I used to have an old established one right outside of my bedroom window. It was there when I moved into the place, and I lived there for over 30 years. I loved opening the window in the spring and letting the scent flow in. I don't recall how short-lived it was.
Well, hopefully the heavy odor will be short-lived here, but if we simply can't enjoy being out on our patio/grilling or even opening our patio sliding glass door for fresh air, well, I just don't know.
We have a next door neighbor who has a whole row of 100 foot (+-) pine trees that were planted the year Jim (the neighbor) was born some 75+ years ago. Now, ya might already know that pine trees shed pine needles and whose property do they shed on? Ours. Storms generally come ripping in from the southwest and you might know that we’re on the north side of Jim’s place so we wind up every year having to rake up about 20-30 large construction bags of pine straw not to mention a whole slew of pine cones. Note: Yvonne of course uses a little of it with her gardening but for the most part I put it on the side of the road for pickup. The greatest hazard of course is that if one of them fell on the house with us in it……nuff said. One other thing that is bothersome is the amount of pollen that the trees produce. From the roof to the trucks, everything is yellow and of course it has a definite affect on breathing and my eye sight because my eyes tear up a lot so the pollen is a health hazard to one and all. I’ve talked to Jim about them and we really haven’t come up with an concrete solutions since after all, his dad did plant them the year Jim was born. Still, there has to be some remedy and I think I know what I can do. Taking all that in, do you guys think it might be alright if I grabbed the gaffs and belt and hauled my chainsaw over and just cut those bothersome trees down? I mean, if a good storm came along at the right time then one or two just may topple and kill both of us so I should be within some small right to cut them down shouldn’t I? I know it’s not my property but still, they’re a health hazard.
Pine needles are nasty. They don't really decay into anything that supports the growth of grass, if I recall correctly, because they're acidic in nature. (Correct me if I'm wrong.) Regarding that pollen: apparently it has many medicinal properties and applications. Here's an article. Jim might have standing to send you a bill. Your desire to do a preemptive culling carries risks...I don't believe that Stand Your Ground laws or other self-defensive standards have provisions for "just in case" actions. This applies to the trees as well as to Jim. The only thing I can think of is for you to yell "Look out! It's coming right at me!!!" before cutting them down. It's a stretch, but if you talk to yourself in gibberish during trial, there are a variety of defenses you could mount. Your attorney should make this call. Regarding lilacs...the lilac flower symbolizes the first emotions of love. This has its roots [yeh, I meant to do that] in Greek mythology. You can draw your own conclusions.
When people came from the Scandinavian countries to North America, many of them carried a sprig of lilac with them to replant at their new home, bringing a piece of their birthplace with them. We had what had turned into a large lilac hedge separating our front yard into two sections, and they came from sprigs of lilacs that my paternal grandparents had brought with them from Sweden.
Yup……xactly The truth is, whomever does get the job of felling them has got to be insured and be willing to give up his first born male child before Jim will let anyone touch them. Plus, the figure for each tree is around 3K and that’s just for safely felling them in a close neighborhood. The disposal is extra. Note: In north Idaho, the land owners don’t have to pay to have trees felled but instead, get paid.
Lumber businesses? There's lots of clearing going on around me, too. I think the spike in prices has been too tempting for lots of folks.
As a Certified Arborist, and one who has taken a class, "Arboriculture And The Law," I can tell you that you cannot cut down your neighbor's trees, no matter what they're doing to your health, unless you get his/her signed permission to do so. That being said, you can trim the branches of said trees as soon as they cross over your property line, but if you do a terrible job of it, and the trees suffer for it, you may open yourself to a lawsuit. Roots are a similar story where foundation damage must be mitigated. As for Cody: Whoa, cowboy! Just because the little lady is having problems with the lilacs that are owned by the apartment complex you live in, you have no right, as in ZERO, to remove their blooms. They are not your property, no matter how you spin it. Y'all need to saddle up and find a greener (lilac free) pasture, if those great smelling blooms are anathema to your better half. FWIW: Lilacs were my Mom's favorite flower. Man, I miss her, and I think of her, so much, when I smell those blooms. Break camp, Cody, and y'all hit the trail!
I think that lilacs were maybe my mom’s favorite flower, too, or at least one of the top favorites, along with her beloved peonies. Right at the front gate of our house were two old lilac bushes, which had been there for a long time, even when we bought the house. My mom started more of them from the little ones that spread, and eventually the whole front line of our fence on both sides of the gate was hedged in lilacs. We would bring large bouquets in and put them on the table and the whole house would smell like lilacs. An interesting thing that I read somewhere about why lilacs are often planted on old farms, away from the farmhouse, is because that they planted them alongside of the outhouse so that it would not smell as bad. Not sure if this is true or not, but it sounds reasonable to me. https://theschoolhouseroad.com/the-history-of-lilacs-on-the-homestead/
Yup. Already know that. My post that asked the question of what to do wasn’t really a question as much as it was a comparison between a “what could be plight” versus that of the taking of lilac’s at an apartment complex. As @Beth Gallagher observed, it was written as a metaphor and not something I would even spend a split second entertaining the thought of doing. Whether something so small as cutting down lilacs at an apartment complex or cutting down a neighbor’s trees or to extend that, painting someone’s house because the color makes you sick. it’s all the same thing. Ya gots ta keep your hands off of someone else’s property no matter what reason ya might have.
Well, at least Beth understands how we feel. Guess one SOF member understanding is better than none. LOL