Bit worried about neighbours tree

MrsE_2

My new neighbours have a tree which is growing fast.
They have not lived there long & seem a little unfriendly, so I want some advice BEFORE I even think about saying anything to them.

I don't know if this is any of my business or not.

When we moved in, I removed all the Leylandi that were on my side as they were close to the house & wild & out of control.


So now we have a nice fence.

There is a gap between us of a few feet a the narrowest & about 14 feet at the widest.

Most of this tranigular section is on their land. They have a tree planted in it (BEFORE they moved in). Its got cone shaped buds/fruit/funny looking things on it.

Its right up near the boundary fence (mine) & is therefore pretty close to my house, about 6 foot from the trunk. Its also closeish to their house, say 8 foot (or maybe a bit more).

We've only been here 2 years & it seems to be growing pretty fast.

Is this the type of tree that might end up quite big?
Its branches over hang my fence already?

Do you think I am right to be concerned about the house foundations?

Do I have any rights to ask them (nicely) if they might consider chopping it down?

Or is it none of my business, untill it does become a problem?

Thanks

relay

Unless it is causing problems with your property directly then i would say it's propbably better not to say anything. You say they are unfriendly so they might not take kindly to being told what to do with thier own property. You said it was already there before they moved in so why didn't you say anything to the previous owner?

From your description it sounds a little like Rhus Typhinia (Sumach Tree) which is not to much tall but more of a wide tree. Can't say for sure without a picture. If it over hangs your property then you are entitled to take off any overhanging branches but telling them to chop it down is not really your place unless it is already directly causing problems to your property & if it's the tree i think it is then it wont cause structual damage anyway because they are very shallow rooted, you might just get suckers popping up around the root area.

MrsE_2

relay wrote: »

Unless it is causing problems with your property directly then i would say it's propbably better not to say anything. You say they are unfriendly so they might not take kindly to being told what to do with thier own property. You said it was already there before they moved in so why didn't you say anything to the previous owner?

From your description it sounds a little like Rhus Typhinia (Sumach Tree) which is not to much tall but more of a wide tree. Can't say for sure without a picture. If it over hangs your property then you are entitled to take off any overhanging branches but telling them to chop it down is not really your place unless it is already directly causing problems to your property & if it's the tree i think it is then it wont cause structual damage anyway because they are very shallow rooted, you might just get suckers popping up around the root area.

BINGO thats the one. Glad you say its shallow, thats all I'm worried about.

I don't want to bother them, unless its likely to bother me IYKWIM:D

Thank you.

Browntoa

grows like a weed !!

MrsE_2

Browntoa wrote: »

grows like a weed !!

Really or are you joking:D

Mojisola

You are in for years of problems! Those shallow roots send up suckers whenever they can - in the wild one shrub spreads and spreads and makes an immense thicket. The roots will also push up tarmac and crack concrete as they grow and thicken.

See this:
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0903/sumach_suckers.asp

I think you may have to sink an impenetrable vertical barrier between you and the tree, below your fence, and keep a look-out for any shoots that make it past that.

If they decide to take the plant out some time in the future, keep an even better look-out because every bit of root in the ground will send out shoots!

On the good side - the autumn colour of the leaves is amazing!

autismmum

i thin they a re lovely to look at and im trying to get one for my garden, they will keep shooting in other places but you can just cut them off at ground level. not as bad as bamboo.

relay

Lets try and keep it in perspective though. Yes it is well know for suckering but it doesn't happen overnight & the reality is the suckers most frequently grow from damaged bits of root - that's why they are best put in a place where you don't intend to dig closely around them & where the surface of the soil does not get disturbed, that said they can be a pain in the bum for throwing up suckers but you can (as already mentioned) sink a physical barrier into the fenceline to stop the roots traveling under to your side.

Rest assured that in size terms ther are not classed as a large tree, i have seen full grown specimens that never got more that 6-8ft high, they tend to be a low spreading tree with a light canopy & get fantastic autumn colour.

A word of warning however - the milky sap inside the leaves and stems is very toxic and can burn the skin so if you do decide to do a bit of pruning on your side or pull up any suckers make sure to wear gloves and don't get the juice on your skin because it can be nasty stuff.

System

You think you've got problems. Not my next door neighbour but the other side of them, they have a eucalyptus tree which is double the hight of their house. I am quite confident that if it came down, dependent on which direction, it would hit our house.

I know these trees are prone to grow to great heights and that normally they are safe, but you can't be 100% sure. As we are two houses away, not next to it, I doubt we would have any say in having it reduced in size.

My best bet I think is to constantly wind my neighbour up by asking if they have adequate insurance just in case so that they do something about it.

and finally, the man of the house, is a gardener (at a public school,) so you would have thought he'd be aware of the situation. They spend the most part of their free time in a pub (their choice) so there isn't much of an opportunity to accidently bump into them to discuss the matter.

relay

We had the same situation next door but one with a ridiculously out of control Eucalyptus, fortunately when the new people moved in they had it removed for insurance purposes............then guess what the people directly next door planted 12ft from my bay window - which so far has fallen into my garden twice in storms? LOL

Browntoa

I had a eucalyptus tree , nice little thing when i moved in 14 years ago

when chopped down last year it was ALREADY the size of most full grown Oak trees