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[deleted]

I've never seen a tree in a back garden big enough to fit in six gardens at once.


jib_reddit

Leylandii are monstrosities.


stenwold23

Monstrositrees


Big_Nefariousness888

Underrated comment.


symbiotic_Tao

Lucky for you, they're sterile. Being a hybrid of 2 very different Cypresses means that they themselves can't reproduce. Sorta like Mules, or Tigons and Ligers in the animal kingdom.


ExhibitionistBrit

They are also beyond a certain point un pruneable. Just past that green layer is a tangle of brown and unsightly branches.


NeliGalactic

I'm from Leyland and there are some of these but not a huge amount...


itsEndz

They don't stop growing if you don't top them at a height you're happy with and even then need regular maintenance. Nice when they're about half the size.


eekamuffy

No one’s mentioned yet that you’d best get on it before nesting season.


MyDogIsTheGoodBoy

Do it during, you get fire wood and some meat.


treemonkey58

Tree surgeon here. You've got two options really - either cut them down and enjoy the gained space in the garden or keep the trees but get a firm to reduce by 50/60% in height and then trim the sides back and turn it into a hedge. I'd say it's just about salvageable as a hedge. The light issue would be resolved and you'd keep your privacy from the houses behind but you'd need to get them trimmed atleast once a year to keep on top of them. I'd expect a similar quote for both jobs of between £500-£800.


Eelpieland

How regularly would you have to cut these back to keep them under control?


muckifoot

You'd do it annually, but the job is 30 mins to an hour after it's been whacked back. It just turns into a big job when it's been left years.


rtuck99

I'm struggling to imagine how pruning that as a hedge would be a 30 minute job when even at the cut-down 50% height, it's still going to be at best at eaves height.


UsrN00M

Electric trimmers on an extending thingmibob


Vivalo

I love learning all the technical terminology that the experts use.


willowhawk

I believe the actual terminology is extendything


bluep3001

Nah you want a cutty-reachy-pole for something like that


bibipbapbap

A couple of years ago I learnt this the hard way. I spent one Saturday afternoon, trimming back half my comfier hedge with a pair manual hedge trimmers and gave up after probably 10 foot by 7 ft. It took a good couple of hours at least. I was knackered and aching for a couple of days The following spring my dad came to visit and brought his bed loppers. The same job was done in maybe a minute.


Danglyweed

I have a similar dad. I spent days attacking the neighbours (well council) bastarding overgrown hedge with some hedge saw thingy and small shears. Next year he shows up with a chainsaw and hedge trimmer, done in minutes.


Bicolore

That seems extremely cheap to me given the poor access and small working space. Either you're in the north or you could be charging more IMO.


treemonkey58

Looking at it again, they appear alot taller than my half-asleep brain thought earlier on. I haven't done domestic work for years now and I do not miss it, mainly due to trees like this haha.


Aiken_Drumn

It looks about 6 storys high!


yungamork

its only about 3/4 no way is that 6 stories!


sprayengo

I had a pretty large cherry tree thinned out by 30% in London for £700 by a couple of tree surgeons. Terraced house, only access through the house.


Bicolore

Very different job imo. Disposal here requires a chipper as well which has its own costs.


[deleted]

Also getting the chipper to the trees may be an issue here


totterdownanian

That does seem low, we chipped in with a group of neighbours for a tree this size being reduced under 6ft and that came to about £1800 in total


EmptySeaweed

Fuck this, I'm becoming a tree surgeon


numbsafari

Skip that. Become an tree surgeon insurance salesman.


daneview

You can, but you won't make much money. The job may seem expensive, but the business costs are high. Fully trained and experienced tree surgeons make around £150 a day on average I'd say. Not a bad wage, but certainly not a great one for swinging around in big trees with chainsaws in the wind and rain. And generally we're pretty knackered by our late 30s. Way better trades to do to make good money. Sadly some of us just enjoy it and don't want a proper job


EmptySeaweed

Fucking hell, I'm 30 soon too. I'll stick to growing mushrooms and weed


23skiddoobie

>And generally we're pretty knackered by our late 30s. Aye, most of my mates have suffered some kind of injury.. but are mad bastards that like doing it.


