A gardener has revealed how a client’s neighbour threatened him with legal action for trimming his hedge.
In a TikTok video, Luke, who runs the account Only gardensHe said one client’s neighbors vowed to sue him, simply for clearing the forest.
Thinking on the fly, Luke carved a neat new sloping top into the hedge, leaving his client’s side looking well-kept and unnoticed by the grumpy neighbour.
The video, which has been viewed more than 16 million times since it was first posted, was well received by other users who were quick to support Luke’s actions.
Luke, who runs the Just Gardens account on TikTok, said his client’s neighbours would take legal action if she decided to prune the top of the hedge in her garden.
In the short clip, he is seen trimming an overgrown hedge growing in the garden and deliberately leaving the top of the hedge, which would face the neighbour’s garden, alone.
Responding with messages supporting their rapid-reaction approach, they said:
‘People get so territorial about their hedges and trees that maybe they should keep them trimmed.’
“They were fools to see how pretty your side is now.”
“It will be much healthier and more manageable. You’d be surprised to see from above how wide they get and how much garden you’re losing.”
“It’s very satisfying to see that.”
“I would love for my neighbour to cut a hedge like that. What a wonderful job!”
UK legislation regarding the maintenance of garden hedges stipulates that he was well within his rights to do so.
The advice on the Government website advising Britons on when they are allowed to prune hedges or trees states: ‘You may prune branches or roots that cross into your property from a neighbour’s property or a public road.
‘You can only prune up to the property line. If you prune beyond that, your neighbor could sue you for damaging their property.
Previously, Luke was supposed to stay away from the neighbor’s Russian vine, but he cut it down anyway before throwing it over the fence.
‘If you live in a conservation area, or the trees in your hedgerow are protected by a ‘tree preservation order’, you may need permission from your local council to prune them.’
She adds: “Your neighbour is responsible for maintaining their hedges so that, for example, they do not damage your property or grow too large. If they damage your property, your neighbour may be liable.”
In addition, the Government states that you can make a complaint to your local council if a neighbour’s hedge has two or more predominantly evergreen or semi-evergreen trees or shrubs, is over two metres high or adversely affects the enjoyment of your home or garden because it is too high.
Luke’s no-nonsense approach to hedge trimming was on display in November 2023, when he divided opinion by cutting back a client’s neighbour’s intrusive climbing plant and then throwing the substantial cuttings over the fence.
The Russian vine had grown over the fence, but the neighbors had told Luke not to prune its foliage.
Russian vine (Fallopia baldschuanica) is a stubborn and often invasive climber that belongs to the Polygonaceae family and is also commonly known by the names mile-a-minute vine, Bukhara fleece flower, Chinese fleece vine, and silver lace vine.
Although your neighbors may be offended if you cut back their plants, you have the right to cut back anything that comes onto your property, unless you are in an area with special rules around conservation or preservation.
One commenter pointed this out and added that if you do this, you will also need to return the prunings to the owner of the plant they came from.
Russian creeper (pictured) – Fallopia baldschuanica – is a stubborn and often invasive climber that is also commonly known by the names mile-a-minute creeper, Bukhara fleece flower, Chinese fleece creeper and silver lace creeper.
Luke revealed that he felt compelled to prune the vines because he was concerned about the amount of weight they were putting on the fence.
Russian vine is often used to cover what people consider ugly features in their garden: shed walls, fences and other borders.
But within a few years it can grow to be ten metres tall and five to eight metres wide (hence the nickname “mile a minute”), which can leave people overwhelmed by the plant’s effects.
This is not helped by its hardy nature, combined with its ease of growing in a variety of environments.
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