Neighbor pruning of my forsythia

[catherine]

Last year, as you know, we sold the house next door. Bordering our property I have forsythia bushes, which I LOVE! I cut them back when necessary, but I don't make them into little balls--I like the wild kind.

Yesterday I saw my neighbor, and we waved, and I heard an electric motor: I thought maybe he was doing some construction in the house. This morning I went out and saw that he fully cut back the bushes facing his side of the house. He never came to discuss it. He probably thinks the bushes are cutting down on his space in his yard, but now, there's very little privacy between the two houses. There are huge gaping holes, and the bushes have been brought down to about 3 feet in some places.

Plus, doesn't he know that you don't just cut a bush back like that?? It looks so weird.

I wish he had come and discussed this. I know I'm moving, but it's just the idea of going ahead and butchering these shrubs without even consulting me.

[razz]

Oh, that is distressing! All that lovely bloom potential lost.

[Float On]

Oh so sad. I'd ask. Not much to be done now but make suggestions for future attacks.

[iris lilies]

I hate this so much! I am in the process of planning a big swath of forsythia on our Herman property and let me tell you they will not be trimmed into those idiotic balls. They will grow freely.

[pinkytoe]

There is a lot of ignorance about plants out there so it takes a lot of tolerance to put up with actions like that.

[catherine]

I hate this so much! I am in the process of planning a big swath of forsythia on our Herman property and let me tell you they will not be trimmed into those idiotic balls. They will grow freely.

Idiotic balls is bad enough. We have severe branch amputation here. He literally cut the bush in half with a chain saw so his side is flat.

[Teacher Terry]

Yes I would have a talk with him.

[rosarugosa]

Catherine: I hate it when people prune with no regard to the natural shape and aesthetics of a plant. Forsythia is all too often a victim. Are you familiar with this site? There are some really tragic photos on here! https://www.plantamnesty.org/
I agree that you should speak to the new neighbor. Maybe his plant butchery will make it easier for you to move!

[bae]

Whose property are the bushes on?

(I mean, the neighborly thing would have been to have had a chat first...)

[catherine]

Whose property are the bushes on?

(I mean, the neighborly thing would have been to have had a chat first...)

Without getting a surveyor out, I consider the bushes to be mine because when we moved to this house the forsythia were planted around the perimeter of the property, more or less, and they still are. We had two neighbors prior to MIL/BIL moving in there, and we never had any problem.

Yes, a chat would have been helpful, but I don't think he thinks he did anything wrong. He's like some of the perpetrators of the plant butchery in rosa's website. We also have tree toppers in our neighborhood, especially since the Emerald Ash Borer infestation.

I would have been happy to educate him on the proper way to control growth of those shrubs, and I would have even offered to do it myself after flowering season, but I'm not sure it would have helped. Oh, well.