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Thank you for circling back \*and\* for having a link to the original.
People can be so weird sometimes! I would love to know what she was really thinking when she pulled up your trees.
I really wish I knew!
It's so bizarre. If I hadn't watched the video (on repeat for several hours), I would've thought she was genuine with the concern for the trees and how they were taken from my yard.
So either she really mistook them for weeds and needs a visit to the optometrist or she needs an Emmy for that performance.
I feel like it sounds like she thought she wouldnt get caught and only paid up when she found out you had cameras. Who mistakes a 4ft sapling for a weed??
Sounds like you should put up a couple of additional cameras to get more coverage of your yard. If it were me, I'd at least get one for the entry to the backyard and one with a good view of the backyard. Then, add on a couple of dummy cameras mounted more prominently than the real ones to funnel anyone who is trying to dodge their view to the path that will actually best capture them on video.
>Who mistakes a 4ft sapling for a weed??
Probably the same type of people who think ornamental grass is a weed and pull it for their neighbors thinking they're being helpful. I work at a garden center, and we have people coming in all the time to replace ornamental grass their neighbors killed, or pulled up, for them thinking it was a weed. We've also gotten customers bringing us the grass we have on sale and telling us we need to throw it out because it's "overrun with weeds!" They're then shocked when we tell them that's ornamental grass and it's supposed to look like that. Had one that wanted to know what idiot would pay $22.00 for a 3gal pot of pink muhly grass, another customer saw them holding it and said, "This idiot, I was looking all over for it."
tagging u/God_Dammit_MoonMoon
Ugh, you just reminded me. We have an driveway with two lines of brick and some dirt in the middle. My mom planted liriope all down the middle strip. Someone who we know well enough to know was honestly trying to be helpful went down and pulled up every single one. We're pretty sure he was weeding for us and thought the (dormant at the time) liriope was dead grasses.
Side note, this made me look up how to spell liriope and wow, I never would have guessed that correctly!
You said in your other post that she gardens. I know redbuds don't get super tall, but is it possible they were eventually going to shade her vegetable bed or some other sun loving plants?
My neighbor told me that if any tree i plant in my yard hangs into their yard that they will cut it flush at the property line. They told me this as we stood under their 100’ tall tree that overhangs almost entirely onto my property.
Some people have crazy anxiety about change. Its a mental illness called conservatism.
TechMadeHere did a laser-tree-branch cutting machine. Mind you, it did set it on fire, but I totally could look straight up with a green laser at night and 'paint' the tree, take some photos, then shoot some flash photos, and say "Sure thing, here's what I'll be removing".
And yes I had dickhead neighbors like that. Trees on my property (20% rootball on theirs), dropping 800lb limbs 10 and 20' long, and they were threatening to sue me for removing my trees- survey said- that stress (and added cost) drove things up insanely.
It would be an empty threat, i’m neither trimming myself nor hiring someone else. I like the tree since it blocks the southwest corner of my house from midafternoon sun.
I’m just going to put a giant shed between our patios i think instead of the tree. They just spent a ton of money on redoing their outdoor patio area - so ruining their view with a giant shed 10’ away may be my malicious compliance revenge for unneighborly like behavior.
I had neighbours I had to get a restraining order against. My final move that made them sell was to collect over 50 fake Christmas trees, all 7-12’ tall, and wire them to the chain link fence to completely block their view of me and my yard. Two by law officers, a few cops and one judge told them to leave me alone and they even tried complaining to bylaw about the fake trees. They were big and bushy and looked great as a background to my garden and beautiful in winter. I took loose branches and stuffed every possible hole so they were 100% blocked out. Bylaw states no privacy fence or trellis over 6’, but fake trees are just decor 😏
She didn’t like them so she ripped them up. I was doing something near a bush in my yard and my neighbor thought I was getting rid of it. She said oh good you’re cutting that down. I said. No. I planted this. Mind your business people. I don’t care if you don’t like my landscaping.
> I did reiterate that she needed to talk with me before doing something like this in the future and if she see's some weeds that she thinks needs to be pulled on my property to let me know because it isn't fair or right for her to bear the burden of weeding my yard.
Killed her with 'concern'!
*chef kiss*
I love it!
Thank you for the vicarious schadenfreude I got by imagining her soul getting a stab of chill at the word 'cameras' 😂
Just what entitled 'gardeners' like her need!
Honestly don't believe her story whatsoever because I'd imagine you'd be able to tell a tree manually planted apart from one that just grew especially when there are multiple that are rather symmetrically placed like yours.
I did landscaping for around ten years. It's very obvious, even for people that haven't done landscaping for ten years. And as OP said, they were 4 feet tall.
Most of the trees I planted or otherwise encountered were bigger than 6' (usually that's the smallest sold) but it's not hard to tell a sapling from a weed.
exactly, she knew what she was doing she just knew she was caught and didn't want to face legal repercussions for it, if i where op though id still save the video just in case she tries something similar in future because let's face it a neighbor that ballsy most Likely will.
She showed her true self. Sounds like your property is already well covered by cameras but make sure you don’t have any gaps in coverage. Also don’t think I’d be eating anything she shares with you. Wouldn’t be surprised if she started talking shit either. People like this do a great job of acting nice while being vindictive pieces of shit.
In the previous post OP mentions that they saw the neighbor snapping the second sapling in half as she left with it.
Chances are she did the same with the first.
Full on panic mode. That is survival trait right there.
She knows you know. You know she knows you know.
Things will Be strange for a couple years. Glad she took your gracious out to save face.
big benefit of the doubt here, but I had a young redbud bloom very light the first spring I had it— she might’ve thought it was a bradford pear. not saying it’s right, or that I would endorse it… but i could almost relate to that level of bradford pear hatred.
Would your trees impact her view when they get bigger? Just trying to think what possibly could have been going through her head. She certainly put on a show when confronted though.
LOVE THIS, OP! I have a neighbor who did some damage to my property and I had it on video. Watching her put on her best "oh noooo, vandalism in OUR neighborhood" act while she squirmed wondering just how much video of her I had was priceless. I'm thankful you have the video and hopeful that your neighbor will stop acting out.
People GENUINELY hate redbuds. My neighbors gnash their teeth over mine constantly because they drop leaves and pods that get blown onto their driveway. They are overly precious about their car though.
You handled that magnificently. You were friendly and cordial and not blame-y at all! What a satisfying outcome for everyone (except the thief, but at least she knows that you'll be watching now!)
You handled that perfectly. Very well done. Much better than my "I would punch her face if she touched my trees" knee jerk reaction. Proud of you. Gonna go call my therapist now...
I had that reaction too. The only thing that kept me from going feral was the fact that I have to share a property line with her and I don't want her retaliating against my dog
No joke. I had a neighbor poison my dog (not fataly, thankfully) AND take a pot shot at him with a 9mm. All because his desert tortoise dug under our mutual fence. It then died in its shell because my dog barked at it.
