Neighbour's garden

[stowfelda]

My elderly neighbour's garden is composed mainly of briar which I have to cut off regularly ( you need leather gloves to even touch it). It has now grown over the top of his 7ft high leylandii and great swathes of it are hanging over my garden and because it is so high I can't reach it and have to pay a gardener to cut it off which is expensive. I have spoken to him and his only response is "It's your problem - just cut it off and sling it over the fence".Is there anything I can do? Can I ask the council to intervene? I am at my wit's end and it's making me ill. When I moved in I had to get a new fence because his was broken and he showed now sign of mending it. I would be grateful for any advice. Thanks in advance.

[bednobs]

i think your neighbour is probably right - I don't think he is obliged to pay for your gardener. Why is briar that is more than 7 feet off the ground making you ill? As regards to fences there is no obligation to even have a fence, let alone mend one that's there

[bookbinder]

bednobs' answer sounds a bit harsh, stowfelda, but I think that it's a correct answer. I can understand that you don't like the look of all that foliage hanging over on your side, but, unless your neighbour is a council tenant, I don't think that there's much, if anything, that you can do about it.

[bednobs]

sorry, i didn't mean it to sound harsh at all, just wanting to understand how briars can make someone ill!

[stowfelda]

Don't actually think that I said I wanted him to pay for a gardener! And I had a fence because I don't want a garden full of briar!

[bookbinder]

How about paying a visit to the Citizens Advice Bureau? Or a solicitor? I believe that the first half-hour of a solicitor's time is (or used to be) free.

[LoftyLottie]

You moved there knowing what the garden next door was like.

Bednobs answer is correct.

Your neighbour is correct to. He has said you can cut anything your side and is willing to let you throw it back over to him. He doesn't have to agree to have it put back over his fence. It is your obligation to remove it if he doesn't want it back.

If I were you. I would just do as he suggests, have it cut back and throw the cut brambles back over the hedge.

[Jemisa]

You've said it yourself stowfelda he's elderly.You can't expect him to do anything, it probably bugs him too. If its on your side of the fence its your responsibility. You'll be old one day.

jem

[Old_Geezer]

Elderly folk can't always cope with things as they used to, so I'm not surprised if he lets the briar grow. Probably see it as a deterrent to burglars anyway. You can offer to do his garden for him, as a favour, but unless you can prove it's causing you the sort of problem you can protest to the council about, I suspect he is at liberty to grow any legal plant he wishes.

[LoftyLottie]

If he has 7' leylandii and a there is a fence once the brambles are cut down and put over his side you won't see them any more - so what is the problem.

[TonyV]

if it's just the brambles - you could try a systemic weedkiller on fresh growth - will kill it, but won't look pretty

[LoftyLottie]

Are but Tony, they are the neighbours brambles and as such you can't legally apply weedkiller to them. You can cut them back, but you can't kill them. I doubt if the neighbour would notice though.

[Jemisa]

Whoever mentioned getting in touch with the council? If its his property the council will not get involved to cut back someones overgrown brambles. (They don't cut back their own) They are too busy doing cut-backs everywhere else.
There are charities that do OAPs gardens, make some inquiries.

jem

[TonyV]

loftie - was'nt suggesting putting copper nails into the conifers, but treating the inevitable spread of brambles underground

[LoftyLottie]

Ah yes, but still technically the neighbours brambles Tony!! I wasn't thinking of the conifers, just the brambles. ;o)

[TonyV]

loftie - what would your solution be - my next action would be "high hedge act" about conifers, which is difficult and expensive - but if plants are sprouting on your land, you are allowed to prune them?

[LoftyLottie]

Prune them yes, but not kill them as far as I am aware.

That would include overhanging branches and roots.

Mind you in this case I don't think the neighbour would complain or even realise that some of his brambles had been poisoned.

What I would do is just cut the brambles my side and toss them over into neighbours garden, as the neighbour suggested. Any roots that come through I would dig up. Which is exactly what I do in our garden with stuff that comes through from next door, and what our neighbours do with our stuff.

If the neighbours garden has other problems, i.e. rubbish, rats, etc. and if it is an eyesore to the neighbourhood then action can be taken by councils. If nobody can really see all the brambles then there is little you can do.

[LoftyLottie]

Our hedges are high. Always have been. However, we live in a very rural situation and have big rambling gardens. Different in a normal street I would imagine.

[Nosha123]

"When I moved in I had to get a new fence because his was broken and he showed now sign of mending it"


Have some patience.. your neighbour is an old man.. and may have limited funds to live on.. so may not have money to splash out on new fencing etc.
It shouldnt be worthy of worrying you so much it makes you ill though.. .. Many people have far more stress in their lives than an overgrown plant.. and dont make themselves ill! Try to be a bit more rational!
If you were to speak to your neighbour instead of posting here.. he may be kind enough to allow you access to his garden and cut the plant at the stem near the ground!

[notasyoungasiwas]

Do you live alone stowfelda? I understand how daunting things can be if you have no-one to turn to or help you.

[TonyV]

Nosha - in original posting
I have spoken to him and his only response is "It's your problem - just cut it off and sling it over the fence".