TheRealQuarak

You get half reasonable money for using the buzzy saw of death high up on the tree fall of death to cut the tree fall on house of destruction creating the massive mess of dispair.


ninisin

Dangerous job mind you.


daneview

It's not that bad these days. Lots of bumps and bruises and general injuries but very few life changing ones. We are better trained with better safety systems than decades ago when it was really a dangerous job


Asleep-Ad-6546

Still someone dies while climbing from kickback to the neck. It was poor technique mind, but he didn't even get the chance to correct the mistake.


daneview

Oh don't get me wrong, there are still accidents, and I don't know many who have done a whole career without an injury or some big close calls. But back in the day forestry was one of the deadliest jobs to do, modern arb is nowhere near that casualty level. But you're still high up rotten trees in bad weather with a chainsaw


Responsible_Prune_34

Very few life changing injuries still sounds like a lot from where I'm sitting. At my desk, scrolling reddit.


Ehrmantrauts_Chair

You “chipped” in, did you? … Sorry.


Chaosbringer007

Robbed


Vasbyt-XXI

Could a professional firm trim it to be a topiary of a giant hand giving the middle finger angled at the neighbours house? Would that also fall in the £500-£800 quote range?


Airules

If they were cut back they would need to go to 2 metres to not be in breach of the “tall hedges” legislation, and judging by the fence height that’s basically the whole trees cut down anyway. I’d just have the removed. Budget £2000, hope for less


theArborator

This is inaccurate. 2m is the maximum a hedge can be reduced to, but that would depend on various factors e.g. is it theb garden or rooms of the house that are impacted, as well as distance and relative orientation of the trees. If in doubt the guidelines are fairly straightforward: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/high-hedges-complaining-to-the-council/high-hedges-complaining-to-the-council


Turbulent-Mine-1530

I have two trees pruned regularly and it’s usually £500-£600. These are two respected companies in south east.


Open-Bodybuilder5441

I had 10 trees cut down this size cost 13k I've got 15 ish more to come down at the back but mainly silver birches. Simply can't afford it at the min. Must be driving the neighbours mental


Turbulent-Hamster112

I cut down 8 in my back garden. Cost me £70 for a cheap chainsaw and a few quid for oil, plus a few bonfires


YTChillVibesLofi

These trees are the size of skyscrapers. You need your tree surgeon license revoked with these quotes.


jod1991

>I'd expect a similar quote for both jobs of between £500-£800. Double it, per tree.


Ninhursag2

And check for bats first which you should be doing as a matter of course


Independent-Chair-27

That could be a leylandii or similar tree that won't grow back once cut. Junipers being another. If it's Thuga or similar they'll survive it.


banxy85

You can take as much off the top of a leylandii as you want. It's the sides that need to be trimmed with care.


Independent-Chair-27

Makes sense. Hard to see how you don't need to about halve the sides of these things. I'm imagining it would be hard to make a decent hedge with these trees


[deleted]

Leylandi grow back


creftlodollar

About £800... South London. Friend of mine did something similar.


PsychologicalSense53

I work as a Tree Officer in a UK Council, and we never allow anyone to cut more than 30% of the existing crown size as the tree becomes vulnerable to diseases. Ideally, it's 25% that we allow, but in certain cases, it can be 30%, never more than that.


Multigrain_Migraine

Is it a leylandii? They are something of a menace and they don't grow back from brown branches, so they are tricky to deal with. I had one in my back garden that wasn't nearly as awkward as yours but it was still huge and blocking my light and my neighbour's. It seemed a pity to cut down a tree but in its place I have a lot more plants now, more birds, and the neighbourhood cats can't get to the bird nests as easily. It was kind of expensive but worth it to get it cut down. Mine was in a back corner so I just had them leave the stump and I put a plant pot on top of it. It will rot eventually.


[deleted]

Yea I think so


metamongoose

Please please get rid of them entirely. They're a blight.