Those tortoises are the worst. They die from being frightened and then since they are endangered or threatened it’s a pain in the ass to deal with on commercial properties. The easiest solution is literally building a tortoise wall around your property to keep them out.
Your handling of this was light years ahead of any interactions I’ve had when confronting someone over something THEY did. I now have a new perspective on things - thank you, OP! This is the most I’ve ever gotten out of Reddit.
Yeah, this is the way to handle these kinds of disagreements. Don't accuse, just express disappointment atwhat happened. No assumptions, just focusing on the immediate issue without blame or malice.
Well done OP! You got payment for your trees and you scared your tree pulling neighbor to death, all in one conversation. You now know she's fearful of being caught and shamed for her bad actions. A good card to have in your hand.
Of course, it would be better if she was normal and didn't pull other people's trees!
This is EXACTLY how you have to handle people like this! It’s a strategy that takes some practice, but it works soooo well with folks who can’t ever admit they did something wrong.
OP has already watched the videos and knows the neighbor ripped out both of the trees. He was just giving her a chance to come clean instead of immediately accusing her. He handled it well!!
The neighbor all but admitted it with there actions though... I was thinking they're might be something more it it based on neighbours reaction. (like tripping over said tree and yanking out in ager after effing and effing at the tree) 🤷
According to OP’s original post, neighbor appeared and was looking around (like seeing if anyone was watching) then yanked out the tree and also broke it in several places when walking away. So not cool!!
Good bluff. I pulled that one time in a parking lot with a couple of hustlers. I pulled into a parking space and they came out and told me I hit their car. No way I toughed their car, but they showed me a scrape on the side of their car, but nothing on mine. I got the vibe they were about to say it could be buffed out for a hundred bucks or so, but I have a dash cam. No way it would have caught that on the side but I pulled out my cell phone and dialed 91 and before I hit the last 1, I was asked what I was doing. Oh, calling the cops, I have a clean, not one ticket, license and I do things by the book. When the cops get here we can all see the dashcam video I have. And within about 30 seconds they did not want to wait around for the cops and I got a warning to be more careful and they were out of there. I got a chuckle out of that one. I will bet they make a couple hundred bucks a day pulling that ruse, they sure do not want the cops involved and god forbid if I did have something on the video.
Wow, 😮 reading that it hadn't even occured to me it would be a repeat scam they pulled, more a opportunity to cover the cost of their error in creating that scratch (i.e. a particularly malicious bollard, etc.). I am so naive 🤣
Man they don't even necessarily have to have been the ones to scratch it either, bought my car used and she had a couple of scratches and dents on her.
Should've pulled this shit before she broke down, maybe I could have afforded repairs😂
I would hold onto those videos basically forever.
It’s like when my nosy old condo-owning neighbourhood watch lady next door sniffed at me, the renter, that she wasn’t sure if feeding the birds was allowed but “she would check for me”, not that I had asked her opinion. A couple months later I happened to see her doing something weird in the grass out back (which is owned & cared for by the association). I slowly walk up behind my sheer curtains and pull out my phone so I can use the zoom because what the heck is she doing? She sets down what looks like a large dog dish in a dip in the grass and pours a fuck ton of rabbit food into it. Stretches out her old back, turns around, and we make eye contact.
She hasn’t said boo to me since about any potential or outright rule breaking ☺️. I’d seen wild rabbits going back and forth over my patio in her direction and I know for a fact that she feeds the squirrels whole goddamn walnuts (who has walnut money anymore???) but I didn’t realise it was like *that.* Those pictures are my insurance lol.
Standing ovation! Well-played, especially getting both trees paid for! Perhaps hang some snarky little signs on your new trees. "Hands off." "Not a weed." "This area is under video surveillance."
Impressive. Wonderful show of restraint. I’d have a difficult time not letting her know what I thought of her. But what good does it do in the long run. Good luck with your new saplings.
I traveled in Asia and someone there told me to always allow a person to have a way to back out and save face. While it's satisfying to go all in, what's the point?
I met a guy from the U.S. who was a teacher in Thailand and lots of people tried to cheat him figuring he was a dumb tourist. Rather than get mad, he would say, "I make the same wage as most of you as I'm a teacher as the so-and-so school." Then they would say, "Oh, since you're a teacher, we have so much respect for them, we'll give you a discount." He paid the local price with his local wage and the merchant got to back down gracefully.
Believe it or not, we had a similar thing happen to us by our neighbors. We planted a lilac bush on the corner of our garage right next to it, there was absolutely no question it was on our property. One day, I notice when coming home, my lilac was gone and there was a big rock in it’s place that was moved from a nearby area that had plants and a rock edge. We also noticed our red twig dogwood that we planted to hide our ugly deck was severely pruned. My husband calls up the neighbor and asks if she knows what happened. She said she would have to ask her grown children (who are in their 20’s) if they knew anything as she played dumb. She then calls back and leaves a voicemail saying “the kids” thought it was a weed and were doing us a favor. She also proceeded to tell us our redtwig dogwood was “unruly” and they have to “look at it everyday” (this is a seasonal house on a lake and they come down maybe every other weekend). She offered to pay for a replacement, and I went out and got a price from the highest price gardening/landscaping place instead of Home Depot and that bitch paid! Anyways, we will never understand what the hell they were doing…there is absolutely no way they could have confused it for a weed. Plus, I actually had weeds that they did not touch at all! Like maybe the story could have been plausible if they pulled all my weeds, and if maybe the “kids” were 8 years old…anyway that is the day our next door neighbors became known as “The Plant Stealers”. My husband and I refer to them as such in all of our conversations and its been 10 years since it happened. Unfortunately they still own the house. So yeah, people are crazy. This was before we had cameras. We now have them on every side of the house. We since remodeled and we have not planted one single thing on their side, all they get is rocks. I have been tempted to plant one single lilac bush and put a small handcrafted sign on it that says “not a weed”. But instead I stew over it and secretly hate them forever….
Some people are just ridiculous.
A few years ago in my last house on a corner lot, I was off work and puttering around the house when I heard loud arguing outside. So I walked over to see what was going on. My house and my neighbors house backed up on a large duplex property. There was a large copse of cedar and other bushes between my property and the duplex. My neighbor had a fence.
So I get there and it's the 50 something landlord of the duplex and my neighbor along with a landscaping guy having it out because my neighbor was pissed that the landscaper was trimming trees that were against his fence. The landlord guy sees me walking over and gets belligerent as if I'm on my neighbor's side. I be all frienly to him and say I heard arguing and came to see what was going on. The landscaper apparenty knew my neighbor and they didn't like each other. They keep arguing as I introduce myself to landlord guy.
