We returned home today from a couple of days away to find that the
neighbours whose property runs across the bottom of our garden had
kindly tidied up the bottom of our garden.

The tidying up consisted of cutting down to ground level part of an old
hawthorn hedge about 1.5 metres high with ivy growing up through it,
some holly and pyracantha, all adjacent to but on our side of the
boundary wall and an area of mature nettles about 1.5 x 2 metres that
was well over a metre from the boundary. When asked about this kind act
they explained that they did not like nettles and the untidy area and
that it should be all right for us as we had another hedge which
separated this part of our garden from our property and we would not see
it. The fact that they had placed a 2 metre fence between our
properties seemed to have escaped them. Admittedly the level of our
garden is about .6/.7 metre higher than their garden so it is possible
that they may have been able to have seen the tops of the nettles.

They do have an absolutely immaculate modern instant garden which is all
grey painted fence panels, different paving styles and hard landscaping
in the style of Dairmuid Gavin. Not our style at all (we are busy
turning much of our rear garden into a wildlife garden) but we do not
publicly question their wish to create a garden style which they find
pleasing. When I explained what we were trying to achieve they said 'I
suppose that means more nettles and brambles', 'you are being lazy' and
'flies come from your garden - why don't you take your grass cuttings to
the council tip'.

The strange thing is that there have been no disagreements between us in
the relatively short time since they took the property over - we
actually helped them when they wanted an old, dead stump of a Turkey oak
removed (shame really as it is where the Tawny owl used to frequently
park itself).

I have explained to them that they may not enter our garden again - they
are welcome to cut back any foliage that hangs over the boundary but
entering our garden to 'tidy up' the bits they do not like is definitely
out and that if we wish to allow nettles to grow to attract Red Admiral
and Comma butterflies then that really is up to us.

I imagine that we could probably take some sort of action against them
for the 'tidying up' but I think that would be completely OTT and as I
am sure that our displeasure at this occurrence was very evident they
will not repeat their act of 'It took me nearly all day and we thought
that we were being helpful'.

Perhaps the TV sanitised garden programmes have something to answer for
(or are we just being old fashioned)?

--
Robert