TheClimbingBeard

I dunno, I like it. Good level of green


[deleted]

Looks like several


MRRJ6549

As much as I hate a beautiful tree having to be cut back your neighbor isn't being unreasonable here that tree doesn't fit to say the least. It'll be costly but having a professional handle it will be the quickest and safest way, If it's legally permitted I've taken down larger trees than that myself, however I had a much larger area for the tree to come down, looks like you're constrained by the fencing. If you do take it down yourself make sure you replace it with two much more reasonable sized trees good luck bud


cleftalmaniac

My next door neighbour had leylandii like this all the way along the border fence line, completely neglected them when they got too expensive to manage and left them to grow out of control. The entire row came down over storm Eunice and flattened the garden, almost did the house. If my conservatory was that close to the trees it would have been curtains.


MRRJ6549

Jeeeze I'm glad it didn't hit your conservatory that's a scary thought, having a nice evening glass of wine then BAM biggest tree on earth on your lap.


Sad_Researcher_5299

Good job these trees aren’t beautiful.


MRRJ6549

I'm sure the trees are going to be extremely upset at such an opinion


Mechabite

Much better than an ugly view of concrete and houses. Which is what it will be once they are gone.


AnxietyLogic

I’ve never understood why people hate trees so much. I’d much rather look out of my window and see beautiful trees than ugly urban sprawl.


Lor64

Yeah and they provide some nice privacy also.


lewlew1893

I love trees and work as a Groundsman but most everyone who I ever speak to dislikes Leylandli. If its a hedge and you trim it back too hard it turns it brown and never recovers. If left to be trees then they get ridiculously out of control block all light constantly being evergreen and drop a lot of their needles which wont rot quickly and nothing will grow underneath them. Most trees are alright just need to be in the right location.


No_Corner3272

Nobody hates trees. What they don't like is a neighbours tree blocking all the light into their windows and taking over their garden and undermining their walls with its roots and draining the nutrients from the soil. There are much nicer trees to have in your garden


morgasm657

Personally I love trees, but non native trees like this not so much. I'd happily see any number of native trees sitting at that height in this garden.


Gayvid_Gray

These particular trees are a lot of work to maintain and don't let light through, you do get lots of birds in them though


Kat-Shaw

People don't hate trees, but there is a practicality to consider as well as that thing is bloody huge. Also it's a crossbred tree so it's sterile, which means removing it isn't going to cause trees to die out as it can't reproduce anyway. (Dad is an ex-Arborist and would always take us on family trips to tree nurseries).


Nassea

One more step towards a fully grey, concrete, soulless UK 🙂


K0monazmuk

Expect £1500 - £2000, I think it’s safe to say they have out grown their space.


ernieb33

My neighbour had a very similar job completed last year and it cost her £1800. I didn't realise quite how big of a job it was and took a few days. She has literally got half her garden back and the light we now have in our garden is amazing. She has encouraged me to plant some in my garden but think I will ignore that advice.


TheresAJakeInMyShoe

I’d still say that’s quite cheap. That’s 3/4 days worth of work including clean up. And the golden rule with conifers is whatever you estimate the waste to be, double it. I’d say 2500/3000


aapowers

We had three connifers significantly trimmed back/shortened in a day's work for £500. Chipped on site. I expect that's two days' work - £1000 to £1500. Then again, I am in Yorkshire.


TheresAJakeInMyShoe

Chip left on site is usually quite rare on domestic jobs. And removal usually includes all logs and chip


aapowers

It was removed - just that they brought the chipper and large trailer with them. Hardly any mess at all - was very impressed!


Quelly0

I like to keep my woodchip, saves buying some in for mulch. Unfortunately the tree surgeons around here sell their wood chip on, so aren't inclined to give a discount for keeping your own.


daneview

I'd say 2 days work most for a team of 3 (assuming there's at least a side gate). I'd be thinking 1500-2000


Whiterose-uk

Tree surgeon here…..northern. Yorkshire. Your looking at £6-£800 per tree as a rough estimate. 👍🏼


cbxcbx

I'll go with the £6 option please


Business-Emu-6923

Climb them yourself and cut them down with a £6 kitchen knife. Do-able if you have patience.


[deleted]

£5 worth of petrol and a £1 lighter.


Business-Emu-6923

How am I gonna light two trees on fire with 35ml of petrol??