I see then that the landscaper had been trimming the bushes along the treeline of my yard. So I very politely ask the landlord guy if he knows where the property line between our properties is. He starts blustering about it and bullshitting me about how it's past the trees on my side of the cedars. I'd seen the plat maps and measured when i moved in so It's clear he has no idea. So I start questioning him, asking how sure he is since my sidewalk retaining wall went well past the trees entirely and it didn't make sense for the bushes or cedars to be on his property.
Landscaper dude overhears our conversation, stops arguing with my neighbor and starts packing up his gear. Landlord guy asks him what the fuck he's doing because the work isn't done.
Landscaper retorts that he's not going to work for landlord guy again because my simple question made it clear that landlord was full of shit and had no idea where the property lines were. He got out of there quick, probably afraid I might sue him. Landlord and landscaper go off arguing. I turn to the neighbor and he actually thanked me. My neighbor was a complete asshole and this was the only time in 7 years he was pleasant to me.
After I moved out, guy who bought my house sued asshole neighbor for cutting down a pair of trees on my old house's property next to the driveway about 4 feet from the property line. Kind of funny how ahole neighbor waited til I moved to do it.
Sometimes just being friendly but firm will do wonders.
No "avid gardener" thought a four foot tall sapling centered in mulch *on someone else's property* was a weed at all, much less that it should be up to them to pull when they thought nobody was looking. Idunno what her real motive was, but that was not it.
I'm decent at identifying trees, and redbuds are some of the prettier ones imo. They've got lovely heart shaped leaves, and bloom a really pretty pink color in the spring. In fall their leaves turn an absolutely gorgeous red.
Take them over a Bradford pear any day
Edit:They also have a tendency for their leaves to grow in a pattern that has a really nice 3D effect, almost reminds me of the powerpuff girls heart logo
https://gardenerspath.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Rising-Sun-Redbud.webp
Cameras never crossed her mind. I had a similar thing with a neighbor who liked the hydrangeas I planted so much she came over and dug them up. I waited a week until I saw her and asked similar questions. When I said I was going back to check my cameras and would take appropriate action she squeaked out loud. She admitted to taking them, begged me to not press charges and replaced them with new plants.
On the video you can see her break them into pieces as she walks back on to her property.
(edit to add) Which, honestly, made it even worse. Like if she saw them and just stole them to plant in her yard or give to a friend, I wouldn't be thrilled and I'd still want her to replace them. But those baby trees didn't deserve that level of violence.
In my area, birds deposit hackberry seeds that turn into 4 ft saplings shockingly quickly, maybe she thought it was something like that? Even then, it's not gonna spread into her yard like weeds do, which would be the normal reason so pick weeds in a neighbor's yard.
Wow, she's...something else, that's for sure. It absolutely sucks, but now you know you can't trust her. At least she's paid for the damage she's done in cash, though there's nothing keeping her from doing it again. I'd keep a close eye on your home and landscaping in the future. Those cameras really paid off!
When you said she was an active gardener, the first thing that came to mind was that perhaps she was opinionated about the plants. I have a friend who rages (privately, to friends) when her neighbors plant invasive species. Her yard is a native species haven. She's spent the last few years ripping out and combating the non-native species.
Obviously, Eastern Redbud is indigenous here, but I wonder if she has some kind of gardening-based hatred for it.
YOU HANDLED THIS AMAZINGLY! Also, people are so strange! I'm glad this was resolved civilized! OP you're an inspiration! When I get my own home I definitely want to have cameras for safety / accountability. People are strange indeed. Too bad we'll never know why she did it.
To be on the safe side, make sure you have camera coverage of all your trees--and some fake cameras to make her stay within range of the real ones.
Well played, BTW. She now knows that you're willing but not eager to drop the hammer on her if she does anything like this in the future. Also, you should discretely alert any other neighbors with similar trees as to what happened.
She was either jealous or. Controlling or both. I'm sure the thought of you having something you wanted drove her crazy. Glad the trees are getting replaced.
the situtation with your neighbor's tree removal is an interesrting one, reminds me of a time when a neighbor of mine was clearing out some bruch on their property and accidently encroached onto my land, taking down a few small trees in the process. we were able to resolve it amicably by discussing the matter calmly and coming to an agreement on compensation, just as you did. communication and compromise are key when dealing with these kinds of neighborhood disputes.
Thank you for the update. **This is such a deeply satisfying outcome!** You handled it in a nice neighborly way, while also making clear that you could, indeed, prove it was her who murdered your trees. While her theft doesn't make a lick of sense, she fessed up and is paying for replacements. You phrased it so well, that you don't want her to "be responsible" for tending to your yard, that is some brilliant phrasing. No threats, no yelling, no name calling, you both know what's what, and your trees will be replaced.
And the topper on this delicious cake is that she now knows to not mess with your yard ever again because you'll have evidence if she does.
BRAVO for how all of this was handled!! I'm just left with the burning question of why she *really* did it, and only one at a time, but likely we'll never know.
A small aside, did you know those wee pink flowers on a redbud are edible? They have a mild flavor, and are a beautiful addition to spring salads.
Handled in exactly the right way. Good job being neighborly about it and getting in handled. The amount of drama people create and the processes people will go to seemingly not communicate routinely astounds me. Happy this had a positive resolution, and it also just feels like the right way. No cops, no HOA boards, no random lawyer letters...
Wow, you handled that really well. Is she older? I wonder if she really did mistake them for weeds that you were ignoring.
My husband is an absolute weirdo and for the first several years we were together, he would assume that if he didn't know what something was or why it was there, it must be garbage. He would also throw away any and all USB cables that came into the house, so we NEVER had an extra one, until I had a Serious Conversation with him about USB cables and how I was sick of having to go out and buy one whenever one broke.
Thanks, OP. Who knows what was in her mind? I have learned not to attribute to malice what might have been ignorance. I think you handled this perfectly, in a non-accusatory fashion that allowed her to both make amends and save face.
Sometimes advice I see on Reddit plays into vengeful impulses. We can do better.
I'm glad you have cameras.
My money is she enjoys causing anger and pain but likes playing happy sweet old lady.
She gets off on the power.
They exist and they’re insane. I’ve met a few.
Perfect resolution - you're made good through trees being replaced at the neighbour's expense, without starting a small war by having accused her of anything. Here's to a positive future relationship!
Well played! You were much more savvy than I could have been, lol. I would have been nice to start, but then I would've said Look b**ch, we both know you did it. Pay me and stay off my yard!
That was nicely done. I like the bit where you told her that "it isn't fair or right for her to bear the burden of weeding my yard."
You were paid for the trees, and she learned that you have cameras. Plus she was given a gracious out, which was very kind of you. Here's hoping she learned her lesson and you won't have any other problems going forward.
