AdviceSeeker wrote:
Howdy

I moved into a house which had a large Leylandi in the back corner of
the yard. My neighbour voiced some concern that this was damaging her
concrete block shed. The tree didn't bother me but I wanted to do the
right thing so I've paid the £1200 to get it removed and the stump
ground out.

Now her friend is telling her I need to get rid of the roots as well
at extra expense. This doesn't strike me as necessary as from my
understanding the Leylandi will NOT grow from the roots. Given time
they will naturally decompose. The roots would have grown under the
neighbours shed but the shed was built when the tree was there so I
would assume any decent builder would make a barrier to protect the
shed from the roots. Even if they didn't - I'm struggling to see this
as my problem.

I want to act responsibly on this but I also feel that I have spent
enough and done enough for an issue which wasn't of my making. So
really my question is this: Is there any major reason that I would
HAVE to gfet rid of the roots to this tree?

Cheers

This seems to me to be a legal rather than a gardening question. Also it
would seem to be impossible to accomplish unless they are suggesting the
shed should be pulled down and rebuilt at your expense. If it was really
such a problem the neighbour ought to have taken it up with the previous
owner years ago before the tree got so big rather than lay it all on you.
If it was me I would politely say that I had taken all reasonable steps to
remedy the problem and that I was done with the matter, unless there is some
legal reason otherwise in your region, on that I have no opinion.

D