[Shieldsy]

Our next door neighbours, who we had a big falling out with two years ago, after a fire he lit in his garden got out of control and burnt our shed and kids trampoline but that's another story, are complete non gardeners.

I spent most of the first year living here digging out both ground elder and bindweed removing every single bit of stem I could find.

Having just dug over my two 3mx2m plots which aren't far from his boundary fence I am again battling with what looks like a bumper crop of ground elder and bindweed waiying to wreak havoc.

My question is, is there any legal obligation for our neighbours to at least try to control the stuff or am I faced with annual war on weeds?

Round up does seem to control it a littel so would I be wrong to maybe spra some on his side of the fence?

It's also now beggining to spread further down the garden into the flower beds.......

Any help/advice greatly appreciated.

Alan

[mumofstig]

As i've posted before i have exactly the same problem as you, and i do spray a strip his side of the fence, but it does travel from further in Every spring i dig the roots out of the bed on my side and blast any that grows during the year.....it does lesson a bit each year, but i don't think it will ever stop till a gardener buys their house and makes the same effort on that side

The only way to stop it a bit more is to put sheets of plastic/metal/slates something like that vertically down in the soil along the boundary.

as far as i know there is no legal requirement for them to stop the weeds..........they are allowed to grow what they want in their garden and if they choose to grow weeds that's their choice

Good luck i know how it feels

[Christine]

I'd be very careful indeedy not to get caught with spraying on other side of fence as you have already had trouble with the neighbours - but it does seem to be one way of helping with things.

[Stripey_cat]

Sink corrugated iron or similar along the fenceline.  Stop the weed roots a little, at least.

[woodburner]

I'm pretty anti spray, I won't even consider using it on the veg plot but even in the flower garden, I don't find glyphosate to be as effective as it's supposed to be, however, as you can't dig under the fence to remove the source, and a barrier will not stop the bindweed, I would go for a regime of repeated spraying, on your side of the fence.
It's a weed and you aren't spraying in his garden, so you aren't going to harm anything of value (of his anyway. Be careful of your own plants though.)

[Shieldsy]

Many thanks for the advice guys and gals, think will try the dig everything possible out root followed by the barrier and then see how things develop this year.

If still an issue will spray but try to avoid if possible.

Cheers,

Alan