Neighbour's well-meaning vandalism!

I like that.

 

No, I don't think so.

The garden has been a wilderness for quite some time - I did have an odd-jobbing gardener who turned up about once a year for a major clearance, but doesn't seem able to commit to regular upkeep.

To be fair to my neighbour, he has never, ever complained about it, or done anything prior to this, so it does seem the decisive factor has been his retirement, rather than any passive-aggression. Like me, he doesn't have family, and I think he used to spend a lot of time doing work on his late mother's place before she passed away. That was quite some time ago now, but between that, and now finishing work, I wonder if he's struggling to fill his time.

Thinking about his own garden, he does spend quite a lot of time on it, but is not what I'd call a serious gardener. He buys the plants full-grown and then swaps them out for something else next season - a bit like public parks do - or used to, back when there was money!