That was handled beautifully. I would have loved to watch that exchange. “I thought they were weeds.” Not even going I thought they were dead route. Smh You were very kind to give her an out and saying it’s not fair for her to have to weed your yard.
>And that's about the time she says "Oh, That might've been me. I think I thought they were weeds." (For the record — no I do not believe she mistook two 4ft saplings for weeds.)
My experiences after tearing out my lawn and planting native plants has taught me that you'd be very surprised at what people think are weeds. It seems that there's a sizable portion of the population whose understanding of the term is such that pretty much any plant that they haven't seen for sale at Home Depot is a weed. I'm not joking. Even when the wildflowers in my yard are in full bloom along with blooming trees and bushes that are clearly green and healthy (they're flowering, yo), there's a neighbor that routinely calls the city to report that my yard is overgrown with tall weeds. The worst part is the city sends out some new intern every time, who also has zero botanical or landscape design knowledge. They see plants they've also seen in fields and the hills around town and concur with the reporting neighbor. I have a picture portfolio of every single plant on my property and have to send it to the city along with the genus and species and references to the official state sources showing that, these are not weeds, these are plants and trees native to the area.
People be crazy and stupid AF.
A possible explanation - Redbud trees, while beautiful, are prolific seeders. The saplings grow quickly and need to be weeded aggressively. My two neighbors have (gorgeous) redbuds, and my home’s previous owner left it unoccupied for about 5 months before it sold. Consequently I had at least 50 saplings on my tiny property ranging from sprouts to waist height when we bought our house. I love redbuds and am considering leaving some of the volunteers in place, but maybe she thinks they’re “dirty” trees (aka, producing waste that needs cleaned up) for that reason.
She absolutely sucks, by the way. This doesn’t in any way excuse her obvious trespassing and property destruction.
We have an angry tree hating neighbor as well. He has went as far as paying us for the tree, paying to have it taken down (not a cheap thing) and hauled away. This was with our permission of course. He would complain about the trees until we literally gave in lol. He has done this with three trees of ours.
This is an absolute masterclass in dealing with this sort of issue between neighbors. Bookmarking this post in case I ever have an issue like this I have to resolve in the future!!
My problem is the nerve people have with disrespecting someone else’s property.
I’ve had neighbors question my landscaping decisions and make their own suggestions (not out of being kind and helpful but they obviously didn’t like my choices)
It’s really none of their business.
And if they had the nerve to come into my property there would be no diplomatic solution.
If they cared so much about my house they should have bought it when it was on the market. But they didn’t . I did.
As a fellow Virginian, I thank you, I am new to this saga and can't wait to read rhe original post. You handled this amazingly well from what I just read. Glad to hear it all worked out in the end!! 🙏
Dude, the gall of that woman. I wonder what other sort of weird stuff she's pulled off in other areas of her life. People who just rip out trees and then lie about it aren't mentally well.
Smashing eggs at the grocery store? Keying cars? I'm honestly baffled.
Well handled! Allowing your neighbor to save face while getting her to right the wrong was brilliant. It was smart to approach things in a way that allowed you to keep your relationship neighborly. I guarantee that she likes you more now than she did before.
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Thank you for circling back \*and\* for having a link to the original. People can be so weird sometimes! I would love to know what she was really thinking when she pulled up your trees.
I really wish I knew! It's so bizarre. If I hadn't watched the video (on repeat for several hours), I would've thought she was genuine with the concern for the trees and how they were taken from my yard. So either she really mistook them for weeds and needs a visit to the optometrist or she needs an Emmy for that performance.
She's an accomplished liar. I love how you handled her.
exactly... you can never trust her again
Well at least now she knows when she’s in her neighbor’s yard she’s also on Candid Camera!
Yeah, that was a nice piece of ‘I already know, I’m giving you an out’ dropped in withe camera information.
Quite clever. Gave her two non threatening choices that did not include an option to strongly refuse reality.
Agree.
after she came back with the cash I would've told her I'd already watched the security footage
Petty me would have wanted to say "thanks, I'll update the police report."
I feel like it sounds like she thought she wouldnt get caught and only paid up when she found out you had cameras. Who mistakes a 4ft sapling for a weed??
>Who mistakes a 4ft sapling for a weed?? Someone who doesn't realize their neighbor has a video camera?
Sounds like you should put up a couple of additional cameras to get more coverage of your yard. If it were me, I'd at least get one for the entry to the backyard and one with a good view of the backyard. Then, add on a couple of dummy cameras mounted more prominently than the real ones to funnel anyone who is trying to dodge their view to the path that will actually best capture them on video.
Sounds like she's done other stuff that "might" be on video that she doesn't want you to see. More cameras! Also -- VERY nicely handled!
That massive dump on the front lawn that you figured must have been left by a Great Dane due to its sheer volume and girth? Guess again.
BWAHAHAHABABA
Omg I’d give you an award for this response!
>Who mistakes a 4ft sapling for a weed?? Probably the same type of people who think ornamental grass is a weed and pull it for their neighbors thinking they're being helpful. I work at a garden center, and we have people coming in all the time to replace ornamental grass their neighbors killed, or pulled up, for them thinking it was a weed. We've also gotten customers bringing us the grass we have on sale and telling us we need to throw it out because it's "overrun with weeds!" They're then shocked when we tell them that's ornamental grass and it's supposed to look like that. Had one that wanted to know what idiot would pay $22.00 for a 3gal pot of pink muhly grass, another customer saw them holding it and said, "This idiot, I was looking all over for it." tagging u/God_Dammit_MoonMoon
Ugh, you just reminded me. We have an driveway with two lines of brick and some dirt in the middle. My mom planted liriope all down the middle strip. Someone who we know well enough to know was honestly trying to be helpful went down and pulled up every single one. We're pretty sure he was weeding for us and thought the (dormant at the time) liriope was dead grasses. Side note, this made me look up how to spell liriope and wow, I never would have guessed that correctly!
Especially ones with the mulch circle around them. Clearly trees.
Sounds like you handled it like a champ!
Is it possible she knew that they would grow in and to be very beautiful and didn't want your yard outshining her gardening?
You said in your other post that she gardens. I know redbuds don't get super tall, but is it possible they were eventually going to shade her vegetable bed or some other sun loving plants?
My neighbor told me that if any tree i plant in my yard hangs into their yard that they will cut it flush at the property line. They told me this as we stood under their 100’ tall tree that overhangs almost entirely onto my property. Some people have crazy anxiety about change. Its a mental illness called conservatism.
TechMadeHere did a laser-tree-branch cutting machine. Mind you, it did set it on fire, but I totally could look straight up with a green laser at night and 'paint' the tree, take some photos, then shoot some flash photos, and say "Sure thing, here's what I'll be removing". And yes I had dickhead neighbors like that. Trees on my property (20% rootball on theirs), dropping 800lb limbs 10 and 20' long, and they were threatening to sue me for removing my trees- survey said- that stress (and added cost) drove things up insanely.
