I will start by saying that I am not normally a fan of chopping down trees, but one totally overgrown Leyland Cypress, partially overhanging my backyard, is not a tree I will be sad to see chopped down.
Earlier this week, whilst finding it very, very hard to concentrate on working (I guess like most folk at the moment) I was completely distracted by an extremely loud chainsaw. My office is at the top of the house with a second floor window overlooking my backyard. Peering up and down the backyards I couldn’t see where the noise was coming from. Then suddenly I noticed movement in the ugly fir tree at the back of my yard.
Hooray, hooray. That horrible tree that shades ALL the late afternoon sun from my yard and drops mountains of acidic debris all over my flowers is going.
After an hour of chainsaw activity it all went quiet. The tree surgeon, Acorn Trees, a local business, climbed down for what I assumed was a tea-break. Incidentally, he’s the same guy who removed the overgrown tree that was growing against my house when I first moved in.
An hour later I thought that’s a long tea-break and looked out the window to see everything all cleared up, packed up and gone. The tree was still standing just four metres now instead of the original 12 metres, but nevertheless still alive! That’s why it’s a kinda pleasant surprise. No shading of my yard and far less acidic sprinkles, but nevertheless still a huge, living root system sucking out all the nutrients from under my pear tree, climbing rose and herbaceous perennials. I think I am definitely a ‘glass half empty person’. Naturally, I have piled on the garden compost last autumn and again the other weekend to boost the soil, but if only that tree had been entirely grubbed up and replaced with an ornamental deciduous native such as a crab apple tree.
So, this is it. Not a very elegant solution, but I suppose that’s what my neighbour’s asked for, a two-thirds reduction. I am secretly hoping my vigorous climbing rose will take off in that direction and sneakily scramble up and cover the stumps with a cascade of summer rose blooms.
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Agnes Ashe 
Sorry you weren’t asked what you wanted! Still at least the shade has gone.
Sadly, I don’t know those neighbours. I am quite new to the area and the previous owners of my house let everything go to wrack and ruin including the garden so perhaps the neighbours thought I wouldn’t care either!
What a shame.
Sigh, yes I thought so too.
That is now one wacky-looking tree.
It certainly is, but the blackbird loves it!
How odd. Still, maybe you ought to go for glass-half-full. You are somewhat better off. Get those rambling roses on the case!
Actually, I am rather regretting not going for the extremely vigorous rose ‘Kiftsgate’ at the moment!
Beastly leylandii. And of course they don’t regenerate attractively either. Still – daylight! Could knock on neighbours’ door, and thank them, and drop hints for a more radical future chop if they look friendly?
That is a good idea – think I have missed the window of opportunity though. It appears that right now is not the time for knocking on neighbours’ doors!
Hmm perhaps a thank you note in their letterbox? Or would they suspect that was tainted? With so much time at home now, I wonder if a return to digging up concrete in your backyard is in the plans? Or the work too heavy?
Mmm, it’s not entirely clear from their street which house/garden backs on to mine. And, presently contact in any form with ‘strangers’ is not acceptable. People are genuinely nervous if not downright fearful.
I would love to get rid of the concrete and redesign the small space to work for me. However, I have lifted a couple of the slabs and they are on a solid concrete base. It would be a professional job with a pneumatic jackhammer to break it up. Too expensive for me, so sadly I am stuck with it.
Oh dear . . . lift the slabs and lay artificial grass on the base? (that’s tongue in cheek, in case it lost something in the telling)
Ha ha. Despite how my daughter has instructed me on more than one occasion – Mum, “You can’t be funny/do irony online”, I beg to differ. Jokes and spiky clever remarks are most welcome here at this time more than ever!!!
I’ve had some great online repartee, but those of your daughter’s generation are actively taught to avoid it, I believe. So many ways that people can take offence in the work situation, makes it too risky for the average punter. Or at least, their employer.
I am with you and think you can joust online, but sometimes a little explanation maybe required for cultural differences.