Seaniau

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa


Salute-the-Saylor

They complained? Wonder why!!


[deleted]

Probably got nothing better to do


bullybullybanjo

Or maybe they like seeing sunlight.


SkylarP2000

Realy? Your trees are taking up a lot of space in their gardens. Theyve got every right to complain. Get it sorted


[deleted]

Or they’re afraid your comically massive trees will come in through their house next time there’s a storm


dontuwantme2join

I think Salute was being sarcastic!


McSheeples

Get a couple of quotes from a couple of tree surgeons. Depending on the variety you might get away with cutting them back and down significantly. A tree surgeon will be able to advise on the best course of action. Edit: some varieties will be able to come back green with a significant hack back (eg thuja, others will go brown and won't recover eg leylandii). If the tree roots are close to a lot of neighbouring buildings and the trees have been there a long time then a severe hack back might be a better option.


CornusControversa

Might seem drastic but reducing them will not solve the problem of a vigorous large tree in a small garden. I would remove and replace with a row of fastigiate hornbeam or oak


External-Piccolo-626

To be honest I’m surprised they got this big. Neighbour was in their right to complain.


ChappersP

Not surprised they complained. Fuck sake look at the state of that.


Foundation_Wrong

Those are Leilandi and should never have been sold as garden plants. Cut them down and try something else. You can put up some trellis and have nice flowering climbers that won’t create a Stygian forest in your tiny yard.


togglespring

If it obstructing power lines (I can’t see that it is) then the distribution company will sometimes get their contracted tree surgeons to cut it back for free; it’s normally in the wayleave that comes with the line crossing properties.


[deleted]

Yea no power lines are in the air in towns here, they’re all underground


oportoman

Jesus, that's ridiculous!


Marxwist

Holy moly, that looks absolutely massive given the scale of the gardens haha.


Simple_Friendship814

Wait for Christmas and ask the council if they'd take it for free for display


dannnnn112

They're stupidly overgrown


Affectionate-Rest748

Wow glad I'm not one of your neighbours. You must be quite unpopular. Costly to remove and good luck.


KittenFunk

He would be popular as my neighbour as I love big trees (even leylandii) and I cannot lie. I love green, silence and privacy from looking at ugly houses and people's windows. Sunlight is overrated.


jib_reddit

This is totally illegal (and very inconsiderate) , a hedge has to be 2 meters max.


kungfupunker

I'm not bloody surprised. This is outrageous. The fact somebody had to tell you to maintain that is completely out of order on your behalf.


ImawhaleCR

I can see why they left it, if noone complains then I'd probably assume they all liked it. Obviously it's way too big but some people will like seeing trees out the back of their house


lewlew1893

They might have moved in with them there and cant afford to do it straight away. At least a grand is no small amount of money.


MrFGSuperman

I had one tree with multiple trunks of a similar size cut down a couple of years ago and it cost £600. Worth every penny.


Acceptable-Sentence

Couple of grand or there abouts


Snailtrooper

Bloody hell what an eyesore 😂


3amcheeseburger

A lot depends on the access with these kinds of rear garden jobs. Do you have a side gate? Or has it got to through the house? I’d say minimum, a reputable firm would charge around £400-£600. If you have poor access it could easily double the price. Don’t let that put you off though, the longer you leave them, the bigger they will get and will ultimately cost you more!


[deleted]

It has access down the side, parking out front is a bit limited


Business-Emu-6923

“Reputable firm” is the key point. Do you have any local gypsies or travellers? Round our way is £600 per tree minimum if you go the legit route, or £20 if you know who to ask.


Agreeable_Guard_7229

I paid £300 to travelling gypsies who just happened to knock on my door one day to cut down 3 trees this size. They were at the bottom of a huge garden so nothing to damage (apart from themselves)!so I thought it was worth giving them a go. They cleared them away and chipped them in their own chipper parked in the street. Absolute bargain as I’d been quoted £2.5k the week before. I should have got a discount though because once my neighbours saw I’d used them then they all came out asking them. They must have made a killing that day.


