Advice please

eper2015 · January 2022

Hi All,
Our neighbour has a tall Laurel hedge located behind our fence and once or twice a year they trim it, which means they also need to access our garden. This isn't a problem at the moment as there is just earth along our fence so it's easy for them to pick up the cuttings.
We will soon be having new turf and borders but are unsure what to have along that fence. Any plants may get damaged by their ladders. Apart from paving or gravel stones, any ideas? (We are novice gardeners).
Thank you! 😊

Fairygirl · January 2022

I'd keep borders away from it to be honest. Just have your lawn, with the existing gap, and have the borders elsewhere. Alternatively, have a border several feet in front of the hedge and just leave a pathway for access. It could be paving, gravel, or just bark, depending on what you like. It can even be turf as well.
The border would need a proper edging to make life easier, and to prevent any gravel or bark getting into it, unless that's what you wanted to mulch any planting with. The hedge will also give protection to your plants and would still provide a backdrop when plants are dormant, depending on your choices

valerieroberts · January 2022

@eper2015 I would find that a nuisance for people to grow a hedge so close to my garden that they have to ask for permission to come over to cut it. I know the advice is that you should never fall out with neighbours, but if I couldn’t do what I wanted to in my garden because of them I wouldn’t consider them neighbourly. Forgive me if you think I’m being an old grumpy, but that’s how I would feel. After all that though, you may need that hedge for privacy and wind break. All things to consider. Valerie

Fairygirl · January 2022

There's nothing to stop @eper2015 saying they'll cut it themselves though.

My Dad's boundary hedge could have been cut by the neighbour [who moved in a long time after the hedge was there] but they were quite happy for my Dad to do it, and my Dad considered it his responsibility, which also might be the case here.
Mind you, the neighbour was a lazy b*gger, so it probably suited him

Dovefromabove · January 2022

If I had pleasant neighbours who were happy to maintain a boundary hedge which served me as well as it served them, and occupied more of their garden than it did mine, I’d be perfectly happy to accommodate their trimming it.

Seems like a Win/Win situation to me 😎

eper2015 · January 2022

It would be a problem if they had to cut it more than once or twice a year! We will probably have some gravel along the fence with some edging then the turf butting up to it.
Thank you for your comments 😊

Chris-P-Bacon · January 2022

valerieroberts said:

@eper2015 I would find that a nuisance for people to grow a hedge so close to my garden that they have to ask for permission to come over to cut it. I know the advice is that you should never fall out with neighbours, but if I couldn’t do what I wanted to in my garden because of them I wouldn’t consider them neighbourly. Forgive me if you think I’m being an old grumpy, but that’s how I would feel. After all that though, you may need that hedge for privacy and wind break. All things to consider. Valerie

Exactly..I'll do what I like in my own garden, thank you.
Your neighbours will have to come up with another way of cutting it...or you will. If the situation was reversed would they be as accommodating?
When I first moved into my current house I was willing to forego things I wanted to do in the garden for the sake of harmony. Alas, with one neighbour it became 'take, take, take' fairly quickly... we're barely on speaking terms now..which suits me just fine.

Advice please

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