Our garden is a long rectangle and borders with 5 other gardens.

Mrs FD has just got home to find that a neighbour at the far end of the garden has cut down a ‘shared’ hedge from about 7ft to 3ft. The other side has a 6ft high conifer hedge, the other a 5ft high fence that were all constructed in conjunction with neighbours over the years to help privacy all round etc.

Now the 3ft hight privet hedge apparently looks stupid, leaves us with no privicy and makes it easy for burglars to hop over to our garden 😈

How do you actually determine who owns the hedge? They have never once cut it down in the 6 years we have lived there and I do it every year.

To not even ask if we minded has left us both hopping mad 😈

Edit: Apparently there is no note of the ownership of the hedge, so therefore that makes it a party hedge? ie dual ownership?

“Party Hedge” sounds quite good fun. Roll with it.

🙂

What is it with Hedgehogs?

Fence and border disputes never end well.

It’s something to do with the border of your land/castle/cave. Triggers a lot of emotions.

I would suggest calming down and then speaking to them about it.

IANAL, but this has come up on ArbTalk from time to time.
IIRC it can’t be shared, the owner is the one where the centre of each plant (or where the original whip or seed would have grown from). Once you can work that out you can proceed.

I think with hedges it’s down to where the boundary line is. They’ve got a right to cut any vegetation that hangs into their property, so if it mostly was, they’re within their rights.

I’ve just been looking at hedging for a place we’re about to buy, and there’s advice to plant sufficiently within your own boundary to avoid just this.

If they’ve cut down your hedge that was on your property, they owe you a hedge…

This is easy. Chop down the remainder and put up a 5ft fence. pre paint their side pink 😀

What are you hoping to get out of it? If its gone, its gone (until it grows back). Sounds like a friendly word is needed to prevent it happening again. You’ll struggle to prove ownership either way.

Shame your neighbours decided not to discuss first – suggests they feared rejection.

With some challenging neighbours I put in a six-foot mesh fence along the exact boundary, and planted a mixed hedge against it. The existing fence-line was obvious at both sides. The neighbours could cut it back as far as the mesh where it grew through.

It replaced a line of Leylandi about fifteen feet tall. Other neighbours were pleased to see them gone.

(edit) Have you checked your deeds or with the owner? There may be a record of whose hedge it is.

Fence responsibility is marked on the deeds of our house with little arrows. Late 90’s private estate tho so perhaps older houses wouldn’t have this.

Ive got someone who cuts MY hedge at the back of of my garden despite me asking them not to. I have thought about going round for a ruck, but quite honestly I prefer a quieter life, so after introducing some bits of metal to protect against hedge trimmers, i’m planting a couple of conifers by the hedge to cover the space.

Deeds (both sets) and Land Registry checked. No note of ownership, which therefore makes it party at worst.

The inventory that we signed for when buying the house says its our responsibility to maintain.

Going to leave it a couple of weeks and then send her a letter containing the facts.

If she cuts it again we will just cut our half down and plant conifer

I wouldn’t plant conifer, they’re a royal PITA to keep trimming back, and block lots of light.
I think I’d determine the boundary line, and plant a new mixed hedge of native species, like blackthorn, hawthorn, etc, which are fairly quick growing. Once established it’ll act as a good thick barrier that’s not too difficult to keep under control, and will offer plenty of cover for birds, as well as an excellent food source as well. You could put in a couple of native trees as well, like Rowan, which will also produce berries.
Might be worth looking into putting a wire mesh fence in to properly define the boundary, and show the neighbours exactly where they can trim their side to.
Once established you’ll have your own supply of sloes for sloe gin!

I used to know someone who had what might be known as a party bush

Could probably get you some contact details if it’d help ?

Do not plant blackthorn unless you really want to fall out with your neighbour. It suckers and will sprout up to 2m away. I am digging mine out of my mixed hedge planted 4 years ago, but luckily the hawthorn is vigourous enough to fill any gaps.

Didn’t know that about Blackthorn. Every day, etc, etc.
It always seems to stay within the boundary of a hedge, and I can’t say I’ve noticed Blackthorn spreading out even from fairly neglected old hedges, any more than other bushes/trees. Perhaps continual plowing discourages it?
Ash seems to be a bugger for popping up like thistles, though. And as for bloody brambles, well…
Still, hawthorn makes for a lovely dense hedge after a while, and if there’s enough to do a classic laying job after some years, it’ll be almost impenetrable, except for small animals. Pretty flowers in spring, too. 😀

Just did a bit of reading about Blackthorn, and that explains the secondary growth I’ve noticed around hedges where there’s no crops grown, I thought that through seeding from fruit dropping, I didn’t know about suckers. Other members of the family like plum do it too.
It was suggested by one person that laying a vertical impermeable barrier somewhat away from the newly planted sticks would prevent surface roots from suckering, deeper ones don’t do it; something like a shallow wall with the top level with the surface. Some sort of thick plastic set into a trench about 18″-2′ deep, or a row or two of breeze-blocks or bricks.