Lawns overshadowed by neighbouring trees

We have some huge trees at the back of the garden but they're beautifully shaped and have birds nesting in them. I just love trees and never want them cut down - they were there before we were after all and without trees we would be in real trouble. That said we are lucky to have some space of lawn left so it's not such a concern.

We have very little sun in our garden partly because of neighbouring trees. The trouble is the land adjacent is owned by the Realm. We asked the council to trim them as some are enormous. They did come to look at the issue then later told us they couldn't do anything as it wasn't their problem. Our local councillor tried to get the LA to adopt the land but when he contacted the Crown offices they were not prepared to let the land go except for a considerable sum which was surprising as there is nothing they can do with it as it is hemmed in by a pond and we own the ransome strip. Unless we pay a tree surgeon £xxxx our house and garden will forever be in shade.

Scotpiper, whether they come back to green depends on what sort of tree they are. Leylandii and the like don't regenerate from brown wood. Great white cherry , hawthorn, and oak do.

Ours are wood pigeons not those scrawny urban birds. They’d make a sizeable pie.

We have pigeons and magpies but I'm not sure what you meant by the pigeons keeping the magpies away from the nests of other birds.

The pigeons come into our garden for a fight; the magpies threaten the blackbirds. The pigeons don't seem to threaten the magpies.

Callistemon yes. Now that we are stuck at home or the garden we hold daily pigeon empowering sessions. They have taken to it really well. Of course we also fatten them up which gives them the weight advantage over the magpies. This might make them less nimble but it doesn’t half help when they drop on a magpie from above.

Splat.

I get on very well with my neighbours because we give and take. I don’t complain about their yappy dogs (mine rarely barks unless set off by theirs). Some people build up resentment by constant moaning about minor incidents. If my trees were causing a real problem then that would be understandable.

I think perhaps you have misunderstood the tone of my post.?

How do the wood pigeons keep magpies away from other birds' nests?

Did you train them? I'd like to be able to train ours.

Our house backs onto a Woodland Trust forest. A neighbour decided to take matters into his own hands and hacked away at trees overhanging his garden, which he is entitled to do, the Trust told him.Unfortunately, he hacked too much and too many, including as a favour(unasked for) the one overhanging our garden and I fear the trees are dead now. It’s like looking out onto a post apocalyptic landscape instead of vibrant green. I’m hoping they’ve just had a set back and will come good next year.

If a leylandii hedge between gardens is a problem, the local council can make an order to reduce the height. Ask at your local council (when the lockdown ends).

Furret you say you'd resent 'interference' from your neighbours about the two big conifers which cast shade 'over a small art of next door's garden but only later in the day'. I wonder if your neighbour agrees with that assessment.
Surely, as neighbours our first response shouldn't be resentment ?

The other thing about leylandi is the way they leach the goodness and moisture from the soil in their vicinity. Dreadful things (I know, Im on rant repeat)
We had to raise the bed at the end of our garden in an attempt to allow more light as well as to add tons of top soil so the new plants we put in (to replace those strangled by the leylandi next door) had a chance of survival.
I've photographs of that corner of the garden before the triffids arrived and two years later - I'll stop here and breathe!

I have two big conifers near the bottom of my garden. We didn’t plant them they were there when we moved in. They do cast shade over a small part of next door’s garden but only later in the day. And our gardens are big enough so this should not be an issue and no branches overhang.

I have a plethora of birds nesting in these conifers. The bigger birds such as the wood pigeons keep the magpies away from the blackbirds, sparrows and other smaller nests. These are very much a part of our Give Nature a Home philosophy.

I would resent any interference from the neighbours re this.

Iam, your neighbours brass neck knows no bounds. They plant them and expect to just let them do their worst but don't mind if you pay to keep them manageable. I think that shows how they are in everything they do. I think there should be a law that makes whom so ever plants hedges responsible, 6/7 feet is more than enough for privacy and a law against these huge trees that should not be in planted in the first place in small gardens, like Willows, Sycamore, Chestnuts etc.bthey know from the onset how big they will Gris, if they were made to take them out and pay the costs they would not do it.

Hetty58 Thank for that information. The council here have legislation about the height of trees but they expect me to inform the neighbours. They charge £500 if they are expected to provide any help with getting the trees sorted out. That is 6 months after I send a recorded delivery letter telling the neighbours to get the trees cut. The council are not people I would have faith in so it may be quicker to go legal from the start. I think the council should enforce there own legislation. I will check if my insurance covers "heave". I was worried about even more movement when the trees are cut down and the roots removed or they rot away.
There was times when the back garden was covered in sewage several time and the drain had to be cleared. There was a blockage 10 Metres in the direction of the trees but that has not happened for a while. The garden here has changed since the trees got higher than the houses. The ground is constantly damp, the grass is full of moss and toadstools and the flowers have died. It is heart breaking as this has been our home for generations.

My next-door neighbours grew a Leylandii hedge ‘for privacy.’ I can still see into their garden from my rear bedroom, if I want to, and they rarely sit out there anyway. They do keep it trimmed to about 10 feet high, but it keeps the morning sun off my garden. He comes around to my side, with my permission, and trims it, but every time the wind blows more bits drop down. I get tired of clearing them up. The roots impoverish the soil on my side, too, but they are nice friendly people so I let it go.
My diagonally rear neighbours have a beautiful copper beech which is far too big for its position. It overhangs four gardens, including mine, and smothers them with leaves and beech- mast every autumn. It is far too tall for me to trim the overhanging branches. They had the cheek to ask their rear neighbour to get her conifer lopped, and she was silly enough to spend several hundred pounds having it done. It was far smaller and narrower than their tree.
I can live with my minor tree problems, but some of you have major problems. I seem to remember that, when buying house insurance, I am asked if there are any tall trees within a certain distance of my house. You may find that you are either paying extra, or not covered if the trees cause damage. It may be a good idea to check your insurance cover.

It doesn't quite overhang our garden but all the bits drop off it into ours.

Sandra can’t you cut the roots from your side as I believe they are shallow rooted. I think it unfair that these selfish people make people so unhappy.

Also have a neighbour with annoying leylandi. Had everything that overhangs my garden cut off.

The tree which causes us problems is just inside the neighbour's garden.

We have long term tenants next door. They planted two willow trees years ago. These willows are now over 40 foot high and shed leaf litter every autumn. The boughs overlap our shed and both trees are starting to shed limbs as they have never been maintained. The tenants refuse to allow access to the Landlords agents who have even offered to pay to maintain or reduce the trees. They also have a leylandii hedge between us which is now over 8 foot high and running with brambles. We try to keep our side under control but it's not our hedge. Some people are just selfish beyond belief.

Think on Annofarabia- if only this were true

I thought evergreens were not allowed to be above a certain height nowadays?

I had this problem years ago, our next door neighbour had leylandi all along the boundary (both sides and back) about 20 feet tall. Planning permission should be needed to plant these trees, unless you live on a secluded plot of land, but then you wouldn’t need them!

I have a feeling that boundary hedges should not be higher than 6'

I have problems with my neighbours trees.
What sort of trees are they?
Are they overhanging your property?
The lawn issue is easy, you buy special grass designed for "shady places", that's what it's called!
How close to the house are the trees?