking into the back rooms was like walking into a room in the jungle, more so in the garden.

As part of the junglification of the back of his house and garden, he grew a Virginian creeper up the party wall which divides our conservatory from his side return. Initially he kept this down to the height of the wall but more recently he has started growing large exotic flowering shrubs in a flower bed at the foot of the wall. The Virginia creeper is unpruned and is now halfway over our conservatory roof and starting to damage its structure.

We have no access to his garden to cut it back so have to rely upon him. He promises he will do so, "when the shrub has stopped flowering" and "when my back is better" and similar excuses but nothing happens. We have offered to go in and cut it ourselves under his supervision but he says he would rather do it himself so that we do not damage his plants.

We have always enjoyed cordial relations and do not want to fall out. He is not old, around 60, but has become rather eccentric since he retired. His wife is sweet but a recluse and never goes out. We are at a bit of a loss how to tackle it.

getmore4less

If you can get to any bit of the roof from your side

Steps/ladder and a Telescopic Garden Cutter.

Should have done this sooner if it is causing damage

Strider590

Just spray glyphosate weed killer at the bits on your side........... The fact it'll kill the whole thing is just something you "didn't know".

cam12

I would tell that its really beginning to damage your conservatory and you are going to have to come round and do it in the next 2 weeks if he can't \ won't

Aylesbury_Duck

littlerock wrote: »

We moved into our Victorian house around 25 years ago. Five years later we had a lean to conservatory with a glass roof constructed in the side-return. This was built from the top of the party wall which is around 7 feet high. This was all carried out with the explicit approval of our neighbours at the time who planned to install their own conservatory on their side of the wall.

However they changed their minds a couple of years later and decided to sell up. The house was slow to move and they asked us if they could show prospective buyers our conservatory as an example of how the "dead" area in the side return could be utilised.

Following this, the house sold to professional couple who had come round and admired our conservatory beforehand and they expressed similar plans to expand into their side return. These changed to a reorganisation of the layout of the rooms at the back of the house. At the same time, he started filling up his garden with large rampant plants. The last time I was there, walking into the back rooms was like walking into a room in the jungle, more so in the garden.

As part of the junglification of the back of his house and garden, he grew a Virginian creeper up the party wall which divides our conservatory from his side return. Initially he kept this down to the height of the wall but more recently he has started growing large exotic flowering shrubs in a flower bed at the foot of the wall. The Virginia creeper is unpruned and is now halfway over our conservatory roof and starting to damage its structure.

We have no access to his garden to cut it back so have to rely upon him. He promises he will do so, "when the shrub has stopped flowering" and "when my back is better" and similar excuses but nothing happens. We have offered to go in and cut it ourselves under his supervision but he says he would rather do it himself so that we do not damage his plants.

We have always enjoyed cordial relations and do not want to fall out. He is not old, around 60, but has become rather eccentric since he retired. His wife is sweet but a recluse and never goes out. We are at a bit of a loss how to tackle it.

If it's starting to damage your property, just get up there safely and cut back anything that is on or over your boundary to the boundary. You are obliged to offer your neighbours the cuttings and if he declines, you can dispose of them. Keeping on friendly terms is one thing, but him prevaricating whilst your property suffers isn't acceptable.

Davesnave

littlerock wrote: »

We are at a bit of a loss how to tackle it.

You can't, not safely I suspect, or without buying some fancy bit of kit, and why should you?

A wall 7' high is nothing to a virginia creeper. You will get this forever after, unless you make it plain that having the plant over your roof isn't an option, whether it's causing damage or not. It's the wrong plant in the wrong place.

Give the neighbour a week to get it cut back to the boundary and insist that they keep it on their side, which will be extremely onerous or unlikely to happen.....in which case the glyphosate route is the one to go down. Only very small amounts at normal dilutions on a paintbrush are needed; not enough to kill. It will take some time to act. The plant will just look sick.

You then deny everything, just like he's denying there's a problem, but he will get the hint, hopefully.

littlerock

thanks everyone