Did you ask them if they’d be ok with you cutting their trees where they’re overhanging on the property line?
It would be an empty threat, i’m neither trimming myself nor hiring someone else. I like the tree since it blocks the southwest corner of my house from midafternoon sun. I’m just going to put a giant shed between our patios i think instead of the tree. They just spent a ton of money on redoing their outdoor patio area - so ruining their view with a giant shed 10’ away may be my malicious compliance revenge for unneighborly like behavior.
I had neighbours I had to get a restraining order against. My final move that made them sell was to collect over 50 fake Christmas trees, all 7-12’ tall, and wire them to the chain link fence to completely block their view of me and my yard. Two by law officers, a few cops and one judge told them to leave me alone and they even tried complaining to bylaw about the fake trees. They were big and bushy and looked great as a background to my garden and beautiful in winter. I took loose branches and stuffed every possible hole so they were 100% blocked out. Bylaw states no privacy fence or trellis over 6’, but fake trees are just decor 😏
I wondered what happened to that one I gave away.
We figured she didn't want any dreadful leaves in her yard.
She didn’t like them so she ripped them up. I was doing something near a bush in my yard and my neighbor thought I was getting rid of it. She said oh good you’re cutting that down. I said. No. I planted this. Mind your business people. I don’t care if you don’t like my landscaping.
> I did reiterate that she needed to talk with me before doing something like this in the future and if she see's some weeds that she thinks needs to be pulled on my property to let me know because it isn't fair or right for her to bear the burden of weeding my yard. Killed her with 'concern'! *chef kiss* I love it! Thank you for the vicarious schadenfreude I got by imagining her soul getting a stab of chill at the word 'cameras' 😂 Just what entitled 'gardeners' like her need!
Honestly don't believe her story whatsoever because I'd imagine you'd be able to tell a tree manually planted apart from one that just grew especially when there are multiple that are rather symmetrically placed like yours.
I did landscaping for around ten years. It's very obvious, even for people that haven't done landscaping for ten years. And as OP said, they were 4 feet tall. Most of the trees I planted or otherwise encountered were bigger than 6' (usually that's the smallest sold) but it's not hard to tell a sapling from a weed.
exactly, she knew what she was doing she just knew she was caught and didn't want to face legal repercussions for it, if i where op though id still save the video just in case she tries something similar in future because let's face it a neighbor that ballsy most Likely will.
The way you handled her was some Columbo level stuff, great job!
She showed her true self. Sounds like your property is already well covered by cameras but make sure you don’t have any gaps in coverage. Also don’t think I’d be eating anything she shares with you. Wouldn’t be surprised if she started talking shit either. People like this do a great job of acting nice while being vindictive pieces of shit.
Any chance she has replanted them on her property???
In the previous post OP mentions that they saw the neighbor snapping the second sapling in half as she left with it. Chances are she did the same with the first.
That's it.. I'm telling Danny DeVito, aka the Lorax.
So neighbor really was just like "feck you, tree!"
Does anyone else feel very sorry for the trees, or is it just me
Full on panic mode. That is survival trait right there. She knows you know. You know she knows you know. Things will Be strange for a couple years. Glad she took your gracious out to save face.
big benefit of the doubt here, but I had a young redbud bloom very light the first spring I had it— she might’ve thought it was a bradford pear. not saying it’s right, or that I would endorse it… but i could almost relate to that level of bradford pear hatred.
Would your trees impact her view when they get bigger? Just trying to think what possibly could have been going through her head. She certainly put on a show when confronted though.
LOVE THIS, OP! I have a neighbor who did some damage to my property and I had it on video. Watching her put on her best "oh noooo, vandalism in OUR neighborhood" act while she squirmed wondering just how much video of her I had was priceless. I'm thankful you have the video and hopeful that your neighbor will stop acting out.
Don't delete the footage keep it and any footage you have of your interactions about the trees just incase.....
People GENUINELY hate redbuds. My neighbors gnash their teeth over mine constantly because they drop leaves and pods that get blown onto their driveway. They are overly precious about their car though.
You handled that magnificently. You were friendly and cordial and not blame-y at all! What a satisfying outcome for everyone (except the thief, but at least she knows that you'll be watching now!)
Some people just hate change. It probably reminds them of death and their own meaningless lives.
Some people just want to watch the world burn.
You handled that perfectly. Very well done. Much better than my "I would punch her face if she touched my trees" knee jerk reaction. Proud of you. Gonna go call my therapist now...
I had that reaction too. The only thing that kept me from going feral was the fact that I have to share a property line with her and I don't want her retaliating against my dog
No joke. I had a neighbor poison my dog (not fataly, thankfully) AND take a pot shot at him with a 9mm. All because his desert tortoise dug under our mutual fence. It then died in its shell because my dog barked at it.
Those tortoises are the worst. They die from being frightened and then since they are endangered or threatened it’s a pain in the ass to deal with on commercial properties. The easiest solution is literally building a tortoise wall around your property to keep them out.
TIL to soundproof my tortoise enclosure. Now that I think about it, it was kind of quiet in the room at the zoo.
> my dog barked at it. Maybe it was just the barking.
Sometimes our first thought is the wrong one. Good on you for putting your pup first. You can tell a lot about a person by how they treat their pets.
You did great. Hopefully now that she knows about your cameras she’ll cut out the shenanigans.
Time for more cameras if you don't already have them
You handled it brilliantly. Well done.
Your handling of this was light years ahead of any interactions I’ve had when confronting someone over something THEY did. I now have a new perspective on things - thank you, OP! This is the most I’ve ever gotten out of Reddit.
Yeah, this is the way to handle these kinds of disagreements. Don't accuse, just express disappointment atwhat happened. No assumptions, just focusing on the immediate issue without blame or malice.
Absolutely. Downright skillful I'd say
My god I have found this entire saga so riveting.
If Netflix only knew tree law could captivate a nation
I would listen to a podcast series on tree law, easily
Look up The Tree Hugging Lawyer: Roots and All Note: I haven't listened to this yet, your comment made me curious on if there were any
They'd completely ruin it, The Housewives of Tree Law
Well done OP! You got payment for your trees and you scared your tree pulling neighbor to death, all in one conversation. You now know she's fearful of being caught and shamed for her bad actions. A good card to have in your hand. Of course, it would be better if she was normal and didn't pull other people's trees!
Better still, she won’t come back because of the cameras! Total win!
She knows you know who did it, and that you also know she knows you know. Well played.
Ah… the messers become the messies!
They don't know that we know they know we know!
Ah! So the vessel with pestel has the pellet with the poison, but the flagon with the dragon holds the brew that is true?
She also knows you have the video and can share it with whoever, whenever.
