Neighbour's well-meaning vandalism!

To give you a bit of context, I have a long-term debilitating condition that means the garden got too much for me years ago.

My next door neighbour has been keeping the small handkerchief-sized front lawn under control, but the back garden was seriously neglected and overgrown, and a source of worry and distress to me, and consternation to my (other) neighbour.

Anyway, the neighbour who's been doing the front for me recently retired, and has a lot more time on his hands, and took it upon himself to prepare a lovely "surprise".

Literally overnight (I am NOT kidding - he did it at 4 a.m. when I was sleeping), he cleared the entire back garden of all the long grass and brambles.

In the morning, I could hardly believe my eyes, and thought I must be going mad. I hadn't heard a thing!

I was taken aback, but extremely grateful, and even presented him with a bottle of up-market plonk, as he wouldn't accept any money.

Unfortunately, in the days following, it has come to my attention it wasn't just grass and weeds he "tidied up".

I have a large and rather lovely maple at the bottom of the garden, which has never been pruned.

I noticed one day it was looking a little strange - sort of bald in places.

It had like a V-shaped gap where there used to be leaves. At first I thought it might be beginning to suffer from the lack of recent rain. But closer inspection showed that all the lower branches - 3 or 4 of them - that don't form part of the actual crown have been just sawn-off.

I cried!

To be clear, the branches that have gone were entirely in MY garden - they weren't encroaching on his, or anybody else's.

He has obviously made the decision - without consulting me - that it could do with a bit of a tidy-up - and has just lopped off branches.

I'm sure this has been done with the best of intentions, thinking it was a favour, but I'm absolutely gutted. The poor tree!

To make matters worse, I've no idea when pruning season is - if I'd wanted it pruned - but Google tells me it should never be done in high summer like this.

I can see it out of the kitchen window, and every time, my eyes start to smart.

I don't want to confront him over it, because what's done is done. It can't undo it, and I do accept there was no malice involved. Clearly I will have to mention it at some point, to avoid other unwanted "favours".

But more importantly, how will the tree react to this? Will it ever grow new lower branches to replace those lost? Is there a risk it might die from this type of savagery? Is there anything I can do to help it?

Sorry about my long post. Grateful for any words of comfort,

Tina

 

What sort of maple?

Perhaps you could add a photo of the tree and the lopping?

My guess is (and I admit I don't tkow too much about this) is that it's had its main "sap rising" period, and it should not be too problematic, but if you have a look and see if it's bleeding badly, that will help you (or otherwise!). If it's very dry you could water the area under the canopy (if you haven't got a hosepipe ban, and you have a hosepipe).

 

Hi Anitra66

That whole story just sounds bizarre and the fact that your neighbour felt brave and brazen enough to come in a carry out uncalled-for and unspecified hacking in your garden at 4am does ring alarm bells for me.

Are you able to post any photos of the tree as it is now? It may help in offering you the best advice.

In my experience maple's can sometimes be highly sensitive and die at the drop of a hat, or sometimes persevere through the harshest of hackings. It all depends on the general vigour and vitality of the tree and how much energy it has in reserves.

It could survive if the damage isn't too horrendous, if the tree has ample energy stored, if it is able to grow new leaves in time, etc. Likewise it could also die if it has low energy reserves, is unable to grow new leaves, becomes susceptible to wood-decaying organisms, etc.

Post a pic, if possible, and have a real hard think about your neighbour's behaviour.

 

Difficult to say without a picture, but if the tree is well established its unlikely to die, I doubt it will grow new branches to replace the ones cut off.
But the tree will probably go on.

 

Can't help ,sorry Tina but found this.....looks as if it won't do any harm to your tree.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/maple/maple-tree-pruning.htm

 

I indeed agree with you that it's a bit bizarre, but still don't think there is malice involved. It's good intentions gone too far. Reading between the lines, perhaps he is having trouble adjusting to life post-retirement, and just wanted to feel useful. The timing isn't normal, and didn't give me the opportunity to rush out and stop him before the damage was done. It's light at 4 a.m, and I guess he just couldn't sleep, and had a sudden impulse. I did wonder if it could be a case of bipolar disorder, or something like that, and he is in the "manic" phase. But I am not a psychologist or psychiatrist.

