Neighbours gigantic eucalyptus tree

completedit

Hey,

So with the good weather coming in and being at home more I have noticed that my next door neighbour's tree impedes the sunlight into my back garden. It's fine until about 3pm but once the sun goes behind the tree that's it for the day. The sun retreats behind the branches and growth and at this time of year won't reappear for the rest of the day. I might be wrong but I think as the summer progresses, the sun may be at such a position whereby it will shine on the top half of the garden as the day goes on.

The thing about the tree is that it looks quite nice and I don't want it to come down. I'd just like if a bit of the growth which seems to have accelerated in the past few years was cut away. I am okay with paying for someone to come in and do some work on it.

I think even taking a tiny bit off would achieve the desired outcome. It's just grown far too large for the 3 bedroom semi-detached housing estate I live in but the problem is the family that live next door are quite housebound people so unlikely they'll do anything themselves. It blocks their light as well but perhaps they like the shade effect( I would too if we lived in a country with more sunshine)

How should I broach the subject? I am thinking of perhaps mentioning that I want to grow some vegetables. I think this would give a more justified reason for asking the tree to be trimmed. I also think it's a bit neglectful to let a tree grow that large but to be honest it never bothered me until now.

They are called widow makers for a reason.
Branches have a tendency to break off.

completedit

Even further justification. I'll probably raise the issue later on in the summer. I want to get used to the shade so that if they say no, I'm okay with it. Right now, it would ruin my mood.

loyatemu

we lived in a house with an enormous Eucalyptus in the garden behind. I hated the damn thing.

• It dropped gumnuts all over our garden that I had to go round and pick up before mowing the lawn. Inevitably I'd miss a few and they'd fly out of the mower like bullets and the whole garden would smell of cough sweets
• It also dropped huge strips of bark, branches and leaves that never broke down in the compost.
• It was noisy as hell even in moderate wind & it was close enough that when it was really windy we would move the kids out of their bedrooms at the back of the house because we were seriously worried about it coming down
• there was no-one living in the house (owners lived abroad I think), so we couldn't even complain about it.
• the only positive was it was to the north, so didn't block the sun though it did reduce the light to some extent as it was so big, and uphill of our house.

of course, we moved out and within 6 months they'd chopped it down. They're anti-social trees to have in an urban/suburban setting.

completedit

You know the struggle! The annoying thing is I think this is the first spring/summer where it will actually impinge upon my quality of life. It must have had a growth spurt in the last year.

Maybe they'll be happy to have a bit taken off. I don't see how it's a positive addition to their garden or quality of life but people can be weird about these things. On the plus side, we get some decent sun before 3/4pm. The shade does make the garden look nice and like I say visually I can appreciate its might. But it does seem to lack awareness and regard for others growing such a thing. How there aren't height restrictions is beyond me but in this country doesn't shock me.

the_pen_turner

If you want a softly softly way I would wait until a piece falls off then position it close to where you sit (or move seat to it). That pop round for a friendly chat.. much easier to broach the subject if they see that it's a danger to you looking for light can be fobbed off easily

The Continental Op

I don't think the specific Eucalypt thats sheds big branches is frost hardy so I don't think it grows here in Ireland?

macraignil

As far as I have read about this issue with neighbour's plants you are entitled to cut what is encroaching into your garden and I remember someone saying that if you do this it is normal for the cut material to be offered back to the owner of the plant. I stayed for a couple of years in my grandmothers house and she had some plants that the neighbours did not like but they never spoke to me about this. I returned one day to find when reversing into the driveway that they had left branches they had cut from the grandmothers front garden blocking the entrance and it nearly caused an accident with another car when I had to stop reversing suddenly. On another occasion I came back to the house to find the trees at the back of the rear garden had been defaced and cut back to look completely brutalised on their side in particular and I have no doubt it was the same neighbours who had trespassed into the grandmother's garden to do this. If they had approached me to say they wanted to reduce the height of the trees like reasonable people I would have had no problem with this as they had grown fairly big and my father had already got in a tree surgeon to reduce them a few years before this. Instead their vandalism gave me a very bad impression of them and I never spoke to them again and am glad I don't live there anymore and wont have to see them again.

