Shade is something that is nice to shelter from the hot sun, and it can offer privacy, but it can also ruin your garden by preventing access to sunlight which is vital to your plant’s survival.
In this episode I will explain your options to handling shade coming from a neighbor’s tree, and what you can and can’t do. Hope this helps!
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pettiness sometime is good lol
sure there's a bunch of things you can do. but the best option is to sneak out at night with a 2ft bit and power drill. Bring some RoundUp and fill those drilled holes with RoundUp. Then sit back and watch it die
Yes you can trim branches that overhang your property. However you cannot trim the tree such that it kills the tree. Speaking with the neighbor prior to trimming is recommended. You can be a bit more aggressive though with the small weeds (mulberry, box elder, and Asian elm) that grow within the fence. If allowed to keep growing, they would ruin the fence.
My mom was a teacher and one day our neighbor thought she was at work and had hired company to remove trees for a better view. By the time she realized it was on her property, they cut down 12 trees
There is a very busy, bushy, and tall leather leaf that was actual planted on county land, against me and the neighbors property. The large although pretty blooms make me sneeze something awful. My neighbor loves them, but I cut back any that encroach. My neighbor on the other side did allow me to take out the one on her side.
Very glad you covered this topic.
what are those 3 white horizontal cylinders?
I can tell MiGardener definitely does not like that neighbor. lol
I don't have 1 garden I have 7 beds and tons of containers tucked in all the sunny spots. I also have large trees to contend with of my own.
Luke, I'm in Code Enforcement in a municipality in MI and I deal with this situation quite a bit. I watched your whole presentation to see how you would do and waited to the end to comment. You did great and your recommendation that people consult with their own state law was important. I can add a couple things to what you said. First, I have never heard about the 20' up rule…maybe that's a local addition to what the State is saying. Also, my understanding, and the way I enforce, is that a person can trim vertically up from the property line but if that trim kills the plant/tree then the neighbor can sue for the replacement cost of the plant or tree. For example, if a 100 year old oak has it's main trunk leaning over the neighbors yard and it's cut…a Judge is going to be awarding a lot of money to the neighbor. I'm glad you started with communicating with your neighbors. This is very important and seldom seen in my job. Keep up the great work!
Heard a sermon once…live within your boundaries. Wise advice.
I love my Fiskars trimmers! I use them a lot every year for the shrubs and tree limbs that come over from the neighbor's yard.
You can also move…
Honestly, delete this if you wish… but I would feel like a jerk if I didn't let you know about these. I have a ryobi pruner (actually I have 2 ) the one I think if you have a lot of trees and little time is worth the high price for a ryobi tool.
I lent it to my younger brother… apparently he was saying how great it was … his wife bought him one for his birthday. While he was using it outside in his front yard the neighbor saw him and was like… what is that took a picture of the model number. To order their own…. I for the life of me can't understand why they are not sold in the stores.
They are a 1 inch brushless pruner… and awesome….
They do have a 1¼ pruner that is slower but seems to have more torque for bigger branches…. but because it's nearly 2 foot long… it's not as convenient.
None the less check this thing out for yourself.
And if you haven't…. next time I'm up in Michigan again… hopefully you'll be there at the shop so I can show you mine… cause the farmhouse definitely could use it.
https://www.ryobitools.com/products/details/46396039309
Neighbor has 2 – 60 maples on JUST that side of the line. Will not take them down or let me. They are on the north side of their house so no benefits from the shade but shades my back yard where the garden is. GGGRRR!!! Thank you. Happy Thanksgiving. God Bless and stay safe. BTW, prevailing winds will drop them on my den and kitchen in a big storm.
I was really hoping to see a flame-thrower, or at least a chainsaw!
That's so funny you uploaded on this topic bc I was stressing about tree shade all day….but because I want some, but not too much. The only way I could have a north facing space or a place for my beech and redbuds is to plant a tree. I have a red oak sapling i could plant but dont know how dense and how far the shade will reach though. I still want an area wirh full sun.
