To Eric, Unfortunately, my neighbor’s wilding of her yard, where she is allowing all the plants grow as they like, is encroaching on my yard. One of my trees has been overtaken by a noxious vine known as porcelain berry, which has so far choked four branches before dragging them down.
I have four traps re-baited every three months since I have noticed rats in her yard. She flees her home and yells at me each time I attempt to reclaim my portion of the yard. I told the city about her yard, but it didn’t help.
She is childless, widower, and in her late 60s or early 70s. I am 76 years old, live alone, and have three children who are as concerned as I am and frequently check in on me. I can’t perform a lot of continuous yard labor because of my cardiac problems. In addition to removing the vines from her yard and hacking back the shrub from which they are growing, I intend to have my lawn staff cut down the strip of incursion and perhaps construct a little wall along our shared border. But it’s the tree that worries me. On that side of my house, it is the only tree that provides shade.
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To Growing, Being conscious of one’s own influence is a prerequisite for being a good neighbor. Your neighbor seems to have trouble with that.
Being proactive is a smart move because porcelain berries are an invasive plant that can be difficult to eradicate once established. In many states, there are even pages devoted to managing and getting rid of the vine. For assistance, you might want to look at the website of the Department of Agriculture in your state.
Discuss your particular worries about the tree with your lawn care team to see if they can manage it. According to Trees Atlanta, a group that works to plant, preserve, and educate people about trees, one way to get rid of porcelain berries is to delicately unwind them from the trunk and branches using clippers and gloves. They advise cutting the vine at the base after it has unraveled, as this will destroy the vines that are out of reach. They advise against attempting to take down vines that are higher up. You should contact an arborist or another qualified expert who can handle the issue if the lawn staff is unable to do it.
Consider sending a message to your neighbor informing her of the wall and the additional landscaping ideas. Based on previous experiences, it appears likely that talking won’t get you anywhere, but at least sending a message could prevent a conflict on the day of the event. Additionally, you could wish to ask one of your children to assist you by being present on that particular day.
For inquiries, contact R. Eric Thomas at [email protected] or by mail at P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Subscribe to his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com and follow him on Instagram.
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