Neighbour's nightmare tree

silver17

Can anyone advise please?

I've lived here a couple years. My neighbour has a ridiculous tree - when I viewed before moving in, I knew it was big but it wasn't too bad. I thought it was still in "bushy summer mode" - apparently it was not. OH MY.

It is INSANE in spring/summer - blocks out some light to one room and fully to another (I often have to turn the light on when it's still daylight). It isn't one of them tall trees, but it is around attic height and is really wide in every direction and in summer gets really bushy!

I asked last summer about chopping it a bit as I'd had enough. They snipped a handful of edges which made no difference. They did leave the cuttings in my garden though which was nice. They also came in to do the "work" without telling me, once they knew I was out. Not trespassing at all.........

I can't even put a washing line out because of this tree - clothes will DEFINITELY get pooped on, and won't get any sun anyway! With cost of living, I don't want to have to use my tumble unless necessary, and I hate having to use a clothes horse which takes far longer and risks damp issues! They have a clothes line proudly displayed in the area that doesn't ever NOT get sun............. And I get to see them sunning themselves around their garden, literally following the sun some days!!! It feels like I'm being mocked, in all honesty.

I don't want to destroy the aesthetics of their tree OR ruin things for wildlife but I need daylight! They get all the morning/afternoon/early evening sun and I get about half an hour of it in a sliver when it comes through an elusive gap.

I know I can cut what overhangs but I want to keep good relations with them as they're not bad people usually. I'm looking at certified tree surgeons to do the work.

I am just hoping someone can advise on how to approach all this with the neighbour as I know they will get angry when they spot me getting quotes? Should I invite them into my property so they can see how bad the tree ruins my home? How do I talk to them about this?

Thanks in advance!

ArbitraryRandom

A suggested approach would be to first talk to them - thank them for trimming the tree - but explain that you meant something a bit more drastic as it's blocking light to your garden, giving a reason (not being able to use your line/maybe insurance?).

Depending on how they respond, say you were thinking about asking a qualified tree surgeon if there's a way to remove the bulk of the material overhanging your garden without harming the tree. Confirm you're not asking them for money. You can make it an offer for the tree surgeon to also remove material from their side to keep the tree balanced? And you can ask if they would like the wood or if they would like you to dispose of it. 

-taff

Get some quotes to take off as much as possible, do as above, explain you're fed up of bird poo on your clothing and having no shade in your garden except the shade they want you to have, and say, nicely, I understand you like the tree but I will be speaking to tree surgeons for quotes because the tree is having much more of an impact on my life than I'm prepared to put up with. And it as very rude and presumptuous of them to plant on the boundary, expecting other neighbours to enjoy their choices without thinking through the consequences of a very large tree growing.

It;s your house and garden, who cares if the neighbours you say you are annoyed with see you talking to people in your garden? 

We've had exactly this problem but with a multi stemmed leylandii which is over 45 foot now, which is hopefully coming down next week, because we are paying for it to be done, after asking the neighbour for years to trim the tree, we trimmed everything we could trim on our side, the tree is growing into the next door neighbours craft room, the other one's shed, and has pushed our fence and concrete post way out of true so a panel will no longer sit in properly and I've had to screw it to the tree to keep it there [and this is after her moaning her dog kept escaping through our garden - hello consequences to your actions my lovely. SO I feel your pain completely and wish you well in the resolving.

-taff

But...I would definitely try the softly softly approach as outlined by AR first because I get quite het up when I think about it and may have come across a bit agressive

elsien

-taff said:

Get some quotes to take off as much as possible, do as above, explain you're fed up of bird poo on your clothing and having no shade in your garden except the shade they want you to have, and say, nicely, I understand you like the tree but I will be speaking to tree surgeons for quotes because the tree is having much more of an impact on my life than I'm prepared to put up with. And it as very rude and presumptuous of them to plant on the boundary, expecting other neighbours to enjoy their choices without thinking through the consequences of a very large tree growing.

It;s your house and garden, who cares if the neighbours you say you are annoyed with see you talking to people in your garden? 

We've had exactly this problem but with a multi stemmed leylandii which is over 45 foot now, which is hopefully coming down next week, because we are paying for it to be done, after asking the neighbour for years to trim the tree, we trimmed everything we could trim on our side, the tree is growing into the next door neighbours craft room, the other one's shed, and has pushed our fence and concrete post way out of true so a panel will no longer sit in properly and I've had to screw it to the tree to keep it there [and this is after her moaning her dog kept escaping through our garden - hello consequences to your actions my lovely. SO I feel your pain completely and wish you well in the resolving.

Tree directly on boundary and tree planted by current neighbours are both presumptions which may or may not be correct. Probably best not to go there unless the OP wants to escalate the situation. 

I go along with the softly softly talking to them approach to start with, following ArbitraryRandom’s suggestions. 

theoretica

You asked them to trim the tree where it overhangs your garden and then get upset because they came into your garden to do it?  That one puzzles me, what did you think you were asking them to do?

silver17

theoretica said:

You asked them to trim the tree where it overhangs your garden and then get upset because they came into your garden to do it?  That one puzzles me, what did you think you were asking them to do?

