Problem

I think that you should leave the trees alone as Collard Doves and Dunnocks will be nesting by now.
By all means top them but I would desist from removing them altogether until November. It was tbh rather foolish to let the florist help herself. she would have been better to have taken cuttings from a less obvious place.
CJ.

 

It has to stay for the birds which are definitely nesting in it, I am convinced that were you to explain it to visitors it would instructional to them that our gardens are homes to many things and aesthetics are not more important than sensitivity to nature. Were I to be a visitor I would applaud your decision, and one of the things that people enjoy the most when making an annual visit is to see a work in progress. I must admit to be a bit bored of perfect beds.


Is there no way it could be tidied a little perhaps? And besides, judging from the pictures you have shown us of your garden I do not believe for a second that this would detract from its charm Shiney.

 

I would never let that florist near your trees again she is obviously not a gardener

 

Shiney would it be possible to put up a couple of photo's to show us exactly what the problem looks like,because it is difficult trying to picture the damage by words alone,Ta.

I would do as the others say and leave the conifers now until after the summer because now that the birds are doing their courting apart from Herons which start in February most of them get into the full swing of it next month plus with the bad weather we have just been experiencing,everything has been delayed somewhat.

Was you there when the florist was helping herself?,because if she had had any sense she would have taken greenary from the back of the conifers if that was possible rather than hacking stuff off of the front,where it would be obvious to anyone walking past.

Perhaps if you don't say anything your visitors might be polite enough to turn a blind eye to it or else you could say that some of the vegetation had died and gone brown so you had to have it removed as it looked unsightly.

Sorry that I couldn't have been of more help

 

Just chop it down shiney. Whenever you do it it will upset some form of wildlife, insect, bird, squirrel. Cut off the limbs, (of the tree not birds) and if nests are being built they will look else where if disturbed. Unless you have an endangered species nesting, thats nature I am afraid.

 

Hi Shiney. I also think you should cut them down and im sure your regular Treesurgeon wouldn't mind if you hired someone else. "just this once " Also im sure your florist friend would of taken the branches from the back if she knew your Treesurgeon was going to be in hospital

 

Here you go Shiney:flag:
http://www.treecraft.co.uk/resources/Nesting_Birds_Client_info.pdf

 

I would be inclined to watch for signs of nest building activity in the tree over a couple of days. If there is no such activity going on, I would just chop it down.

Alternatively, strip off the bottom few branches completely, and then put a sign up saying the tree was being prepared for removal when you noticed nesting activity, so will leave it until after the nesting season. That way the damage would look intentional and people might let you off.