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Overgrown hedge

taposualinataposualina Posts: 2
in Problem solving
Hello All,

I have a problem with my neighbour's overgrown hedge. We agreed previously that I will cut it right back to the boundary and I started cutting it myself on my side but she told me after we agreed how much to cut it that if I cut it as far into dark wood I will kill the tree. Please can someone tell me if indeed this is true, as I cut about 2 feet into the hedge up to the point where it is brown. I will try to attach a photo

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited December 2020
    Hi @taposualina and welcome to the forum. 😊 

    I’m afraid your neighbour is partially correct ... that looks like a Cupressus hedge which will not regrow once you cut back into the brown wood ... so the brown area will remain brown ... but the trees will not die ... they will continue to grow upwards. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    You are within your rights to cut back growth that overhangs your property, though you are supposed to 'offer'  back to the neighbour what you have removed.
    She is, however, correct in saying that the dark wood will not regrow. So far you have not  actually killed any of the trees, but you have made them look a lot worse from your side.
    The problem is that the trees should never have been planted where they were, unless they were to be trimmed consistently and kept as a narrow hedge from the very beginning. Of course, this may not be the neighbour's fault if she was not the one who planted them.
    You now have a tricky situation and will need the neighbour's help to resolve it.
    The trees will continue to grow and expand unless cut back, but conifers like this only re-shoot from the green parts. If these are already beyond the boundary line, you will face a wall of brown, but at least it will not need cutting again. This will probably please neither you nor your neighbour, but if she is less affected by the encroachment she may be less willing to embrace the only real solution, which is to get rid of them all together.
    Then all that will be left for you is to try to find some other way to improve the view, if possible, but the paved drive may limit your options.
  • taposualinataposualina Posts: 2
    I feel a bit stupid now but at the time I agreed with my neighbour and the people who came to quote for the tree cut said it would grow back. Even a friend said that he cut his hedge a lot and it took years but eventually green leaves came through and the coniffer didn't die. I am a young woman by myself and I tried to cut it myself and only managed to cut so much. I don't know what is best now. I was thinking to cut it leaving the green in the other parts so a disproportionate cut but that would look silly as it will be green and further out in some parts but brown where I already cut. I think best is to cut it altogether at the same level and hope that because the hedge is still very big on the neighbours side, some branches will come through to my side? Or plant some climbing flowers to mask the brown if I completely killed it? But I would plant the flowers in about two years time. Thank you for your responses.
  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    If there is enough room by the fence to dig a border or stand large pots then you could add some trellis to the top of your fence and grow some climbers to help hide it a bit.
    If there is ground room you could even plant a tree or two of your own. There are columnar varieties of cypress, cherry and many other trees available, that if chosen carefully and suitably planted would not outgrow their space.
    Some of the larger clematis and some rambling roses could easily cover those trees, but you would need the neighbour's permission for that. A trellis high enough to hide them completely would probably be too top heavy to be safe. A pleached hedge might be a possible option but an expensive and high maintenance one.
    If your neighbour is nice enough, maybe you could come to some sort of agreement together, about what to do to improve things for both of you. Here's hoping :)
  • Wild_VioletWild_Violet Posts: 221
    I feel for you because that hedge is much too high and bushy for that location. My neighbour hates a similar hedge that a previous owner of my house planted and her tack has been to mercilessly hack it back including taking height off:  she thinks because the high hedge act says hedges over 2 metres high fall under this act that it gives her the right to take height off it!   It doesn’t. My hedge was only around 2.5m and she cut a whole section of it back to 6 feet!  We are now getting part of it removed and a 2m fence put up and I’m building a pergola to block out her nosy new kitchen window view. It hasn’t really ended well as we no longer speak 😏
    I just wonder what height your neighbour is going to grow the hedge.  It seems quite unfair to expect you to maintain something of that height. I agree with the others that the brown stuff will never grow back. You have my sympathies. 
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