My issue was they didn't discuss their plans with me after my initial conversation, and they **entered MY property unnannounced** and while they knew I was out. They also left the trimmings of the measly few branches they took off behind which did not remotely resolve the issue. THIS was my issue. Had they spoken with me, we agreed what was going and when they could enter, it would be no issue.

silver17

ArbitraryRandom said:

A suggested approach would be to first talk to them - thank them for trimming the tree - but explain that you meant something a bit more drastic as it's blocking light to your garden, giving a reason (not being able to use your line/maybe insurance?).

Depending on how they respond, say you were thinking about asking a qualified tree surgeon if there's a way to remove the bulk of the material overhanging your garden without harming the tree. Confirm you're not asking them for money. You can make it an offer for the tree surgeon to also remove material from their side to keep the tree balanced? And you can ask if they would like the wood or if they would like you to dispose of it. 

I did suggest this actually but "we really love our tree" and I backed off. They are the kind of people who have lived on the street the longest so they feel what they say goes. I don't want to disrupt the street...

silver17

-taff said:

Get some quotes to take off as much as possible, do as above, explain you're fed up of bird poo on your clothing and having no shade in your garden except the shade they want you to have, and say, nicely, I understand you like the tree but I will be speaking to tree surgeons for quotes because the tree is having much more of an impact on my life than I'm prepared to put up with. And it as very rude and presumptuous of them to plant on the boundary, expecting other neighbours to enjoy their choices without thinking through the consequences of a very large tree growing.

It;s your house and garden, who cares if the neighbours you say you are annoyed with see you talking to people in your garden? 

We've had exactly this problem but with a multi stemmed leylandii which is over 45 foot now, which is hopefully coming down next week, because we are paying for it to be done, after asking the neighbour for years to trim the tree, we trimmed everything we could trim on our side, the tree is growing into the next door neighbours craft room, the other one's shed, and has pushed our fence and concrete post way out of true so a panel will no longer sit in properly and I've had to screw it to the tree to keep it there [and this is after her moaning her dog kept escaping through our garden - hello consequences to your actions my lovely. SO I feel your pain completely and wish you well in the resolving.

Oh wow, you definitely seem to be having it worse! Glad you can see where I'm coming from though. The tree wasn't originally on the boundary though, it was midway in their garden, but after 40+ years, trees "walk"... and somehow this one gained extra trunks. It's excessive. I wouldn't be surprised if in 10-20 years, the tree trunk was literally in my garden.

ArbitraryRandom

silver17 said:

ArbitraryRandom said:

A suggested approach would be to first talk to them - thank them for trimming the tree - but explain that you meant something a bit more drastic as it's blocking light to your garden, giving a reason (not being able to use your line/maybe insurance?).

Depending on how they respond, say you were thinking about asking a qualified tree surgeon if there's a way to remove the bulk of the material overhanging your garden without harming the tree. Confirm you're not asking them for money. You can make it an offer for the tree surgeon to also remove material from their side to keep the tree balanced? And you can ask if they would like the wood or if they would like you to dispose of it. 

I did suggest this actually but "we really love our tree" and I backed off. They are the kind of people who have lived on the street the longest so they feel what they say goes. I don't want to disrupt the street...

You really have three choices: accept it; do it without discussing it with them again; discuss it with them again.  

If it were me, I'd bring it up again as I've suggested above (that you appreciate the trim but it's not really fixed the problem and you're thinking about getting someone in - not asking permission, but not out right telling them to lump it).

It's the wrong time of the year to seriously prune so just leave the idea hanging as something you're thinking about. If they say they love the tree then you can agree with them that it's a lovely tree, just a shame that it's overhanging your garden so much. No need to push or argue, just keep bringing it up in conversation, agree and commiserate with them about the problem. 

They'll probably still be annoyed, but they can't complain you're being unreasonable or that you didn't give them warning, and that might be the best you can do in the situation. 

Dustyevsky

silver17 said:

ArbitraryRandom said:

A suggested approach would be to first talk to them - thank them for trimming the tree - but explain that you meant something a bit more drastic as it's blocking light to your garden, giving a reason (not being able to use your line/maybe insurance?).

Depending on how they respond, say you were thinking about asking a qualified tree surgeon if there's a way to remove the bulk of the material overhanging your garden without harming the tree. Confirm you're not asking them for money. You can make it an offer for the tree surgeon to also remove material from their side to keep the tree balanced? And you can ask if they would like the wood or if they would like you to dispose of it. 

I did suggest this actually but "we really love our tree" and I backed off. They are the kind of people who have lived on the street the longest so they feel what they say goes.

What they say does 'go,' regardless of the time any of you have lived there. You have been resident only for a few years, so you bought in the knowledge that the tree could cast shadow and that it would not get smaller. Like the person who buys a house next to a pub, or a neighbour with several partially 'restored' cars on their drive, it is too late after exchanging contracts to look beyond the boundaries and want to exert influence there!

If you are charming and they are reasonable folk, you may persuade the neighbours to see things your way, but it's not guaranteed. The line of Leylandii that caused my wife and I to move when they were planted in 1987 is still there, and our lovely little town garden is still in shade nearly 40 years on. C'est la vie. There were other houses.

One question nobody's asked so far, apart from what it is, is whether the tree is protected by a TPO.