'Our neighbour tried an act of kindness while we were away but went way too far'
It's that time of year again where our garden becomes our pride and joy, as all the potting and pruning leading up to the warmer months finally results in flourishing blooms and a well-kept lawn.
As holiday season approaches, the green-fingered among us might ask a neighbour to keep an eye on their plants, to help them stay happy and hydrated. It's always nice to have peace of mind, after all.
Most friendly next door folk would happily oblige, but one mum has revealed her neighbour took the favour one step too far - and destroyed her beloved plants in the process.
The neighbour destroyed her plants (stock photo) (Getty Images)The woman was jetting off for a 10-day getaway and asked her neighbour to kindly water the plants in her greenhouse while she was away, but nothing could have prepared her for the sorry sight she returned to.
Taking to Mumsnet to vent about the garden fiasco, the anonymous mum wrote: "We were away on holiday for 10 days and had asked our neighbour to water the plants in the greenhouse whilst we were away.
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"Turns out she did a lot more than what we had asked for - the entire garden was completely weeded, plants and shrubs shaped and manicured, we were shocked and genuinely grateful, she did not have to do any of this, we didn't even ask to water the garden as we thought some rain here and there would be enough."
What appeared to be a lovely neighbour going above and beyond turned into a disaster, as the woman continued: "Everything seemed perfect except she cut down ALL our roses!!!!
"I have been feeling quite upset [about] what she has done without our consent. We have five different roses shrubs/climbers in different areas of the garden, she has cut most of them to none. Before we left they were all in full bloom, very leafy, big shrubs with abundant flowers taking up a lot of space."
She doesn't know how to address the issue (stock photo) (Getty Images)"Yes they did look a bit wild and overgrown, but we always went for the wild cottage garden look instead of the perfectly manicured look, and June / July is the time roses really grow and flourish," the devastated homeowner added.
Rather than just chopping back the dead flowers, the mum says her neighbour cut the "majority of the canes back to the ground with no roses and leaves left except a few leggy canes," leaving her seething.
The green-fingered parent admitted she has no idea why her neighbour would take such drastic action in the garden, and says the scissor-happy woman doesn't seem to understand what she's done wrong.
She added: "From the short conversation we had after we came back it sounded like she thinks she has done us a favour, I think she thought we don't do any maintaining and looked overgrown, but first of all every pruning articles and tips I read states that summer is not the time to do major hard pruning of roses, and secondly I just feel so upset that she thought it was OK to just do this without me knowing."
Things escalated even further when the "bitter" mum realised her neighbour might have an ulterior motive, as she explained: "When we came back she did ask if she could take the rose cuttings to plant in her garden and she did take a bunch of them home, which now got me thinking did she cut them all down so she could plant in her garden????"
Desperately seeking advice on how to move forward with her neighbour, the upset mum asked fellow mums whether she should tell her neighbour how she really feels.
Many people took the mum's side in response, arguing that it was a "weird" move from the neighbour to chop away at the roses without her consent.
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One commenter wrote: "You definitely don't cut back roses in the summer! I'd be gutted. They will grow back but what was she thinking?!!!"
While another added: "Wow that's weird of her! A bit of weeding is fine, maybe she struggles with anxiety and wanted something to occupy her. But then it sounds like she's forgotten where she is. I don't think there's anything to be done. The roses will recover. Just do not ask her again!"
Meanwhile, a third mum suggested: "Can you ask her why she specifically cut the roses?"
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