Huge tree, big clear up.

We had a row of leylandii trees at the back when we moved into our house. The neighbours had already had huge rows with the owner who refused to do anything. Our whole back garden was in shade and the view from the kitchen was just green trees.

One August bank holiday our neighbours found their garden drain blocked. It runs through our garden and then through the back neighbour’s. The drain cover just outside back neighbour’s garden, actually in a patch of no-man’s land was completely blocked with tree roots from the leyandii trees . It would not have affected the back neighbour so we did not bother asking him to contribute, but it was very expensive to call out dynorod, which next door neighbour and we shared the cost of. The trees stayed like that for another five years until the old man died and the house was sold.

The next owner cut them down and roots were cut out. I came home one day and was shocked at the light now pouring into the house. Wonderful. However, the neighbours then built a concrete block wall around their garden and now grow brambles. They strim them a couple of times a year but most of the time the brambles grow and grow, over the wall, across the strip of no man’s land and up under our fence. It’s a constant battle to cut them back and keep them at bay. They only strip the brambles in their actual garden and ignore the rest.

To all people affected by tree problems, you have my sympathy.

Whether there is anything you can do about the tree or not, why not get it inspected for safety? Maybe that will at least give you some peace of mind if you know the tree won't be falling. Of course, if inspection does show a danger, then you may have grounds for some action over the tree.

PS you use a rope or two to steer the fall in the desired direction.

Nongran, some trees are not going to pose any danger when they are removed, and a good handyman can cut them down without having to climb into the tree. I had a 40 ft eucalyptus removed (stump retained) for £150 by an efficient man who studued how it would fall and then cut it in one saw cut. He ensured it fell within my garden, and did as little damage as possible.

My sons are going to cut major branches off another eucalyptus at the weekend and I insist they will not be climbing with chain saw.I'd get the £15o treee man back but sons like to help.

Thanks to all of you who've responded to me with kindness and helpful comments.
For clarity I'll briefly mop up the points raised in some responses.
The tree is a Liriodendron tulipifera.
I had written to my neighbour in kind and friendly terms.
I have followed up with a short conversation when we were both sweeping up last weekend.
I have offered a contribution for lopping/reduction in height which has been deemed "not enough".
I don't necessarily want the tree felled.
I will just have to live with the massive seed heads & weeks of clearing up huge leaves.
I'm hoping a tree surgeon can visit soon to quote for legally lopping those branches overhanging my garden.
I do grow shade loving plants.
My garden is what I would call "loose & relaxed" & not uptight at all! Ferns, fuschias, Japanese Anemones, Clematis, Roses, Cranesbill etc & very small.
Apparently the tree was planted before my neighbour moved in many years ago.
The tree was much smaller when I moved in 21 years ago.
My neighbour says she can't afford the £1800 quoted to her recently to do anything about reducing the height & width.
I'm resigned to it being an ongoing concern now.
Thank you for all your good ideas & empathy. I'm most grateful for your input and reading about your own experiences.
Finally, I love trees which when appropriately planted are a joy. Sadly this tree would have been better sited in a parkland setting.
Never mind, "there's worse things happening at sea" as my Grandad used to say!

Our neighbour planted a conker with his children at the bottom of his garden about 7 years ago. The resulting horse chestnut tree is now about 7 feet tall and this last year has nearly doubled in size. Our gardens are 50 x 30 feet at the widest part. I've mentioned to him that, as it is only about 10 feet from our boundary it will cause us problems when it gets larger. His reply, "Well you probably won't be here by then so it won't matter!" I'm only in my early sixties. And would you believe he's an estate agent!

icanhandthemback I think I've got to the age where I just want a nice small garden with no trees around too!
Every time I mention moving because the garden is too much, DH goes straight out there, working away and claiming he's enjoying it

icanhandthemback - we are fairly certain we won't move. We are happy here. The big trees were on he road when we bought. The awful leylandi along one side of our garden and long the end of the garden were not. I'd never buy a house with these awful trees around it.

You could have the trees inspected by the Council icanhandthemback and have it pruned if some branches are found to be dangerous.

Callistemon, we do get it pruned and this year it cost £400 to have it sorted but the blessed thing grows like a triffid. I am more worried about the damage it has done to the drive and drains...already had to claim on insurance for the drains which are Victorian and overloaded with all the new builds around us. A decent Arborist who cares about the damage that can be caused to healthy trees is expensive.

By the time we have paid a couple of hundred pounds for the hedge cutting, it becomes a costly exercise. However, we did buy the house and everything was here when we purchased it. We are going to be downsizing soon so I will be looking for somewhere which doesn't have quite so much maintenance to be done. I don't mind the greenery per se, I just have got too old to be clearing up after it and too broke to keep paying somebody to do it. Besides, I've got to moan about something!

When we moved into our house near Aberdeen, One side of the garden had a leylandii hedge. After a year or two we decided it was far too high for legal limit for a fence, so we had a few feet cut off. Next day our neighbour was round telling us from their upstairs bedroom the trees were ugly. Yikes what can we do? Then a few weeks later we had quite a storm, our neighbours were round pointing out if we had not had the trees cut down, they would have been blown onto their house!!

It's soo right.