Too bad you can't give your neighbors back their branches you trimmed off your side 😉
I removed a couple of my neighbors black walnut trees near my property line. I offered to pay for it and they said ok.
Afraid of my neighbor who let me know about her 2nd Amendment rights. ..
I was going to suggest inoculating the tree with mushrooms. It could very well have happened due to natural causes, and if the mushrooms are edible, you can get something out of it.
If a neighbor plants a very fast growing tree then they are altering YOUR environment…. the one you moved into. Similarly, if there are older, large trees around you then they were probably there when you chose to move into your home. In the latter case, tough luck. You chose that environment and it's an environment that many people WANT. Find somewhere more appropriate to live!
Ugh. Viburnum. My neighbor (to my east) planted a freakin Viburnum two feet from the property line. I live in a townhouse. Grrrrrr
Because the sun tracks around it, I eventually get sunlight by 10AM. It's now 8 years old and I have resorted to cutting it straight up the property line. Looks kinda silly but at least I get some late morning sun. It looks fine on their side because they never trim it. Of course, it wants to grow on my side the most because that's where the sun is. People just don't think before they plant. Because of large trees to my west, I'm in shade by 4:00. 6 hours of sun really limits what can be grown. I miss the early morning light. Some day I'll move and get a real yard with no trees in any direction.
Love your gardening content and advice but … and no offense here everyone's tastes are different … your yard while practical and efficient for growing vegetables is not very scenic … if I was the neighbor I'd want a bit of a hedge/ screening plants too. I was also surprised how close the neighbors house was to the fence.
I do get the point of trimming what suckers and branches are growing through the fence … I'd do that too because it won't negatively impact the neighbor either – in fact because of the growth and where it was I doubt they'll notice unless they saw you do it.
This also seemed a bit of a I'm p.o.'d that my neighbor is not doing what I want video.
This very issue arose back in late September. For fifteen years, there were a couple serviceberry trees growing on my neighbors' side of the fence. They moved in after the trees were already maturing. A few years ago one of them, which was planted about four feet from the fence, began growing over the fence and shading my salvia flowers midday. As long as the flowers get sun to midday they bloom fine. However, I did not want any additional extension over my garden, so I began pruning a few branches (not all). Then, two years ago, the worst storm in Iowa history destroyed their trees. The one I trimmed got blown through the fence. Now, two years later, the neighbor bought a new serviceberry tree to go in the same area. I don't mind that at all because it provides a nice backdrop and feeds the birds. The fence line really did look bare without the old trees there. I was going to talk to the neighbor about it before the tree was planted, but I forgot. Big mistake! One day I looked out and discovered the nursery planted the tree only three feet from the fence… and this is an Autumn Brilliance serviceberry, which will probably get a bit larger than the old trees. I felt rather depressed for a few days. This tree may get twenty feet wide, so that would mean seven feet over my yard. I know the neighbor is very friendly, so I talked to her about it. We decided that I could move the newly-planted tree a couple feet farther from the fence. Another foot or two beyond that would have been ideal, but she wanted the tree to remain within her garden bed, so five feet was the limit. It will still grow over the fence, eventually, but five feet away is much better than three feet. Now, the core of the tree will remain on her side and I can, hopefully, safely prune a few outer branches down the road when the tree matures.
I live in the country also, but if a tree's limbs go over the property line, you have a right to trim the limbs that extend over and on your property side. Doesn't matter what the other property owner wants. You missed one very important point. You need to double check the plot of the property and find the metal corners of the property. Never assume that the fence is the property line. He may have the fence 2 ft on his side due to a local law that states fences must be min distance from the true line and actually you are on the his property.
Here in the UK, you can go into your neighbours garden, without permission, knowledge or any pre-discussion that there is even a problem, and take down that tree if you want to, and the police will do absolutely nothing about it. In fact, if you call the police they will come and 'watch' to make sure 'you' don't break the law when trying to remove the neighbour from your property. Ask me how I know!