neighbour upset by brown branches of over pruned hedge, advice on how to disguise ?

Posts

• Rubytoo Posts: 1,630

  October 2023

  Can you take a photo or two or definitely know what kind of hedging plant they are please?
  You say Cyprus but do you know what kind exactly?
  
  This will help members give you a better answer.
  
  If in the long run you are going to replace them when money allows, then I would choose yew  (Taxus). Or possibly Thuja which will also sprout back from a hard cutting back.
  
  Also what kind of soil you have as that will help to choose perhaps a climber or two to hep disguise it. 
  
  Good Luck in your new home.

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• KT53 Posts: 9,016

  October 2023

  If it is Leylandii it isn't going to regrow from the old wood.  Short of spraying the damaged side green I can't think of any quick solution.
  

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• annakennedy7G1ycgqxw Posts: 8

  October 2023

  
  
  thankyou both so much for your responses, I'm sorry I don't know exactly what kind it is, here is a picture.
  
  
   this is when it was over due being trimmed when we moved in, it does look like a terrible mess
  
  The side that needs to be covered is south-facing, however, we are on the hillside of a valley and have extreme winds frequently. we are in the north-east of England right (our county borders onto Scotland). 
  
  the soil composition - unfortunately I am unsure we haven't had it measured.
  
  The ground is full of stones, the hedge has been there for some time so I would imagine the soil underneath it may be acidic. in general heathers and acid-loving plants seem to grow well here.    
  
  he had spoken about painting it green we weren't sure if that might kill off the hedge and wash off quickly with the strong winds we have. 
  
  

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• Obelixx Posts: 30,090

  October 2023

  There's really nothing you can do until you can afford to replace it and I really don't think it's your problem to resolve an issue between two other neighbours.
  
  I suggest you invite each set of neighbours round separately for tea or something and explain your position saying you're sorry about the state of the hedge but its condition is really not your responsibility.   Tell the ones who are unhappy with their view that you will replace the hedge with something better both to look at and for wildlife when you can afford to do so and tell the same to the others and ask them to keep their mitts off any new hedge when its planted and could they please try and placate the other neighbours or at least not make things worse.
  
  Then start researching mixed wildlife hedging plants and trees that would be suitable for your location - soil, annual rainfall, aspect, winter temperatures - and then, when you're ready, take out the offending hedge with as much of the roots as possible and improve the soil left behind with well-rotted garden compost and manure as it will have been stripped of nutrients by the existing hedge.   
  
  Plan to re-plant in autumn when the soil is warm and rainfall is plenty.  There are hedging specialists online who can advise if needed. 

  Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
  

  "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."

  Plato
  

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• KT53 Posts: 9,016

  October 2023

  If the side of the hedge in the photo is actually on the property of the person who cut it back you can't simply tell them to keep their mitts off.  They are perfectly entitled to cut it back to the boundary.  Much of the fault lies with the people who planted it not cutting it back as it grew.
  

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• JennyJ Posts: 10,576

  October 2023 edited October 2023

  As it is now, the only thing I can think of that might possibly grow in the root zone of the hedge and cover the brown face without taking up a substantial amount of width (which would cause a repeat of the issue that led to it being cut back hard in the first place) would be ivy, and it could well come through into your side.
  

  The situation isn't your fault and if you can't afford to rip it out, improve the soil, plant a new hedge and have little privacy until it's grown, there isn't a lot you can do.

  The neighbour who owns the lane can cut back anything that overhangs the boundary. The other neighbour who presumably doesn't own either side but happens to be able to see it doesn't really have any rights at all - they're not legally entitled to "a nice view". I suspect they're using it as part of their ongoing issue with the other neighbour. My suggestion - don't be drawn into that, and try not to take sides. There's no reason why you should be expected to fork out to replace the hedge unless you want to.
  

  Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  

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• Fire Posts: 19,096

  October 2023

  ow
  

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• annakennedy7G1ycgqxw Posts: 8

  October 2023

  Thank you all for your thoughts, it has confirmed what we suspected.
  
  It shouldn't have been allowed to grow out so far and it is very unfortunate that it was cut back so hard, funnily enough, we accidentally hired the same people that did it to trim the hedge for us! (one guy who hadn't worked there long said he would never cut a hedge back like that before he realised it was his boss who did it).
  
  That company is friends/does a lot of business with the owner of the road/field behind so when asked to cut it back to deadwood they complied (I think it was during the period the house was empty being sold). I think the road owner was annoyed because he damaged a wing-mirror on his dump truck ( I may be getting this wrong as it happened before we moved here) . 
  
  We are on a small road and tensions have run high ( with all of the residents in opposition against the family that owns the field and adjoining road). I think for our neighbour seeing the hedge is daily a reminder of his grievances with the other family.
  
  I don't think we are in the position to do much about it currently, but every time our neighbour sees my husband he asks what we will do about it. hopefully, I'll say that we sought advice and he'll accept that we can't do much for now and come to terms with it. 
  
  he did say he would like to try painting it, which we are okay with as long as it is safe for the hedge. 
  
  thanks again for everyone's input. 

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• GardenerSuze Posts: 5,692

  October 2023 edited October 2023

  I have worked as a gardener for 24 years and I have never heard of anyone painting a hedge, It is completely unnatural and wrong.
  It seems so sad that in such a small community people can become so upset with each other. It is time to move on dig it out and start again.

  I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.

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• KT53 Posts: 9,016

  October 2023

  @GardenerSuze The OP has said they can't afford to do anything about the hedge.  Although I mentioned painting the hedge it really was said tongue-in-cheek.  That said, I did see a video of a poor quality lawn being painted green in the USA.

  
  

  I've just been helping my neighbour cut back his Leylandii hedge.  He had it cut down to about 2 1/2 metres a few years ago but it's gone mad again in the past couple of years and put on a massive amount of growth.  It's completely bare my side, as in the photo's but that was done by me a while ago, half in the hope the thing would die.  Sadly it didn't.  My neighbour is over 80 and a little over 5 feet tall so you can imagine how difficult it would be for him to get it back under control.  We did the whole thing, about 15 feet in just over an hour.  There are a few bald patches his side but small enough that regrowth will cover them.  The longest branch we removed was about 9 feet long!
  

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