I’m so sick of our flowering cherry tree!

IamMaz - is it just a bit later this year for some reason?

A couple of days ago my neighbour sent me a text asking why the cherry tree isn’t in its beautiful pink blossom as usual at this time of year. It seems dead! 😵
I wonder how much it will be to have it felled?

The biggest.

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I have an extended cherry blossom season ,
First out are the three mini cherries , dainty and so welcome in or about the 20 th of March
Next is the wild cherry , but sometimes the main cherry is first , this year they are both out at the moment , the main one was a day or two before the wild
This year is the best any of them have been

Sorry that sounded a bit snippy.
And also is what I know about England and Wales.

Here's a fuller explanation:

You have a common law right to cut back any branches (and roots) from your neighbour's tree that come onto your property (above or below ground) up to the boundary line.

You don't need permission to do this but you must do so from your own land.

Also, you must not cause the tree to become unstable/unhealthy by pruning. If you cause the tree to die or become dangerous, you could be liable for damages.

The cut branches still belong to your neighbour, (the owner of the tree) so you have a legal obligation to offer the cuttings back to them and if they do want them, best practice is to actually return the branches to their property to avoid accusations of fly-tipping. Don't just throw the branches back over the fence - this could be considered fly-tipping or "nuisance".
(It was certainly a nuisance when it happened to us - and it wasn't even our tree!)

If they don't want the branches, then the responsibility for disposing of them falls to you.

Before you do anything check for Preservation Orders- If the tree is protected by a TPO or is in a conservation area, you will probably need permission from your local council before carrying out any work, even cutting back overhanging branches.

Hope this is more helpful.

You are supposed to ask if they want them.
In reality most people don't.

No.
In law you should not return the cut-offs to their property unless they want them back.

If you basically dump them there that is like fly tipping.
Do not do it!

Barbadosbelle

Rosie51

The Law used to be that you can cut off any branches etc from a neighbouring plant that overhangs your garden, up to the boundary line, and return the cut-offs to their property.

It's a courtesy to let them know beforehand what you plan. If you don't know them, then a note through the letterbox is a good idea.

I don't think this law has changed in the years since it affected us, but maybe another commenter might be more uptodate.
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Thanks, yes as far as I'm aware the law is still the same. But.....unfortunately I live in a conservation area where you're not allowed to even prune any tree with a trunk diameter of more than 3 inches without planning permission from the council. They are reluctant to agree and only accept applications from the tree owner who isn't bothered.

Rosie51

The Law used to be that you can cut off any branches etc from a neighbouring plant that overhangs your garden, up to the boundary line, and return the cut-offs to their property.

It's a courtesy to let them know beforehand what you plan. If you don't know them, then a note through the letterbox is a good idea.

I don't think this law has changed in the years since it affected us, but maybe another commenter might be more uptodate.
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Our non fruit producing Cherry Blossom Tree usually flowers last in our neighbourhood (I always look forward to it as it’s magnificent)…but within days all the blooming petals have fallen. However this year the blossom has hung around longer than we can ever remember - absolutely gorgeous 😍
We had ours trimmed a couple of years ago and I’m sure that’s done it good. It’s still large and lovely !
Plant a fruit tree if you have space anywhere !

Anyone can ask for a tree to be protected irrespective of whose garden it's in.. I've done it myself.

There is a huge one in the school grounds that back on to our garden. If it's a windy spring the garden looks as if it's been snowing. It produces lots of tiny little cherries that fall all over the garden. The birds eat the flesh and leave the stones, and they are taken away to be stored by the mice that live in the greenhouse.

Mojack26

how can it be protected if it's in your garden and previous owners planted it? I didn't know cherry trees were protected? I love their blossom

We had an ancient Elm tree in our garden. It was protected.

Cumbrian123

Oh didums you poor souls go and live in some war torn country and you may feel differently

Plenty of such discussions under News and Politics, we also chat about the minutiae of life.
If you can’t make a positive contribution, I suggest you go elsewhere.

