Brambles next door

[doglady]

Having just spent a lot of money on sorting my garden out and digging up all the brambles, my gardener has told me that they are coming through from next door. I've had a look over the fence (cos I'm nosy like that!!), and their garden is totally overrun with brambles.

I think the roots are damaging the fence between us. I don't know who's it is, but we've got 2 dogs, and the fence is all that keeps them from rampaging through next doors garden.

How do I phrase a note to put through their door to ask them to clear their garden up a bit? I feel all smug now that mine is tidy!!

[horselady]

It's awkward isn't it. I had the exact same problem and when I mentioned it to my neighbour she said she was keeping that part of her garden wild for the butterflies. I pointed out that I do that too, but on a piece of no mans land outside our back fence on the edge of a field so that I didn't spread brambles and nettles to her garden, she went a bit quiet for a while, but now she does the same as me and has tidied up her garden. It's better if you can speak to the neighbour rather than write a note. Tell them you have a responsibility for your dogs and you would be concerned if they got into the neighbours garden. Good luck.

[jake-the-peg]

I wouldn't get all smug and waltz around telling them to clean up their garden if I were you. It's just the sort of thing that winds up neighbours and a neighbour fued is a lot easier started than finished.

If you paint some systemic gyphosate on it a few times it'll start to kill the bramble at the roots. Takes week or two to get there but it does a good job.

You could pop around just to let them know what you're going to do which might drop a hint.

Glyphosate itself is pet safe but some products using it are mixed with chemicals that aren't so just check the label and make sure it's OK from that perspective.

[Thunderbird+]

I fully agree with horselady, re talking to your neighbour rather than sending a note, however I think you would be quite within your rights to kill off any of the offending brambles that come through the fence on your side and if it dies back beyond your fence then maybe that would be agreeable to them too.

Help is at hand, you can buy a 1ltr bottle of 'bramble killer for under �5.00 which is amonium sulphate based ans has a systemic action, which means the treated part of the plant will die back right down to the roots. Its made by 'growing success' and can be purchased from most good garden centres or purchased onlin by googling the name for a suplier. Good Luck.

[Thunderbird+]

Sorry jake, your post was'nt there when i started the Glyphosate will work just as well I'm sure. All the Best.

[doglady]

Thanks everyone - I will be watching the fence for brambles, and painting away.