Overgrown conifer needs cutting back - opinions please

mjm3346

You can probably get it done cheaper than letting the council getting it done and then charging you

Really the council should have taken action before now and none of it should be on/above the pavement

FreeBear

Bendy_House said: If you cut a conifer pretty much right back to the ground, just leaving a stump, will new branches grow from it?

Nope. Conifers don't (normally) sprout back up from the stump. Best thing to do is prune them at ground level and then get a stump grinder in to remove the remains. That last step should stop stuff like honey fungus taking hold.

alleycat`

Mostly i'd agree with what has been said.

Cutting it back to that depth will just leave a chunk of dead innards which is unlikely to ever recover.

Now is a good time to do maintenance on it - as there's no nesting birds, etc (which is something else they can chuck at you when removing trees / hedges).

It's going to look shocking but I'd advise against just chopping it all down straight away because all of that very shallow root system will likely do a lot of ground level damage whilst it's dying off.

You probably would be best taking it back in stages and then, as suggested, grow something just back of the wall and maintain it regularly over time.

I'd "hope" that if you present a plan and rationale, and stick to it, the council would be amenable to doing it in a phased way.

This gives you some time to work out what you would like to replace it with.

There's nothing wrong with conifers but they need investment annually to keep them from becoming a royal PITA.

[Deleted User]

Bendy_House said:

If you cut a conifer pretty much right back to the ground, just leaving a stump, will new branches grow from it?

Depends entirely on the type, some will, some won't.
Lots of research needed !

twopenny

You do need to get in touch with the council and ask what your options are and that you have every intention of doing it.
What they say may well decide for you.
If they do it it will be on their terms and their non negotiable price.
I doubt very much that a professional can make any more difference tan anyone else. Besides there is no room for it to regrow on the roadside without constantly trimming back to a few inches all the time. Are you prepared for that commitment?
I occasionally got these letters when someone got her hat wet from an overhanging branch or similar but it was never a dense obstruction like this.

donemedosh

the conifers do need cutting back to the pavement. But if you cut conifers back to the brown/ dead wood they will not grow back & will look horrid for years. Your best option is to have them cut down & replant a privet hedge. You may get away with leaving the stumps but the conifers have to go

pollypenny

If it wasn't for the glimpse of a pink bin I'd think it was a house
at the bottom of our hill.   It's a mess and dangerous to pedestrians.  

TELLIT01

Well maintained conifers can look good and make very effective hedges.  The people next door but one to us have a tall conifer hedge which they cut back twice a year.  That has the joint effect of keeping it under control and preventing excess growth which would be brown when cut back.

gozaimasu

Write a letter/email to the council saying that you will comply, but ask them for more time than the 14 days.

I'd be confident bout tackling that myself with an appropriate ladder but the problem would be waste disposal. If I got such a letter from the council I'd assume a neighbour complained, so I'd find out who that neighbour is, and then ask to use their council garden waste bin. Ideally all of my neighbours who hated the conifer would be delighted to let me fill their garden waste bins!

Sounds like you want a professional anyway, but if I inherited a property like that it's how I'd go about it dealing with it initially. Not paying anyone for anything that I can do myself.

Bendy_House

Yes, very DIYable for a lot of people, and very cathartic too. KnownMaynard, you'll be glad to get rid of these. You will.

In any event, there's no option - you will need to cut it back to the boundary at least, and then it'll look hellish, whilst still demanding annual upkeep. Pointless.

If you do want to DIY it, then just start at the near end, and bow-saw it all through to remove branches in easily manageable sizes. Either fill up 'Hippo' bags with these and take them to the nearest recycle centre as you go along (if the centre is close with little Qs), or else stack it all on your drive first and dump later. Or even hire a chipper if you think you will use the chippings as mulch - or if a neighbour would.

I wouldn't be trying to find out which, if any, neighbour 'shopped' you, and certainly not asking to borrow anyone's green bins! There's a good chance it was reported by a member of the public, but most likely just someone who uses - who would like to use - that path. And they were right to.