Oh didums you poor souls go and live in some war torn country and you may feel differently

Our neighbor across the street has one. Usually it is beautiful when it blooms, but it didn't do much this year and those blossoms are gone. We rented a house years ago that had a wonderful apple tree. I made pies and canned a lot of applesauce. I always thought it looked like a beautiful bride when it bloomed. When we no longer lived there, I drove past and the tree was gone.

reply to Mojack26. Councils can put TPOs on trees in gardens - never in woodland! we had 13 with TPOs and even when one tree fell and another was diseased, the council made us replant. Madness

how can it be protected if it's in your garden and previous owners planted it? I didn't know cherry trees were protected? I love their blossom

You should tty living near alder and sycamore trees. No blossom but plenty seeds to clean up for weeks and weeks and they stain the patio!

Ilovedogs22

Witzend

Sorry, but I’d still prefer almost any real fruit tree, perhaps especially an apple. But I know so many will disagree!

Yes I agree, I have a beautiful plum tree, the blossom is divine and later on we have lovely plums for a crumble. Win, win.😊

I'm with you Witzend on this - there are so many other trees that produce beautiful blossom and are also productive. My apple trees are simply beautiful at the moment and I've got a medlar which is spectacular.

cherry trees can be dangerous to the structure of a house. You may need to consult a qualified tree surgeon to look at the tree . A dodgy tree man may suggest nailing copper nails into the base of the tree !

Witzend

Pretty for maybe a week, with a mountain of pink ‘snow’ to clear up afterwards. Actually IMO they should be called ‘No-cherries’ trees - what is the point of all that blossom with no fruit to follow?

We didn’t plant it , it was there when we bought the house decades ago and is now really too big. (And protected, so we can’t have it felled.).
Personally I’d much prefer a tree that produces fruit, apple blossom is IMO much prettier anyway - or even ‘real’ cherry blossom.
I dare say I will be seen as VVU but I now see flowering cherries as overdressed and blowsy!

Why don't you use it as a support to grow something else up?

Also, don't know if you've ever done the preserving leaves in glycerine solution thing, but branches from flowering cherry come out really well (you can also preserve just the leaves if you want but the branches are great for arrangements in the house later in the year)

One of the houses we lived in had one of those cherries that flowers very early in the year. We had a professional come in and prune it but it grew all tufty at the ends and in the end we and our neighbours agreed that it should come down. We replaced it with a very pretty Sorbus with blossom and fruit, without a very wide spread and it was a great improvement.
If I could choose any fruit tree I think I'd have a pear on dwarfing rootstock to restrict its height. Some don't have fruit every year but some years the weight of the fruit makes the branches droop in a most attractive way. It is such a joy to be able to pick a perfectly ripe pear warm from the tree.
Damsons are lovely too, you can rarely buy them in the shops now and they are so delicious. Not a particularly pretty tree though.

I live on an estate with plenty of room for large trees and, much as I love the cherries when in bloom, find them pretty dull for the rest of the year. When they have to remove them as they grow too large, particularly near buildings, they put in a wider variety of trees including Liquidamber, some lovely crab apples and acers amongst others.
The thing that annoys me is the lack of imagination used when planting shrubs, for example Photinia have been fashionable for some years but are really too large for most beds and need to be pruned. We also have some of those very dull laurels, both plain and spotted, that extremely dull non-flowering lonicera and some boring berberis. Why not plant smaller shrubs that can grow into their natural shape without getting too large?

I totally get it as I have one in my front garden. It needs cutting back and is being taken over by tree ivy. I've tried to remove some of the ivy but can't reach up high enough so I'm probably going to have to get someone in to help, but can't really afford to! I love it when it flowers but am always disappointed by how short a time the blossom lasts. None of my neighbours have complained about the petals yet thankfully! My 'To Do List' for today includes climbing on my step stool to get a bit higher up and pull more ivy off as the weather is so nice at present. Wish me luck!