We've cut it ever since they moved in. Usually late morning and always tidied up after ourselves. Sad that now there's such bad feeling but hedge awards seems very common. I'm just hoping they dont try to reduce height as we would lose all privacy. The hedge is only about six foot high. The hedge stumps are supposedly on our side of the border.
I think the main difference here @HelloFellowGardeners is that the neighbour has been happy for several years with the current routine. It's not quite the same as your situation - which I can also understand completely. I had the same scenario when I moved in here. The local children regarded my plot as theirs, and weren't best pleased when they were told to b*gger off. The parents were the same. I can only assume that the previous owner either didn't see them, or didn't really care. It was all open, and just grass. Stick to your guns anyway with them. Ridiculous that they're rude, but sadly, it's how many people seem to be now.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Are you sure they were actually happy about it? They may just have been too nervous or polite to say anything, or unsure about it. Then maybe lockdown triggered them to finally say something.
You can never know someone's motivation, but I wouldn't worry about it.
My sister in law had all her apples stripped from the trees last year. The previous year she had still been toing and froing between two houses as one was still to be sold. She assumed someone thought the house was empty and helped themselves rather than they go to waste. However now she is in residence full time with two cars, they must have watched and waited for them both to go out before helping themselves. At that point I think I would have CCTV up.
That's awful. We already have cctv but not pointed at our neighbours or hedge. Shame really because we just want to get on with those who live nearby. At the moment there's a bad atmosphere.
I assume you did not have much contact with your neighbours before? It sounds as if you both used to go about your ways without ever speaking to each other. I sometimes cut my apple tree from my neighbour's garden, but I ask, we get along, and occasionally have a chat. Perhaps they are worried about covid-19. The best chance to resolve a bad atmosphere is to have a chat, not make demands, apologise for unwanted access, perhaps explain the history and discuss the future of the hedge. If the stumps are on your side then you should be able to maintain the height of the hedge to the reasonable level that you want. I'd enter a chat with the goal of improving the atmosphere first, and worry about the hedge later.
Don't take it to heart,things can happen that you may be unaware of that can change the way people feel about things.I've been in situations though were I've ended up feeling awkard with people and I know it's not a nice feeling and that's how your feeling at the moment.I think sometimes other events occur that will overshadow any discord and things will be forgotten about.I think we will all have other worries by the end of the year.
I’m curious as to why the neighbours have changed their attitude to you cutting the hedge on their side. There could be a lot of truth in the idea they never much liked the intrusion anyway and then the isolation imposed on us all by Covid was the perfect excuse to ask that you no longer come round. And perhaps they were saying to one another ‘and now we can get rid of that bloody invasive ivy that she never dealt with’.
Maybe something has happened in their lives to cause them to become less welcoming. Brain tumours, dementia and various other medical conditions can change the personality of folk who were formerly placid. Maybe there are domestic tensions between them and they don’t want you to wander round while a row is going on. Perhaps, same outcome, they have taken up naturism (though ivy is pretty useful in that respect in the absence of fig trees)! An ailing parent, discomfort about you seeing their washing on the line, disquiet about the state of their garden ... there are many possible reasons why they no longer appreciate your presence. To you, and me, these could be trifling matters but in their minds the problem is so much greater.
It’s good to build bridges. I would go round with a bunch of flowers or a box of chocolates saying you fear your presence in their garden was an unwelcome intrusion, something you were completely unaware of, and your gift is a tangible token of your apology.
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It's not quite the same as your situation - which I can also understand completely. I had the same scenario when I moved in here. The local children regarded my plot as theirs, and weren't best pleased when they were told to b*gger off. The parents were the same.
I can only assume that the previous owner either didn't see them, or didn't really care. It was all open, and just grass.
Stick to your guns anyway with them. Ridiculous that they're rude, but sadly, it's how many people seem to be now.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
You can never know someone's motivation, but I wouldn't worry about it.
@HelloFellowGardeners, that takes the cake as another level of rudeness!!
The best chance to resolve a bad atmosphere is to have a chat, not make demands, apologise for unwanted access, perhaps explain the history and discuss the future of the hedge. If the stumps are on your side then you should be able to maintain the height of the hedge to the reasonable level that you want. I'd enter a chat with the goal of improving the atmosphere first, and worry about the hedge later.
Maybe something has happened in their lives to cause them to become less welcoming. Brain tumours, dementia and various other medical conditions can change the personality of folk who were formerly placid. Maybe there are domestic tensions between them and they don’t want you to wander round while a row is going on. Perhaps, same outcome, they have taken up naturism (though ivy is pretty useful in that respect in the absence of fig trees)! An ailing parent, discomfort about you seeing their washing on the line, disquiet about the state of their garden ... there are many possible reasons why they no longer appreciate your presence. To you, and me, these could be trifling matters but in their minds the problem is so much greater.
It’s good to build bridges. I would go round with a bunch of flowers or a box of chocolates saying you fear your presence in their garden was an unwelcome intrusion, something you were completely unaware of, and your gift is a tangible token of your apology.