Trees are not the problem. It's human beings

Grannyhiggy, was the massive poplar there when you first looked at the house, when you visited second time, when you agreed the purchase and signed the contract?

(only asking as we had a similar situation, but t'other way round)...

when I asked the lady why she bought the bungalow next to us, with the big tree and a few others taking the light from the kitchen (about 100 years old, over looking a paddock with a convenant)- she said they bought that one because it was cheaper than the others without the trees and more light.

PS it is illegal to damage someone else's trees.

Sweetcakes, I and many others love the shade of a tree including shade close to the house, love the colour of the fallen leaves on the garden. Love the small of the decaying leaves. Apart from values to wild life the beauty of trees is subjective.

I thought the biggest issue for the Op was clearing up leaves. The tree falling was a bit of an afterthought to get the neighbour to agree.

I would hate to feel i was causing an issue with my neighbours and would pay up gladly if something was affecting them. My heart bleeds for this poor lady. How awful to worry every time there is a high wind that your home may be crushed by a large tree. Sometimes the law is an Ass!!!!

Would she consider boling it In The middle? This would take lots of branches away but still leave a beautiful tree?

Alexa "guess you are one of the many people who unfortunately for wild life just dislike plants unless they are tidy plants.."
That was pretty nasty of you she has no light in her kitchen the garden is in permanent shade and she has arthritis and will no doubt have a problem selling it at some point!! Have a bit of compassion.

When we moved into our tiny cottage 6 years ago there was a massive poplar towering over us on the boundary. I was terrified it was going to fall on us. The seeds were a real nuisance...soft downy cotton wool all over the garden. Our neighbours weren’t at all bothered as it was quite a way from their house. Of course, it began to get to us both as said neighbours also had gigantic leylandii all round the perimeter ( but that’s another story!) In the end we asked if they’d mind if we had it cut down for our own peace of mind and future relationship with said neighbours....needless to say they were quite happy as we were paying! Still feel aggrieved that they never offered to help but at least our cottage lives to fight another day!

Sorry that should read wouldn't advise.

I would advise killing a tree surreptitiously but I don't think it is unreasonable to write to your neighbour and ask for the tree to be cut back. Does the tree overhang your land. In England you can legally cut back any overhanging branches but you have to give them back to your neighbour.

I recommend buying a leaf vacuum for sucking up the leaves. They're brilliant. Best used on a dry day though. Our road is lined with big lime trees I think they are. A bl..dy nuisance. We get sap sticking to the windows and everything in the spring and a garden full of leaves in the autumn.
The price of the leaf vacuums range from about £40. Mine has a zipped bag for easy emptying.

I was quite old when I learnt that people had issues with leaves

I grew up in a rather large house with trees in the grounds

Leaves just fell to the ground. My father might half heartedly rake some on to the flower beds but that was about it

We have trees as do our neighbours. I am pleased we don't have any complaints about them

Yet!

Alexia A standing joke in our family, a friend who if any plants in her garden bend over, and regardless of variety, she stakes them up straight like soldiers at attention. At times the funniest sight imaginable.

Trees protect us from pollution to give us clean air. In 1971 my LH and I bought a house in a square which had recently had 12 Canadian Maple saplings planted around its centre. Over the years the trees grew and, in our case, protected our South facing house from intense summer heat; and from traffic pollution from a once quiet country lane which house building had turned into a major road.

By the time I sold my house in 2016 the tree outside my house the only one of twelve still standing, due to more recent residents complaining about leaves. My neighbour and I fought to save that old tree on more than one occasion. Why on earth do people buy properties with trees around them and then complain?

By the way, root pruning is something not to be undertaken lightly since it can make a tree unstable and dangerous in windy conditions.

Blimey who knew trees could cause such anger. I have several trees in my garden planted by me and a few that predate me moving in. I love them and despair that I seem to be the only one who has trees. Everyone else just seems to have grass. I did remove about 6 or 7 leylandii about 20 years ago. It didn't cost anything because I did it myself and took the remains to the local tip. As for leaves, yes I get it they are a pain but sweep them up and put them in a black bag stab a few holes and stick them behind the shed or whatever, give it a year and you have lovely mulch, great for the garden and the environment and it's free. I wouldn't dream of damaging anyone's property because it caused shade, I'd grow shade lovers. I keep my trees within reasonable bounds, so trim anything that's causing issues, but they're trees they are meant to be tall. Gardens should not stop at fence height what a stupid idea. Jeez I'm glad my neighbours actually talk to me and I to them and things do not get out of proportion. No I would not ask anyone to pay towards my trees being kept within reasonable bounds and nor would I pay towards theirs. I have two sons who would willingly undertake such work for myself. Our mixed hedge out the front was getting somewhat high recently so my younger son used the tower I had hired to reseal the bathroom window so that he could remove several feet from the top. No one had complained and I'm sure they wouldn't but you don't need complaints before taking action. Same thing last year, neighbour asked if they could trim the branches overhanging their garden out the back. Simple answer was of course and I'll give you a big builders bag to put it all in and my son will sort it out from there. They were over the moon. No need to fall out, I can't see what's going on over the fence but it's no skin off my nose if they remove what I can't see. It's my tree so I take responsibility for disposal, can't say I'd feel the same if they just threw stuff back over the fence. They wouldn't do that though so not a problem.