Systemic Killer Victim

Please excuse the lengthy preamble to my query - I hope you continue to read on.

About 2.5 years ago, I noticed that my Forcythia was in trouble. It was adjacent to a low wall that divided my front garden from my neighbour's. There had been very few flowers on it that spring, when it would have normally been a glorious profusion of yellow. The stems were dying back and the leaves it was putting out, or trying to, were emanating from 1 or 2 nodes along each stem - like little explosions of growth - rather than distributed along the stem. The leaves were small and badly distorted, but were the correct colour green.
I could see no sign of mould, fungus or insect infestation.
Also, the grass adjacent to it was practically dead - there was clearly a line where on one side the grass (and weeds) were growing well, and on the other they were dead.
The flower border a couple of feet away was full of Montbretia that was dead or dying & the 2 rose bushes were in a similar state.
The privet hedge above the border was OK, but I have not had to trim that portion for the 2.5 years since - its growth is clearly stunted.

I am convinced my neighbour has sprayed the Forcythia etc with some systemic killer.
I set up a web-cam overlooking the area because some large stems became mysteriously broken.
My suspicions were confirmed by images I captured on several occasions of my neighbour reaching into my garden and breaking & sawing the remaining stems - whilst I was out. (She is mad! I don't say it lightly, but she is. There is no open channel of communication & she clearly hates my garden.)
Now, my beautiful Forcythia is just a collection of short sticks in the ground!

Well, a few months ago I noticed the holly tree in my back garden has its stems dying back.
This tree is perhaps 12 years old, and is by the fence adjacent to the same neighbour's garden.
A week ago I took another, closer, look and found small explosions of growth around 1, or sometimes 2, nodes on each stem.
The appearance is practically identical to what the Forcythia looked like. :cry:
Again, there is no sign of mould, fungus or insect infestation. The new leaves are the correct colour, but are small and distorted.
I believe my neighbour has done it again!

Now, my questions:
Does anyone recognise the signs of damage I am describing? Does anyone know specifically what chemical is the likely culprit? What advice would you give for trying to combat the effects?
(I don't really want to destroy the holly tree, if it has a chance of surviving.)
Thanks for getting this far - and for your anticipated help.

 

She is entitled to cut back anything that overhangs into her property, but not to be reaching over the boundary and into your garden to cut them. That's seen as damage to your property. I don't recognise the symptoms of decay or disease, but have you seen her spraying them with anything - it could be a weedkiller of some sort if she is doing that. Weedkiller is not fussy about what it attacks, despite it's name :(

Not a good situation to be in. Why does she dislike you and and your garden so much? Or when you say mad, do you really mean that?!

 

What a terrible situation GrahamJat - and quite incomprhensible.
Have you any idea why your neighbour is behaving like that ?

At the end of the day your only recourse is to see a Solicitor and go to Court with evidence,
Do you have any?
And that will be a mighty expensive business - for what ?

Much better to try and be on good terms with your neighbour, even if you have to eat a bit of humble pie along the way.
Bake a cake, take it round, and try to have a chat about what is going on.

 

Thanks guys - JWK, Sussexgardener & Alice - for your feedback.

Just to say: I have always tried to ensure nothing from my garden overhangs next door; also, I haven't seen my neighbour spraying anything - yet. However, I think the results are self evident.
What are her reasons for hating my garden? Who can say. To me it is madness & not germane to the answers I seek. Nearly all the other neighbours in the road are brilliant. One recently told me that some years ago she (next door) had been found wandering down the road in her night-dress and the police & social services took her in for a while.

If I were to take the legal approach, I would need hard evidence which is very difficult to get & solicitors would be extremely costly. What I would like to do is get an informed opinion on what the chemical might be (assuming it is), try to find some way of combating it & see where we go from there.

Cheers,
Graham.

P.S. I've attached a couple of photos of the holly tree branches for your info.

 

Graham, the only way to find out for sure what, if any, chemical has been used is to have a soil sample analysed. :thumb: It certainly sounds like some kind of weedkiller to me.

 

Doesn't Glyphosate cause damage to the root structure as well. This seems to be damaging the extremeties and there is still fresh growth. Perhaps hot water ? But I don't know much so only a thought.