I was initially overjoyed until I saw the damage to the tree! I'll try to take a picture tomorrow. He's also done a thorough job of removing my winter-flowering clematis as a "weed".

 

There are lots of "gardeners" out there who just think making it look tidy is all it needs, especially if an area is pretty overgrown.

 

Yes, I believe that's exactly what has happened. High enthusiasm, low knowledge.

I don't think he knows anything about gardening - and to be fair, there's no reason he should.

Obviously I'm not going to mind if he takes a strimmer to long grass, but I really think sawing branches off somebody's tree (unless they overhang your property) is taking liberties.

It's too bad I already thanked him before realising the full extent of what had happened. It's pretty awkward now, to say: "By the way, I wasn't happy about the tree!"

But I'm not absolutely convinced he hasn't returned to do it after the first time, as I didn't notice anything immediately, at all. It was only a few days later I thought: "My tree doesn't seem very happy".

And in fact, thinking about it, we did mention the tree in passing when I popped round to present him with the booze. Absolutely nothing about pruning - just chit-chat about the lovely colour in Autumn. He has one too!

As it cropped up naturally in conversation, it would have been an ideal time for him to say: "By the way, I pruned it for you", or: "Would you like me to?", but he didn't say either of these things.

I have a feeling he might have been out there at 4 a.m. a second time.

 

It's an expensive approach but how about buying him the RHS book 'Gardening Through the Year' by Ian Spence? It's excellent for keen but not-very-knowledgeable gardeners, setting out exactly if and when to prune! You could call it a retirement present Otherwise, you're going to have to bite the bullet and mention the treasured plants that he's mistakenly removed or 'tidied' and ask him to check with you before doing anything else when you're not around.

 

Nothing worse than a non-gardener tidying up. Before I had my own garden I would garden in my mother's. A neighbour gave me a beautiful Azalea. One Sunday my brother visited her and did a tidy up. No need to tell you what went in the bin.

 

I think most well established, otherwise healthy trees will take some damage and survive. If you think about it, if they didn't, we'd have no trees anywhere, because it's not at all unusual for whole branches to be ripped off in a storm. If every tree died every time they took natural storm damage, there'd be very few trees around.

That's not much consolation though. If I'm honest, if it was me, I'd be quite upset about the whole thing. I've let my neighbour do things in my garden before, and likewise I've done things in neighbours garden. But the thing these favours all have in common is we speak first and agree what we're going to do and when.

I can't tell you how to react, only how I think I would approach it. I think I'd be polite, express gratitude for trying to help (as you did) but tactfully suggest that in future they ask you first before coming in. I think I'd maybe say something like it's nothing personal, I'd just like to know who's coming in and when because I hear activity and I'm not sure if it's an intruder, or something like that. Of course it's your space, so you also have every right to be more blunt if you choose to.

 

I think you just be honest, thanks for clearing the garden but there was one or two things I would have liked to keep.
Honesty is always best and if done right it shouldn't cause offence.
Idiot!!! under your breath.

 

Oh, it is quite modestly priced - less than the booze I've been plying him with for being such a "good" (but in this case too good) neighbour. But I am not very hopeful he would read it!

He doesn't strike me as much of a "books" man, and I guess that's part of the problem; action first, thought later!

He must actually have gone to considerable effort to do something that wasn't wanted in the first place, and indeed is upsetting.

 

Yes, I agree in principle. I think the difficulty is in revisiting the topic when I have already thanked him. It's not very nice to go back later and say there was a: "BUT...". It's my fault for not being more observant in the first place. I didn't go down the garden and check exactly what was done. I just noticed it was much clearer than it had been. It didn't even occur to me he would have touched the healthy tree, which obviously isn't "rubbish in need of clearance", even to the most untrained eye.

 

As long as your sure it wasn't done for his own personal satisfaction I'd not be too worried, if you think he did it because it looked bad from his side, I'd be worried.