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Neighbours Ivy Removal

carlie.hollowell18YaNc7oyUcarlie.hollowell18YaNc7oyU Posts: 7
in Problem solving
Just looking for abit of advice!

I live in a council house and my neighbours ivy has completely taken over one side of my fence. In all honesty i quite like the look of it, the whole length of one side of my garden is nice and green, the birds love nesting in it, and i keep it under control on my side by trimming it back. I must add the fence is around 6 foot and the ivy has grown to maybe 9 foot so great for privacy. Plus it saves me having to paint that one side of the fence!

Just been informed by her daughter shes removing it completely as shes 78 and cannot maintain it. This i completely understand. However my concern is the fence underneath being extremely damaged. Where shes removed a small amount the fence is already damaged. If she kills/removes the ivy on just her side will it all die on my side too? Id be more than happy to trim mine to fence height if it got out of control but ik sure if it all dies the council wont replace the fence and im concerned about what ill be left with as it really is quite a long fence.

Thanks for any help. 
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Posts

  • carlie.hollowell18YaNc7oyUcarlie.hollowell18YaNc7oyU Posts: 7
    edited June 2023
    Picture added for context
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    edited June 2023
    So long as your neighbour doesn't  completely poison the ivy, it will continue to grow on your side. There are bound to be roots on your side. It is pretty difficult to eradicate. It might be a bit thin on your side for a while if the main roots are on their side.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • carlie.hollowell18YaNc7oyUcarlie.hollowell18YaNc7oyU Posts: 7
    As you can see the fence is already damaged from the small part shes removed so im concerned what will happen to the whole fence is my side dies off now. 
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    The ivy might well be holding the fence up. Could you offer to keep her side trimmed?
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • BenCottoBenCotto Posts: 4,718
    So people can see the picture more easily



    Rutland, England
  • carlie.hollowell18YaNc7oyUcarlie.hollowell18YaNc7oyU Posts: 7
    B3 said:
    So long as your neighbour doesn't  completely poison the ivy, it will continue to grow on your side. There are bound to be roots on your side. It is pretty difficult to eradicate. It might be a bit thin on your side for a while if the main roots are on their side.
    As far as im aware at the minute theyre tackling it with a saw and some shears. She did say her mum has been using a mixture of baking soda/vinegar as shes read that will poison it? But im not sure as like you said it is difficult to eradicate. Ideally id be happy if they just trimmed it to fence height which is what her daughter is going to suggest to her and id be happy to trim it down every so often if that makes it easier for her! Id just rather it wasnt completely killed off and if she removes it completely from her side again im more than happy to deal with any that grows through.
  • carlie.hollowell18YaNc7oyUcarlie.hollowell18YaNc7oyU Posts: 7
    BenCotto said:
    So people can see the picture more easily



    Thankyou! Wasnt sure why it rotated. That is my concern also the ivy is so thick id put money on it being the only thing that holds the fence up. Me and my partner were talking about trimming the large section right down so maybe ill suggest helping to do that and seeing if we can come to an agreement to keep it in place if we helped maintain it. To be honest she keeps herself to herself so i wasnt aware she was struggling but i have let them know im willing to help. 
  • carlie.hollowell18YaNc7oyUcarlie.hollowell18YaNc7oyU Posts: 7
    borgadr said:
    You're right to be concerned about the fence; my parents removed a similar growth of ivy from theirs, and as @B3 suggested, they found that the ivy had been propping up the fence.  

    I can see why you like it though. I do think it looks good - much nicer than a bare fence, and great cover for wildlife.
    Thats my concern. I just spoke to the housing and asked for advice on what would happen/whose responsible for replacing the fence if she removed it all and it is infact the only thing holding it up. They checked our addresses and said we have shared ownership of the fence so if/when it collapses we should split the cost 50/50. Not only can i not afford that i much prefer it to a bare fence like you said! I feed the birds and they often take their food back to the ivy for the babies. Im not sure of the most sensitive way to approach it now!  
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    I'm an ivy fan.  My neighbours have your problem (potentially).

    Yours ( your neighbour's ) is  a magnificent beast.

    Ivy does no damage to a fence.  It props it up, but it can cause damage to an old,  delicate fence when it is pulled off.

    Talking with your neighbour is the only thing I can suggest.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
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