My tree has outgrown my garden. What should I do?

Author - Dave Kenworthy

---

My tree has outgrown my garden. What should I do?

There are all sorts of reasons why it’s good to have a tree or trees in your garden. Shade in the summer, autumnal colour, fruit and a habitat for insects and birds, to name but a few. However trees need maintenance and they can outgrow gardens if left unchecked.

Is a tree running amok and affecting your foundations?

In fact, tree surgeons are often called out by domestic customers who have trees that have run amok and become a nuisance. Sometimes this can have serious implications. In fact, root spread can occasionally affect the foundations on properties – which is a problem everyone wants to avoid.

Blocking out sunlight…

However, over-zealous trees could just be blocking out sunlight, or they may be affecting the sun or affecting the other plant life in the garden. Before you decide to take drastic action, trees don’t always need to be felled! Sometimes, the rogue tree can be dealt with and managed in order to avoid future problems.

Why you should always hire a professional!

Trees are living organisms and need to be treated with care, by someone who understands their requirements – as well as those of the homeowner. This is why it’s always advisable to hire a professional tree surgeon to deal with a tree that has outgrown its space. However, you may want to keep the tree. In which case, it’s important to carry out the work in such a way that harm to the tree is kept to a minimum.

If a tree needs to come down…

However, there are also safety considerations. A tree may need to be felled completely and this isn’t a straightforward task! It might be growing in close proximity to someone’s property. A tree surgeon can carry out a sectional felling in this kind of situation and this involves taking the tree down in sections, so property doesn’t get damaged.

Crown thinning: more than just lopping off branches

Sometimes a crown thinning is in order. This involves more than just getting up a ladder and lopping off branches and isn’t something that should be attempted by a lay person. It could harm the tree and it could also harm the person!

So, always hire a professional to carry out work such as crown thinning and crown lifting. In fact, did you know that removing too many branches in one fell swoop could actually cause vigorous and speedy regrowth? It’s also a good way to stress a tree out, which can lead to problems such as decay. So, this is why we don’t advise people to attempt this kind of work themselves.

There’s more to it than meets the eye

In fact, there’s a science behind this work. Crown thinning can involve removing up to 30% of a tree’s branches and it is best undertaken in stages. This means that the tree surgeon can assess how the tree responds to having its branches removed. If the tree is happy, the tree surgeon can remove some more.

Step away from the ladder!

So, don’t be tempted to get up that ladder! If you’ve got an overenthusiastic tree that’s taking over your garden, call a reputable and fully qualified professional. They will have the right equipment for the job, an expert knowledge of trees and all the necessary health and safety training.