Dear Eric >> I have an issue with a neighbor who is “wilding” her yard, letting all the plants grow as they will, and, unfortunately, they are invading my yard. A nasty vine called Porcelain Berry has grown up into one of my trees, and strangled four limbs, so far, and pulled them down.

I have seen rats in her yard, so I have four traps re-baited quarterly. Every time I try to take back my section of the yard, she runs out of her house and screams at me. I reported her yard to the city, but with no results.

She is in her late 60s, early 70s, widowed and childless. I am 76 and also live alone, but I have three kids, who check on me often, and are just as bothered as I am. I have heart issues and can’t do a great deal of continuous yard work. I plan to have my lawn crew mow down the strip of encroachment, pull down the vines coming from her yard, hack back the bush the vines are coming from, and possibly, build a short wall on our shared border. However, my worry is the tree. It is the only tree I have that shades my house on that side.

— Growing Problem

Dear Growing >> Being a good neighbor involves awareness of one’s own impact. It seems your neighbor struggles with that.

Porcelain Berry is an invasive species that is very hard to control once established, so your proactivity is a good idea. Some states even have specific pages dedicated to controlling and removing the vine. You may want to search your state’s Department of Agriculture website for help.

Talk to your lawn crew about your specific concerns regarding the tree and see if this is something they can handle. Per Trees Atlanta, an organization dedicated to planting, conserving and educating the public about trees, one method for removing Porcelain Berry is to unwind them carefully from the branches and trunk, with gloves and clippers. Once the vine is unwound, they recommend cutting the vine at the base, which will kill the vines that are beyond reach. They recommend not trying to pull down vines that are above you. If this is beyond the lawn crew’s skill set, you’ll want to reach out to an arborist or another skilled professional who can tackle the problem.

Try writing your neighbor a note letting her know about the wall and the other landscaping plans. It seems likely that talking won’t get you anywhere, based on past experiences, but at least a note potentially staves off a confrontation on the day of. Also, you may want to ask one of your kids to be on-site that day to help support you.

Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at eric@askingeric.com