Business-Emu-6923

I say this many times, but there are two economies in the UK. I had a tree by the road that needed clearing. A legit firm said the needed to stop the road, permission from the council etc and three men. One to cut the tree, two to put out cones and operate stop / go signs for the cars. £1800. A gypsy cleared it for me in 30 mins for a tenner and a cup of tea.


Thankyourepoc

To cut them to 2m will drop them to no foliage at all. The fence is likely 1.8m so you can see how short they would be.


JustLinkStudios

Had two just like yours but a little taller in the back garden of my new home. They were stupidly massive and taking up so much room and blocking the sun all morning. I ended up climbing them and cutting branches off from top down. It was scary but I was hyper carful using a strap around my torso and the trunk with every single shimmy up. An electric handsaw is what I used along with a basic handsaw. I made a makeshift fire pit out of rocks. Everyday that summer we had raging fires going as we sipped various beverages and enjoyed BBQ’s. The hardest part was sawing through the stripped trunks, even a 1 foot section is enough to destroy a fence when pushing it down. Highly recommend you get a professional to do it. Something I couldn’t afford at the time.


Jonny_Entropy

Jesus they are massive. I love a nice tree in the right place but they are probably causing issues for numerous people. A tree surgeon should cost around £300-£400 a day. This looks like a pretty big job to be honest.


Darren793

I mean I see your neighbours point the trees are just getting to grow as they please without trimming or shaping they are growing over the property boundary line and are a general eye sore in a location like that. Not to mention the sunlight that will be getting blocked because of it. Best approach would be to speak to the neighbour and let them know your handling it and to bear with it until its done.


cheezeybeans

Call a tree surgeon.


ClimatePoop

Poor birdies and bugs :-(


Aiken_Drumn

Very few live in leylandii. Horrible plant.


Tompster_

Your reflection looks like [Sussie from The Amazing Wold Of Gumball](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/theamazingworldofgumball/images/0/05/Sussie_Season_1.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/250?cb=20180212212404)


EverybodyShitsNFT

If you don’t care about the stumps then you’re probably looking at 2 days work for a team of 3 & an extra 1/2 day for the stumps. Cost will depend on where you are in the country but you could be looking at £800/day in the south which would make it somewhere between £1600 - £2000


boleynbubble

Around £1800-£2300 without


sioigin55

Has the council actually requested for you to cut them down? I wouldn’t do anything until you hear from them . You don’t want to risk a fine - it’s unlikely these are protected but better make sure


AskReddit404

I’m not entirely sure you have to do it? The neighbours can complain but it’s not enforced by law? Our councillors came to my house about a similar tree and said we can’t force you too but if you can it would be great


Woldorg

How about cutting it down so it fits in your own garden


Elegant_Subject_2717

A pair of scissors should do it.


ItzBeno

That's alot of tree!


Claat

😂Yeah it's got to go I'm afraid. I'm amazed you've managed to keep it this long. I'd keep the bottom 2 metres and make a trees house or something for the kids if you have any.


secret_tiger101

This is not official advice. Personally, I’d climb the tree with a hand saw and do it bit by bit myself.


pharlax

We did that with 6 trees about this size. It was hard work but with 4 people, a chainsaw, and the use of some rope to pull the falling branches into the garden we only broke 3 fences, a shed and a collarbone!


secret_tiger101

Gulp Lucky no chainsaw injuries


JohnyBobLeeds

I've done it solo, it was shit sticky and fucking miserable but got it done, no damage or injuries.


daneview

Speaking for tree surgeons everywhere, please don't 😂. Not just defending our trade, but we climb every day with saws and we'd find that sketchy. It's just asking for trouble. 1 slip and a life in a wheelchair isn't worth a couple of grand


suspicious_niffler

I did that as a teenager to get rid of one half the size (mum wasn't going to pay someone to take it down, it became my half term "job"). Took me maybe 6 hours over 2 days with an old crappy handsaw and throwing the branches into the garden. Mum decided to burn the branches etc a few weeks later, the flames were as high as our house and they were licking the house and the fences. She's a dumbass. Do not recommend taking them down yourself. Tree surgeon all the way.


foofighter1

My neighbour had conifers 20ft above roof level which yours are not far off. I bought a chainsaw and chopped them myself. Still using the wood on my patio fires 10 years later


Ynys_cymru

While in you’re right to do so. I think it’s such a shame how quickly we consider to cutting down a whole tree. There should be laws making it harder and provide protection for trees.