Your neighbours are likely to be aware their tree is getting bigger and maybe if you do a bit of research you could explain to them the full grown size of the tree they have planted. Eucalyptus full grown size will depend on the variety but they may be happy for you to offer them some help in dealing with it before it becomes an even bigger problem. If you wanted to be even nicer about it you could offer to replace it and plant something with a more reasonable full grown size and a native that could be better for wildlife like Rowan or white thorn.

completedit

Thank you. I might leave it for the summer and mention it in the autumn. I recently did some work on the garden which has alerted me to the tree and feel its a little bit self-centred to just demand the tree come down now because I happen to find it inconvenient. It's very annoying because my house is the only one really affected. Someone new just moved in next door so he might be a bit put out by it too which might create some strength in numbers.

macraignil

completedit wrote: »

Thank you. I might leave it for the summer and mention it in the autumn. I recently did some work on the garden which has alerted me to the tree and feel its a little bit self-centred to just demand the tree come down now because I happen to find it inconvenient. It's very annoying because my house is the only one really affected. Someone new just moved in next door so he might be a bit put out by it too which might create some strength in numbers.

I was not suggesting making any demands the tree come down but more suggesting starting a conversation with the neighbours who planted it about what size they expect it to grow to. Just looked it up there and the record that comes up first for biggest eucalyptus tree is for a swamp gum and it has a height of 99.6metres and a diameter of over 4metres. I'm not suggesting this will happen to your neighbours tree but it is an example of what one type can grow to . Gardening and talking about the garden can be a good way to get to know your neighbours and as I was saying the size of the tree may be something they already know they could have to address as the tree matures. There is also a process called crown thinning where some of the branches are cut out to maintain the tree but allow more light through to the ground beneath and pollarding where branches are cut back to a convenient length and trimmed back to this size year after year. Communication before confrontation is something worth considering in my opinion anyway.


Happy gardening!

wildwillow

We had the same problem with an eucalyptus on the boundary. Our gutters were permanently blocked with the leaves being shed from it. But the bigger problem was fear of damage from the tree or branches falling.

Had a word with our insurance to check we were covered if the roof was damaged. The general opinion was that we could claim from the neighbours if we had warned them of the danger.

Long story short, They agreed to remove the tree as it was also too close to their house. We allowed them access from our side as it was easier and offered to cover some of the cost.


They had no idea when they planted the little sapling that it would turn into a monster. If cut back severely it will regrow into a nice shrub and yield lovely foliage for flower arranging, and can be kept in check.

looksee

Someone behind us had a eucalyptus in a very small back garden. I was not very enthusiastic about it as I know they can easily fall over. Anyway after it had been in a few years one day in moderate wind it did in fact, fall over. Missed the house but caught the shed. Fortunate it went then and not a few years later.

magicbastarder

one problem with eucalyptus too is that a harsh winter could kill it (though it clearly survived 2010).

and the wood is useless.

beggars_bush

magicbastarder wrote: »

one problem with eucalyptus too is that a harsh winter could kill it (though it clearly survived 2010).

and the wood is useless.

We have garden furniture made from eucalyptus wood

Could you borrow a koala from the zoo?

I've have 2 in my garden which I plan coppicing when they grow a bit.. I've a very large garden.

ThreeGreens

If restrictions are lifted later in the summer, maybe invite your neighbours around for a BBQ?

This achieves two things.

1. They will get to notice the loss of light for themselves without you ever having to say anything. So they will at least know where you are coming from when you mention it later.

2. You might start to develop a friendship, and such matters are much easier resolved between friends than between neighbours!

completedit

Yeh I'd love just to have a normal conversation about it. Would make things a lot easier. But people let ego get in the way and it makes things like this difficult.

Was also wondering, is there any chance that my theory that the sun will shine at an angle that could avoid the tree leaves a little later in the year? Or is it going to be negligible between now and let's say the end of May?

standardg60

Just have a normal conversation about it OP. Ask them what they think about it?
They may well be in agreement with you. Plus an offer of financial contribution goes a long way.

Eucalyptus are shallow rooted and combined with being evergreen are susceptible to being blown over so you could arm yourself with that to begin with. Personally i would recommend thinning rather than coppicing for aesthetic reasons.