Beginner Gardening: What kind of person does it take to...., 0 by Lenka_

Lenka_ wrote:
...............butcher up a vine which SLIGHTLY overgrows onto their property????

While stopping by my old house to tend to my garden up there as I do weekly...I have noticed that my LabLab vine was looking odd. This house is in a mid to high priced community in Frisco TX and we have front garages so neighbours share fences. This house happens to share the fence with two neighbours as it's a corner lot. Well, the people to the left had recently moved in - barely a few months ago. Just about the time my LabLab started growing. It's been there last year and sweet California lady did not mind it overgrow over the fence and bloom for her to enjoy as she had only grass on her yard and wasn't much of a gardener. Well, she had to go back to Cali with her fiance and sold the house....These people moved in and I so far thought they were ok, but now I really question that entire neighbourhood!!

Back to the vine....I planted it early and picked the largest seeds from my last years batch...And grow it did! The leaves of the vine are large and it is STRONG! So it sent a few branches over the 6 ft wooden fence to the neighbour's yard. It was growing on the fence, duh!! And it was growing there waaaay before they moved in! I know, I know... that doesn't count...

Anyways....they still have not a flower anywhere - grass front and back. And someone (I think the husband...) apparently got fed up with my vine slightly showing thru the fence. So, instead of knocking on the door and telling about the vine and asking to trim it....he could not think of anything better but to butcher it up and I mean it!!! I will take a pic tonight as I am going there again (I moved but that house is still in my family so I tend to the garden)....The branches that were in any way close to the fence are cut up and it looks like that person got on a step stool or a ladder, leaned over the fence and butchered up the vine some more but already on my side of the fence - as a vine stem about 1 cm in diameter has ripped up ends and is cut through the middle to about 2 cm down. And there are still dried up branches on MY side of the fence.

Tell me, fellow gardeners...what kind of person does it take to be such an a$$#@le....pardon my language...

I am so upset!! There is homeowners association up there and I guess I could turn to them but what would I say?
- That guy broke my plant....
- So? they'll say - whatever - go cry in the corner and get over it....

Ahhhhh....

I must mention that a neighbour across did the same thing to my vine last year!! It sent one branch through the fence across from me. Well, one day I found fried up leaves and discovered that they pulled that vine as hard as they could and ripped up as much as they could!! And silly plant - it kept trying to grow into that direction.....My most favourite neighbour was (still is) the lady backing up to the backyard - we both were on corner lots with joined fence. She never has a problem with my vines or plants, or butterflies or flying seeds!! Well, maybe because she has a garden too, he-he.... But now she planted two passifloras and they are crawling through and over the fence onto my backyard like crazy! And those blooms are just driving me nuts!!!! LOL
Maybe I should go get my chainsaw.......????

I also lost a cat in that neighbourhood...The next day after the Halloween in 2006 he did not return home.... That cat was one of those who would stand in front of coyote and try to fight and most likely win - he really was a hunter and a fighter! He was large orange cat with beautiful long hair tail. He was only a year and a half old. He absoluetly always came back home - even if he went out for the night - he'd be back by 8 AM the latest.... He never came back that day...I did everything I could - posted flyers, talked to people, searched shelters and sent his pictures all over....... Do you know - not a single person from entire community called or inquired about what happened or gave any clues! It was dead silence... And to tell you guys the truth, by the way I saw it - someone either killed my Sammy or took him somewhere far and left him there, or took him to the shelter... Sammy did like to wander through the neighbourhood and sometimes went onto people's yards.... But I know he never killed anything or went potty onto people's property as he only used his litterbox at home. But also all people kept their cats inside - entire community!!! No one would let the cats out - maybe they knew something I did not?? You would not see a single cat anywhere...ever! And I knew a few people who had cats and a lady across the street had three and kept them all indoors.
But...If these people kill plants with such rage - I am not surprised they will also kill animals. Just various facts make me think that...I won't go into too much detail...

It just kills me how you may think you are safe in a suburban " good area" neigbourhood....But I would doubt that after my experiences in one of Frisco communities....I moved out of that house a few months ago into the country to a nearly 2 acre lot and I never felt better. And the people are friendly - I talk to people from the few houses near me and they seem sincere. And the funny thing is that all of my neighbours are women in 30-50 age range. I am the youngest I think though....The only one young couple with small child moved to a different state recently and selling their house now. Maybe because we are all women in a similar situation who share similar interests to a certain extent, who knows? Maybe that's why we get along....

But I can say for sure that the only thing I might be scared of are coyotes which is something my dogs will take care of. No vicious neighbours!

P.S. Attached is a pic of my LabLab last year. It grows in the same spot this year.