Lopped, topped or dropped??

[Pete E]

Hi I have a mature Common Lime at the bottom of the garden. Girth is 2.5m so I guess about 80 years old, its 15-18m tall and 12-15m diameter. The tree is in good condition with a dense canopy. A couple of neighbours are complaining about the shade it casts over their gardens also over (the wife's) greenhouse. I really don't want to take it down, but its starting to dominate, so I need advice on how / if the canopy can be reduced. It's too mature for pollarding and just chopping the top off is not the right thing to do. I had a nearby Ash cut hard back to the trunk and main branches, which reduced height and spread by 1/3, but that produces shoots easily all the way up and is doing well. Can I expect the same from a Lime?  Or can it be sensibly thinned out to reduce the shadow?

[Stere]

Id want it felled personally to let light for the greenhouse and avoid ongoing costs  but i think lime may be a species that may pollard even when mature

[Stere]

 

[Steve Bullman]

Whatever growth you witnessed the Ash tree put on, expect at least double from the Lime.

 

They are pretty tolerant of heavy pruning, but its not going to satisfy your neighbours, well maybe for a year or so it might.

[MattyF]

Title of this thread reminds me of the sign writing you see on certain tree men’s vehicles .. All trees lopped, topped and felled.
Ask driver for details , also take old clothes.

[Stubby]

Move the greenhouse ?

[gary112]

10 minutes ago, MattyF said:

Title of this thread reminds me of the sign writing you see on certain tree men’s vehicles .. All trees lopped, topped and felled.
Ask driver for details , also take old clothes.

Theres a few of them about

[eggsarascal]

25 minutes ago, MattyF said:

Title of this thread reminds me of the sign writing you see on certain tree men’s vehicles .. All trees lopped, topped and felled.
Ask driver for details , also take old clothes.

You missed the 'All work guaranteed', Matty.

 

 

[openspaceman]

49 minutes ago, MattyF said:

 .. All trees lopped, topped and felled.
 

It was lopped topped and dropped

[mtt.tr]

I would be looking at a sensible reduction and thin, pollard it and it will almost certainly be back to where you started in a few years or a year. 

 

Last sensible reduction i did on my parents lime lasted 5 years then the neighbor had it pollarded year on its bushier than before.  

[Stubby]

1 hour ago, eggsarascal said:

You missed the 'All work guaranteed', Matty.

 

 

and " all aspects " is usually in there somewhere .