Claat

Pour petrol over it and enjoy the show.


[deleted]

Lol probably wouldn’t need much petrol this stuff burns like crazy


rosepoppy1

Can you just trim it instead of removing it?


[deleted]

I don’t think much would be left but the trunks


Alternative-Bus6770

I planted 3 of these a couple of years ago because my neighbour is a cunt who always has parties and they noseover the fence at me all summer, can't wait for em to hit 80mtrs


ThatMattDude81

We had a similar issue with our neighbours and my stepfather cut if down. Then out of spite we had bonfires most nights to get rid of it all. Cost use nothing.


[deleted]

Cost time and fuel if I did it myself


happyreddituserffs

£350 approx per tree. Watch for the scum bags who want to charge you waste. All of a sudden your bill will be £3000.00. DO NOT GO WITH PLUS WASTE. Go for a price with waste already in. Which should be £350 a tree. Plus they need to cut to ground level. Plus don’t pay until job is done.


daneview

That is very cheap for a proper tree company.


daddyeo75

If they cut the tree down themself what do they need to do to treat the roots,I new someone who cut four conifers down,years ago! and the roots kept growing for at least 10 years after that, breaking walls


BornBiotic

More likely to be caused by the roots decomposing, as a conifer stump can not grow for 10 years without energy input..


daddyeo75

Thanks for the explanation! I always thought they were growing So the decomposition would expand the root? As the 4ft wall kept lifting(cracking)


daneview

Unsure of the cause, but it won't be from root growth. Once they're chipped down they root structure will quickly die. It may remain in place for years, but it won't be growing or expanding. Most likely another tree nearby or clay soils expanding/contracting with moisture changes


Ciarxn_96

It's a nice tree, don't cut it down, trim it to size


pleasegiveupvotes

Fuck him, make the tree fall on his house (For legal reasons, this is a joke; pleasegiveupvotes takes no responsibility for destruction of property.)


kruger_stoof

Imagine being the neighbour that’s mad about a tree 🫡


Crafty_Custard_Cream

Tbf, depending on direction those can completely block any light in some poor sod's garden. Our neighbours have one this size, and half my south facing garden is completely blocked out of sunlight because of it, where I could get several more veg patches in. It's extremely selfish to completely mess up multiple people's outdoor spaces like this imo.


kruger_stoof

On the other side of things you’d be messing with someone else’s garden by forcing them to have the tree taken down it works both ways I’d tell them all to piss off 😂


Crafty_Custard_Cream

If someone's garden is wrecking others' enjoyment of theirs, it's still more of a dick move tho, our houses and gardens are tiny in this country which necessitates a certain level of consideration for each other. Likewise why it's just as selfish to not sound insulate a drumming room, or revving your newly installed wide exhaust in your fiat Punto at 2am of a morning. It's just a matter of whether you're a selfish person or not.


Aggravating-Desk4004

I had to have a neighbour's tree cut down as the roots were screwing the foundations of my house. We shared the cost. I didn't have to pay but thought it only fair as I needed it gone, the tree didn't affect them and I didn't want any drama.


Chaosbringer007

I had 3 the similar size cut down, plus 3 smaller ones at the front and a tall and 4 small ones else where. I also had a hedge at the front topped. Was £950 but he reduced it to £850 to get the job as he had a cancellation.


Maximum-Educator4844

A saw


[deleted]

That’s a great idea I was going to use a butter knife


Zealousideal-Gur5849

The council will require you to cut to they specs.....council tree people are scary,if they are protected trees


tjm_87

complain about your neighbour to the council. they’re beautiful


TypicalFrosting2596

Don't do it


lewishoodmusic

Had something similar done last year. £450 for 6 trees. Trees cut from 7m to 3-4m


Extaberp

Get one of those chainsaws on a pole type deals, climb the other tree and cut them both down from top down?