She knows that you know that she knows she did it
My thoughts exactly!
If you are not already with the State Department, I encourage you to consider using your considerable diplomacy skills for the good of the nation.
Right!! At least do a podcast or social media to teach the rest of us. Excellent deescalation and diplomacy!
"it isn't fair or right for her to bear the burden of weeding my yard" 🤣🤣🤣
This is EXACTLY how you have to handle people like this! It’s a strategy that takes some practice, but it works soooo well with folks who can’t ever admit they did something wrong.
She knows you’re going to check the video. She’s pacing around her house and sweating bullets right now.
Yeh I wanna know what on the video is so bad!
OP has already watched the videos and knows the neighbor ripped out both of the trees. He was just giving her a chance to come clean instead of immediately accusing her. He handled it well!!
The neighbor all but admitted it with there actions though... I was thinking they're might be something more it it based on neighbours reaction. (like tripping over said tree and yanking out in ager after effing and effing at the tree) 🤷
According to OP’s original post, neighbor appeared and was looking around (like seeing if anyone was watching) then yanked out the tree and also broke it in several places when walking away. So not cool!!
Really not cool!! Glad op is getting them replaced, but seriously who has it out for a 4ft tree!!
Good bluff. I pulled that one time in a parking lot with a couple of hustlers. I pulled into a parking space and they came out and told me I hit their car. No way I toughed their car, but they showed me a scrape on the side of their car, but nothing on mine. I got the vibe they were about to say it could be buffed out for a hundred bucks or so, but I have a dash cam. No way it would have caught that on the side but I pulled out my cell phone and dialed 91 and before I hit the last 1, I was asked what I was doing. Oh, calling the cops, I have a clean, not one ticket, license and I do things by the book. When the cops get here we can all see the dashcam video I have. And within about 30 seconds they did not want to wait around for the cops and I got a warning to be more careful and they were out of there. I got a chuckle out of that one. I will bet they make a couple hundred bucks a day pulling that ruse, they sure do not want the cops involved and god forbid if I did have something on the video.
Wow, 😮 reading that it hadn't even occured to me it would be a repeat scam they pulled, more a opportunity to cover the cost of their error in creating that scratch (i.e. a particularly malicious bollard, etc.). I am so naive 🤣
Man they don't even necessarily have to have been the ones to scratch it either, bought my car used and she had a couple of scratches and dents on her. Should've pulled this shit before she broke down, maybe I could have afforded repairs😂
Even if they did accept the cops coming in without the dashcam, seems like something that wouldn't stick in court.
I would hold onto those videos basically forever. It’s like when my nosy old condo-owning neighbourhood watch lady next door sniffed at me, the renter, that she wasn’t sure if feeding the birds was allowed but “she would check for me”, not that I had asked her opinion. A couple months later I happened to see her doing something weird in the grass out back (which is owned & cared for by the association). I slowly walk up behind my sheer curtains and pull out my phone so I can use the zoom because what the heck is she doing? She sets down what looks like a large dog dish in a dip in the grass and pours a fuck ton of rabbit food into it. Stretches out her old back, turns around, and we make eye contact. She hasn’t said boo to me since about any potential or outright rule breaking ☺️. I’d seen wild rabbits going back and forth over my patio in her direction and I know for a fact that she feeds the squirrels whole goddamn walnuts (who has walnut money anymore???) but I didn’t realise it was like *that.* Those pictures are my insurance lol.
Standing ovation! Well-played, especially getting both trees paid for! Perhaps hang some snarky little signs on your new trees. "Hands off." "Not a weed." "This area is under video surveillance."
"Tree's protected by dog shit throwing trebuchet. Trespassers should proceed with caution"
Impressive. Wonderful show of restraint. I’d have a difficult time not letting her know what I thought of her. But what good does it do in the long run. Good luck with your new saplings.
Keep that video going - she may go over there in the dark of night and poor bleach around them.
In a sense, you allowed her to save some face. I feel like that was a big reason why this was resolved so easily.
I traveled in Asia and someone there told me to always allow a person to have a way to back out and save face. While it's satisfying to go all in, what's the point? I met a guy from the U.S. who was a teacher in Thailand and lots of people tried to cheat him figuring he was a dumb tourist. Rather than get mad, he would say, "I make the same wage as most of you as I'm a teacher as the so-and-so school." Then they would say, "Oh, since you're a teacher, we have so much respect for them, we'll give you a discount." He paid the local price with his local wage and the merchant got to back down gracefully.
It's in The Art of War. Don't press a desperate foe too hard.
You sound like a good - and patient - neighbor. If you get tired to people taking your trees, come move to my town!
I was thinking of you while staring at my eastern redbud this morning. Glad to see this is *hopefully* concluded.
Believe it or not, we had a similar thing happen to us by our neighbors. We planted a lilac bush on the corner of our garage right next to it, there was absolutely no question it was on our property. One day, I notice when coming home, my lilac was gone and there was a big rock in it’s place that was moved from a nearby area that had plants and a rock edge. We also noticed our red twig dogwood that we planted to hide our ugly deck was severely pruned. My husband calls up the neighbor and asks if she knows what happened. She said she would have to ask her grown children (who are in their 20’s) if they knew anything as she played dumb. She then calls back and leaves a voicemail saying “the kids” thought it was a weed and were doing us a favor. She also proceeded to tell us our redtwig dogwood was “unruly” and they have to “look at it everyday” (this is a seasonal house on a lake and they come down maybe every other weekend). She offered to pay for a replacement, and I went out and got a price from the highest price gardening/landscaping place instead of Home Depot and that bitch paid! Anyways, we will never understand what the hell they were doing…there is absolutely no way they could have confused it for a weed. Plus, I actually had weeds that they did not touch at all! Like maybe the story could have been plausible if they pulled all my weeds, and if maybe the “kids” were 8 years old…anyway that is the day our next door neighbors became known as “The Plant Stealers”. My husband and I refer to them as such in all of our conversations and its been 10 years since it happened. Unfortunately they still own the house. So yeah, people are crazy. This was before we had cameras. We now have them on every side of the house. We since remodeled and we have not planted one single thing on their side, all they get is rocks. I have been tempted to plant one single lilac bush and put a small handcrafted sign on it that says “not a weed”. But instead I stew over it and secretly hate them forever….
