Neighbour building hedge to form border

A question about : Neighbour building hedge to form border

I was wondering if there are any formal rules regarding the border itself. It seems the roots are going to be planted straight along the border, should the hedge not be further back so not to intrude?

Best answers:

• I would be concerned if I was the neighbour and the roots may eventually reach under a building etc, but there's no law that I'm aware of.
• Just keep trimming it tight to the borderline. If he wants a hedge then it should have been planted so that it grows completely on his side of the border.
• Hedges to indicate the position of borders are 'normal.'
  Provided the plants are planted just on your neighbour's side of the agreed boundary, then there is nothing in law to prevent this. Similarly, you are at liberty to erect a fence on your side to prevent encroachment of branches into your garden, if the two of you cannot agree on the best way to mark the boundary.
  Where the roots go is also under your control, as you have the right to put in a barrier. I did this at my last house, because my neighbour had bindweed and I didn't want to share it with him. Yes, it was annoying, but easier than trying to exert control over a totally independent person.
• If he's got it absolutely slap bang on the borderline, then one half of the width will intrude into your garden of a certainty and he should know that and...yep....plant it far enough back into his garden to allow for "growth width".
  As he hasn't then, fortunately, the law allows people to trim any "greenery" overhanging into their gardens (though with the proviso it should be offered back to the owner).
  Perhaps you could say to him that it can be seen that the hedge will start "overhanging" into your garden over time because its been planted bang at the border and, that being the case, you are asking him whether he would like you to hand back the hedge trimmings to him when you, inevitably, have to trim your side in future years.
  Hopefully, he's reasonable and just hadn't thought of that aspect and was just making sure to use every inch of his own garden, without considering the impact it will have on your garden, and will just say "Whoops...hadn't thought of that...and do whatever you like with the trimmings".
• How on earth do you "build" a hedge?
• An expert would know by my amateurish take on that post was that the neighbour has planted a load of hedging plants in a row along the border and at about 2' or so apart.
• Rather too late now, within an hour of my post the bushes or hedging plants had been planted. They are only small at present but, I've effectively 'acquired' half a side of hedge since my post this morning. At least I've convinced her to keep my side trimmed down to the border, which is technically impossible without cutting it down the middle. She's moving her shed to the border as well, let's hope she measures that properly and doesn't put that slap in the middle as well.
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• I would certainly make sure and certain my boundary was very clearly marked in your position. Take photos of how things are now (and keep them with your house documents for the next owner).
  Hopefully then that will help keep things very clear and you won't be cursing her at some point and future owners of your house won't long for a timemachine to go back in time and tell you "what for" for not having kept a close eye on the neighbours doings (a position I am currently in - so that is a heartfelt "Can I go and throttle previous owner/s of my house for making life more difficult for me please?").
  Even if you aren't bothered, future owners of your house might well be.
• Let Roundup be your friend
• I generally have good relations with her since she is quiet unlike the previous lot, and don't wish to ruin this for the sake of a few inches of lawn. But yes, you are correct future owners might be more concerned when the inches become feet as the hedges grow. Difficult one. As soon as it is dry I'll draw a line on the wall so we can both see where the boundary is.
• Good idea indeed to draw that line and make sure it cant be erased, whether by accident (the weather) or design (human agency).
  ...and take those photos.
  I should say that hedge will easily soon intrude into your garden by at least 2' along the boundary and that is a problem if its a small garden (as the vast majority of British gardens are) or if a future owner decides the best place to put something in your garden is right where hedge-will-be-growing.
  I do think you should think seriously about Dave's suggestion about putting up a fence and do it now (ie before the hedge has the chance to grow sideways into your garden). Putting a fence in your own garden isn't going to ruin relations, after all its up to home-owners to do what they please in their own gardens (providing its reasonable) and putting up a fence is definitely reasonable.
  You just don't know how much a future owner might have to fight to get that 2' width or so back if they decide to use it themselves...I could certainly tell you (as one of those "future owners"). Maybe previous owner/s of my house (don't know how long neighbour thief has been squatting on that bit of my garden for....so just how many previous owners she walked over) weren't fully aware that Thieving Neighbour much resembles a human tank in action, with the way she first "confidently expects" she will get what she wants and then tries to "bulldoze over opposition" if her apparent "confident expectation" of having her own way doesn't work. Do be aware that some people can be very devious and she might be one of them. My own NFH is dead quiet too...but deadly.
  I'm having a heck of a fight with Human Bulldozer next door (which I feel reasonably confident will see Justice Done hopefully), but there are still people out there who have been conned into thinking of her as a "sweet little old lady"...(yeh right...pull the other one).
• The question no one has addressed is, "What kind of hedge is it?"
  Some hedges are very nice to have; better perhaps than a fence, which has a capital cost and needs maintenance, although hedges need cutting, of course.
  Other hedges are certainly not good to have next door, or between the sun and one's garden, so the devil is in the detail here.
• Agh - leylandii coming to mind then...ie the "devils spawn" of hedges.
  Good point Dave...that is also a relevant factor.
  I'm guessing that my own viewpoint, if I were "future owner" of this particular house would boil down to:
  - If its leylandii, get out the virtual crucifix, cross fingers, etc, etc that I wont go into ........ohmygawd...
  - If it was bog-standard boring type of "decorative" hedge I'd be very irritated and hate look of
  - If it was an edible hedge (ie I could stand there my side picking all sorts of wild foodstuffs - crab-apples/sloes/rosa rugosa rosehips/etc) then yay. I would just "trim the hedge" back to the border in effect (ie by picking the foodstuff on it and adding it to my larder) and, provided that they accepted that the deal was "You take my garden space, then I will take the food on the plants that are in my garden space" then we would be cushti on that.
  The "devil in the detail" indeed Dave as to just what plants that hedge would be composed of.
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  The other bit of "devil is in the detail" is as to whether the hedge would shade plants growing in other parts of the garden that full sun is needed on and that is (currently) what they get.
  What ones has she used?
• Apart from the fact that many birds will not nest in them, there is absolutely nothing wrong with Leylandii. Far too much bad press about bad owners. Providing they are looked after, stopped from growing to high, trimmed regularly(about twice a year) they make a very good hedge. Great as a sound barrier if by a road.