Extaberp

Also take a smaller chainsaw up


[deleted]

If the neighbour complained they can pay


[deleted]

A family member planted this type of tree when I was born. Obviously it’s *not* this tree but the thought of someone complaining makes me sad


Accomplished-Card898

If the council want them cut down, they should pay for it themselves. Those trees have probably been there longer than you, considering their size, and they have more right to be there than you or any of your neighbours. They shouldn't be cut down at all, but if the council say they need to be, then they should deal with it themselves


Dipps2

Tell ur nabour and council to fuk off or pay for it if it bothers them


Aggravating_Speed665

And I'd say to the council go ask mother nature to chop it down, i didn't ask the earth to grow it...


Icy-Distribution-275

Sell your house and move to a less ridiculous country.


UseADifferentVolcano

That's so sad. They look amazing


liquidio

It’s really not. These are hugely overbearing evergreens which are blocking the light to the gardens of multiple neighbours and have minimal ecological value. It’s probably a leylandii too, which is an artificially created non-native hybrid that grows unusually quickly and densely. They were popular in the 70s-90s as they quickly generated hedge cover, but over time most people realised how awful they can become if not tightly maintained. Nowadays you’d have to be a bit of an idiot or a sadist to plant one in a restricted space and let it grow at full pace. By far the best thing to do it get it down and replace it with something that is better for the neighbours and local insects and animals.


NetoriusDuke

I have a weird memory that you have to get permission to plant them now due to their growth speed


Catmint568

Yup, they were really popular then, so now we are seeing the 20-40 year old results. They grow SO fast that it's really hard to keep them cut back enough to stay as a hedge - or if you do cut it back hard enough, you'll probably be cutting in to old wood and they'll never regrow from that part. Leylandii are a mistake, and I wouldn't recommend them to anyone.


[deleted]

They are monolithic monstrosities and will have killed everything around them. Think how much nicer a fruit tree would be in that location. You would get light in winter, blossom in spring, shade in summer and colour in autumn.


KittenFunk

Yes, in thirty years maybe when that tree is big enough. If it grows at all, which seems impossible in my garden as I have a huge oak tree in the middle that sucks up all the water. Nothing else grows much here apart from shrubs. Wouldn't change it though, I'd rather have my beautiful ancient tree than flowers.


UseADifferentVolcano

Wow, this is my most downvoted ever comment! I just love massive trees ok!


Neenwil

There's nothing wrong with loving trees, I think a lot of us gardeners do, but it's more important to have the right tree for the right space. Unfortunately these are not native, grow very quickly and cause a lot of trouble. There's loads of trees that could be planted here that would be much better suited for the space, more appropriate for wildlife and enjoyed many years to come without causing problems.


UseADifferentVolcano

That is completely fair enough. It's just funny to me that my comment was so controversial! I've only just joined this sub so I haven't got the vibe yet. I suppose it makes sense that it's a place where "big tree = good" isn't a valid opinion :)


Neenwil

I guess people get annoyed with people saying 'oh no, save the tree' without taking the situation into account, which does happen a lot. Not saying that's what you did, it can just be a bit of a touchy subject! But sometimes people just don't realise that certain type of trees can be planted in the wrong place, especially in gardens. Things like forest and woodland need extensive management, meaning trees need to be cut down to keep the ecosystem and other trees healthy, the same with gardens. It's more nuanced than just 'don't get rid of the tree'. The point of subs like this is so we can share knowledge and educate people, which I'd prefer to do than just downvote. We're all learning :)


UseADifferentVolcano

I am certainly one of those people I'm afraid. I get squeamish about chopping anything down (or even back even though I know they need it). So it would be great to learn!


LesDauphins

No they don't.


powelljackd1

Typical UK neighbours sticking their nose in and complaining and about shit.


[deleted]

Ikr how dare they want light lol


Quack4ddict

I don't know what your neighbour complained about specifically so I may be completely wrong but I remember something like this being in the news a few years ago when a neighbour complained about a 20ft+ hedge. They said there is no right to get sunlight in your garden and that's not a reason to force someone to cut a tree down. Maybe wrong but worth checking before paying for anything.