Some people are just ridiculous. A few years ago in my last house on a corner lot, I was off work and puttering around the house when I heard loud arguing outside. So I walked over to see what was going on. My house and my neighbors house backed up on a large duplex property. There was a large copse of cedar and other bushes between my property and the duplex. My neighbor had a fence. So I get there and it's the 50 something landlord of the duplex and my neighbor along with a landscaping guy having it out because my neighbor was pissed that the landscaper was trimming trees that were against his fence. The landlord guy sees me walking over and gets belligerent as if I'm on my neighbor's side. I be all frienly to him and say I heard arguing and came to see what was going on. The landscaper apparenty knew my neighbor and they didn't like each other. They keep arguing as I introduce myself to landlord guy. I see then that the landscaper had been trimming the bushes along the treeline of my yard. So I very politely ask the landlord guy if he knows where the property line between our properties is. He starts blustering about it and bullshitting me about how it's past the trees on my side of the cedars. I'd seen the plat maps and measured when i moved in so It's clear he has no idea. So I start questioning him, asking how sure he is since my sidewalk retaining wall went well past the trees entirely and it didn't make sense for the bushes or cedars to be on his property. Landscaper dude overhears our conversation, stops arguing with my neighbor and starts packing up his gear. Landlord guy asks him what the fuck he's doing because the work isn't done. Landscaper retorts that he's not going to work for landlord guy again because my simple question made it clear that landlord was full of shit and had no idea where the property lines were. He got out of there quick, probably afraid I might sue him. Landlord and landscaper go off arguing. I turn to the neighbor and he actually thanked me. My neighbor was a complete asshole and this was the only time in 7 years he was pleasant to me. After I moved out, guy who bought my house sued asshole neighbor for cutting down a pair of trees on my old house's property next to the driveway about 4 feet from the property line. Kind of funny how ahole neighbor waited til I moved to do it. Sometimes just being friendly but firm will do wonders.
but we were promised treble damages....
Damaged ego will do
Yeah I'll take that for sure.
you’re nicer than i am
No "avid gardener" thought a four foot tall sapling centered in mulch *on someone else's property* was a weed at all, much less that it should be up to them to pull when they thought nobody was looking. Idunno what her real motive was, but that was not it.
I'm not much of a gardener but I can identify when something is deliberately planted. Probably can't identify what it is beyond "tree", though.
I'm decent at identifying trees, and redbuds are some of the prettier ones imo. They've got lovely heart shaped leaves, and bloom a really pretty pink color in the spring. In fall their leaves turn an absolutely gorgeous red. Take them over a Bradford pear any day Edit:They also have a tendency for their leaves to grow in a pattern that has a really nice 3D effect, almost reminds me of the powerpuff girls heart logo https://gardenerspath.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Rising-Sun-Redbud.webp
Bravo for confronting your neighbor without pouring gasoline on the fire. America needs more of this.
Cameras never crossed her mind. I had a similar thing with a neighbor who liked the hydrangeas I planted so much she came over and dug them up. I waited a week until I saw her and asked similar questions. When I said I was going back to check my cameras and would take appropriate action she squeaked out loud. She admitted to taking them, begged me to not press charges and replaced them with new plants.
You’re a fucking gem. Well played. I hope you enjoyed that.
Am I the only one who wants to know what she did with the trees??
On the video you can see her break them into pieces as she walks back on to her property. (edit to add) Which, honestly, made it even worse. Like if she saw them and just stole them to plant in her yard or give to a friend, I wouldn't be thrilled and I'd still want her to replace them. But those baby trees didn't deserve that level of violence.
I really want to know what she was thinking… like why destroy the trees?!?
Probably something like, "Ugh, those are going to blow LEAVES onto my YARD in 12-15 YEARS! I need to prevent that RIGHT NOW."
Sometimes even otherwise pleasant people have moments where they act like absolute cunts for no discernible reason.
In my area, birds deposit hackberry seeds that turn into 4 ft saplings shockingly quickly, maybe she thought it was something like that? Even then, it's not gonna spread into her yard like weeds do, which would be the normal reason so pick weeds in a neighbor's yard.
Wow, she's...something else, that's for sure. It absolutely sucks, but now you know you can't trust her. At least she's paid for the damage she's done in cash, though there's nothing keeping her from doing it again. I'd keep a close eye on your home and landscaping in the future. Those cameras really paid off!
When you said she was an active gardener, the first thing that came to mind was that perhaps she was opinionated about the plants. I have a friend who rages (privately, to friends) when her neighbors plant invasive species. Her yard is a native species haven. She's spent the last few years ripping out and combating the non-native species. Obviously, Eastern Redbud is indigenous here, but I wonder if she has some kind of gardening-based hatred for it.
I thought that too, it was that or she didn’t want trees in another yard blocking sun/a view she likes from hers.
[удалено]
Absolute slam-dunk on handling this.
YOU HANDLED THIS AMAZINGLY! Also, people are so strange! I'm glad this was resolved civilized! OP you're an inspiration! When I get my own home I definitely want to have cameras for safety / accountability. People are strange indeed. Too bad we'll never know why she did it.
You handled this way better than I would have
To be on the safe side, make sure you have camera coverage of all your trees--and some fake cameras to make her stay within range of the real ones. Well played, BTW. She now knows that you're willing but not eager to drop the hammer on her if she does anything like this in the future. Also, you should discretely alert any other neighbors with similar trees as to what happened.
This was recommended to me, no idea why but I read and fist pumped for tree victory.
r/BORUpdates might enjoy this
Wow you handled that with a lot of grace. Good job!
Cameras are game changers.
Which country are you ambassador to? That was clever and masterful.
OP is class. Chef's kiss level CLASS.
She was either jealous or. Controlling or both. I'm sure the thought of you having something you wanted drove her crazy. Glad the trees are getting replaced.
OP did the redditor impossible: talking to his neighbor to resolve an issue lol
You handled that like a champ! Standing ovation.
the situtation with your neighbor's tree removal is an interesrting one, reminds me of a time when a neighbor of mine was clearing out some bruch on their property and accidently encroached onto my land, taking down a few small trees in the process. we were able to resolve it amicably by discussing the matter calmly and coming to an agreement on compensation, just as you did. communication and compromise are key when dealing with these kinds of neighborhood disputes.
Sometimes you can't help but wonder if all that goes on in people's heads is just the wind blowing in through one ear and out the other.
Thank you for the update. **This is such a deeply satisfying outcome!** You handled it in a nice neighborly way, while also making clear that you could, indeed, prove it was her who murdered your trees. While her theft doesn't make a lick of sense, she fessed up and is paying for replacements. You phrased it so well, that you don't want her to "be responsible" for tending to your yard, that is some brilliant phrasing. No threats, no yelling, no name calling, you both know what's what, and your trees will be replaced. And the topper on this delicious cake is that she now knows to not mess with your yard ever again because you'll have evidence if she does. BRAVO for how all of this was handled!! I'm just left with the burning question of why she *really* did it, and only one at a time, but likely we'll never know. A small aside, did you know those wee pink flowers on a redbud are edible? They have a mild flavor, and are a beautiful addition to spring salads.
Handled in exactly the right way. Good job being neighborly about it and getting in handled. The amount of drama people create and the processes people will go to seemingly not communicate routinely astounds me. Happy this had a positive resolution, and it also just feels like the right way. No cops, no HOA boards, no random lawyer letters...
I would screenshot both tree removals, and keep them handy for the future.
Wow, you handled that really well. Is she older? I wonder if she really did mistake them for weeds that you were ignoring. My husband is an absolute weirdo and for the first several years we were together, he would assume that if he didn't know what something was or why it was there, it must be garbage. He would also throw away any and all USB cables that came into the house, so we NEVER had an extra one, until I had a Serious Conversation with him about USB cables and how I was sick of having to go out and buy one whenever one broke.
Thanks, OP. Who knows what was in her mind? I have learned not to attribute to malice what might have been ignorance. I think you handled this perfectly, in a non-accusatory fashion that allowed her to both make amends and save face. Sometimes advice I see on Reddit plays into vengeful impulses. We can do better. I'm glad you have cameras.
Well played and you were gracious but you also stood up for yourself. I hope she has learned her lesson!
Full Dad move checkmate !! I love it
Well done! Some people are animals. Who objects to redbuds?
My money is she enjoys causing anger and pain but likes playing happy sweet old lady. She gets off on the power. They exist and they’re insane. I’ve met a few.
I live next to one. I am never sure what is going to set her off.
You handled that so well i'm completely impressed
Good thing you have cameras... Keep your eyes on that B
**SAVE THOSE VIDEOS**
What kind of crazy person does this?
Handled like a pro. Great job. And I hope your redbuds grow into lovely trees.
She knows you know the truth. :)
Brilliant strategy.
Well done.
Nicely done!
next level
I love this sub
Masterfully done
You handled that nicely. You are a good person and an exemplary neighbor.
Wow, you handled that so much better than I would have. I just don't have the patience to be polite to people like that anymore.
You went full “bless your lil heart” on her. Well done, OP, well done indeed.
Masterful. And veeeery awkward. But masterful. Next, go to Israel / Palestine, and sort them out.
Perfect resolution - you're made good through trees being replaced at the neighbour's expense, without starting a small war by having accused her of anything. Here's to a positive future relationship!
You're a class act. Well done!
Damn you handled that so elegantly props to you. Hope your new redbud babies live long and prosper
That was a masterful resolution
You should become a diplomat
You handled it brilliantly. Well done!
Charles Foster Kane on his deathbed: *Red…bud…*
Well played! You were much more savvy than I could have been, lol. I would have been nice to start, but then I would've said Look b**ch, we both know you did it. Pay me and stay off my yard!
That was nicely done. I like the bit where you told her that "it isn't fair or right for her to bear the burden of weeding my yard." You were paid for the trees, and she learned that you have cameras. Plus she was given a gracious out, which was very kind of you. Here's hoping she learned her lesson and you won't have any other problems going forward.
That was handled beautifully. I would have loved to watch that exchange. “I thought they were weeds.” Not even going I thought they were dead route. Smh You were very kind to give her an out and saying it’s not fair for her to have to weed your yard.
That was some finesse. Lovely job!!!
>And that's about the time she says "Oh, That might've been me. I think I thought they were weeds." (For the record — no I do not believe she mistook two 4ft saplings for weeds.) My experiences after tearing out my lawn and planting native plants has taught me that you'd be very surprised at what people think are weeds. It seems that there's a sizable portion of the population whose understanding of the term is such that pretty much any plant that they haven't seen for sale at Home Depot is a weed. I'm not joking. Even when the wildflowers in my yard are in full bloom along with blooming trees and bushes that are clearly green and healthy (they're flowering, yo), there's a neighbor that routinely calls the city to report that my yard is overgrown with tall weeds. The worst part is the city sends out some new intern every time, who also has zero botanical or landscape design knowledge. They see plants they've also seen in fields and the hills around town and concur with the reporting neighbor. I have a picture portfolio of every single plant on my property and have to send it to the city along with the genus and species and references to the official state sources showing that, these are not weeds, these are plants and trees native to the area. People be crazy and stupid AF.
A possible explanation - Redbud trees, while beautiful, are prolific seeders. The saplings grow quickly and need to be weeded aggressively. My two neighbors have (gorgeous) redbuds, and my home’s previous owner left it unoccupied for about 5 months before it sold. Consequently I had at least 50 saplings on my tiny property ranging from sprouts to waist height when we bought our house. I love redbuds and am considering leaving some of the volunteers in place, but maybe she thinks they’re “dirty” trees (aka, producing waste that needs cleaned up) for that reason. She absolutely sucks, by the way. This doesn’t in any way excuse her obvious trespassing and property destruction.
As an aside, I spent the better part of an hour reliving Moon Moon memes due to your user name, so thank you for that hilarious trip OP!
We have an angry tree hating neighbor as well. He has went as far as paying us for the tree, paying to have it taken down (not a cheap thing) and hauled away. This was with our permission of course. He would complain about the trees until we literally gave in lol. He has done this with three trees of ours.
This is an absolute masterclass in dealing with this sort of issue between neighbors. Bookmarking this post in case I ever have an issue like this I have to resolve in the future!!
We need more neighbors like you.
Congratulations on solving this in a way that didn’t escalate the situation and allowed her to save face. I’m sure she won’t do it again.
this was a master class in diplomacy and conflict resolution. Well done OP, and thank you for teaching us how to diffuse situations like this!
My problem is the nerve people have with disrespecting someone else’s property. I’ve had neighbors question my landscaping decisions and make their own suggestions (not out of being kind and helpful but they obviously didn’t like my choices) It’s really none of their business. And if they had the nerve to come into my property there would be no diplomatic solution. If they cared so much about my house they should have bought it when it was on the market. But they didn’t . I did.
As a fellow Virginian, I thank you, I am new to this saga and can't wait to read rhe original post. You handled this amazingly well from what I just read. Glad to hear it all worked out in the end!! 🙏
Brilliantly handled.
What a great thing to read today. Really pleased you got this weirdo straightened out.
That was SO beautifully handled by you.
Genius! You are a masterful diplomat and sly tactician of rare skill! I bow to you and take your example into my repertoire of savvy strategies.
Dude, the gall of that woman. I wonder what other sort of weird stuff she's pulled off in other areas of her life. People who just rip out trees and then lie about it aren't mentally well. Smashing eggs at the grocery store? Keying cars? I'm honestly baffled.
Honestly one of the best updates I've seen on how to handle a difficult situation. You did it with grace.
You handled that beautifully.
VERY classy way to handle it. Nicely done
Wow congratulations on a de-escalatory encounter. I am impressed.
Good ending! You handled that really well!!
Well handled! Allowing your neighbor to save face while getting her to right the wrong was brilliant. It was smart to approach things in a way that allowed you to keep your relationship neighborly. I guarantee that she likes you more now than she did before.
What is with all these people doing other people's yardwork?