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I recently bought a home and have always enjoyed gardening so back in May I went out, got about 20 different perennials, and planted them all around the home. I was very happy with how everything was getting established and growing, and everything looked very nice. I only lost one plant because I think a cat peed on it because it literally went completely brown over night and died almost instantly.
Today I came home and I notice right away that one of my nicer perennials closer to the street was missing! (a large garden phlox that was having a massive second bloom and growth spurt) My heart sank... what happened! This plant was near a sidewalk so at first I thought maybe someone just accidentally hit it with a bike, or maybe someone pulled into our driveway and accidentally ran over it. But there was no trace of damaged flower around. No petals, no leaves, no roots left in the ground. Just a gigantic big hole that looked like literally someone came with a shovel and scooped it right out!
My wife and I are just so upset right now. Not only about the beautiful plant being gone but having that invasion of privacy feeling. Then I googled "someone stole my plant" and was shocked to see people having their plants stolen was actually really common. WHAT IN THE WORLD.... WHY WOULD YOU STEAL A PLANT! Especially one in the ground in mid summer that is most likely going to die being ripped up like that.
I just don't get it. We live in a rural quiet town (on a slightly busier street, but still a very small town) and never in my life have I heard of something like this. I'm praying that it was just an accident where someone damaged the flower then decided to remove it instead of leaving the damaged plant there, but there is no way to know for certain. Why not knock on the door or leave a note? And if someone stole it or if it was stupid kids being jerks, that makes me even sadder because what if they come back for more! I spent so many countless hours on this perennial garden this year (watering to get them established, fertilizing, deadheading and pruning, weeding nonstop) I would be heartbroken if another flower gets taken.
All and all, just posting to vent my extreme confusion and frustration with the situation. Almost tempted to install security cameras in case it does happen again. Anyone have this happen to them? Seriously, why would people steal a flower!
No, I've never had it happen, but it would seriously tick me off if it did. I love my plants. It's especially egregious since it was having a "massive second bloom and growth spurt". I would be livid.
BTW, are you sure it wasn't a ground hog, or a similar animal that ripped it out of the ground? Not that someone couldn't resist "rehoming" your plant to their yard.
I have had plants stolen from the garden closest to the sidewalk on several occasions. There's three reasons I know of why some people steal plants - they want it for theirself; they want it for a gift for somebody else; they will try to sell it.
The last two reasons I found out when (1) a very distinctive rose plant went missing, I saw it a week later in somebody else's garden and the lady working in the garden said it was a birthday gift given last week from her son and (2) a huge clump of Double-Decker blooming echinacea plants was stolen, it would have been at least a two person job to get the entire clump out of the ground intact. The next weekend I saw the same clump of echinaceas in a massive container being sold for $100 at a farmer's market, along with several other potted perennial plants that I have no doubt were stolen from other people too.
Three years ago I solved my problem. I put a sign up, prominently displayed enough that it can't me missed - it says "Enter carefully and be on guard for the mother SKUNK and her babies foraging in the garden. If you see them do not disturb them, back away slowly and you should be okay."
I did let the postman know that there wasn't really a skunk in the yard. I haven't had any plants stolen since then, nor any uninvited visitors, but I have had plenty of enquiries from strangers wanting to know about the skunk family. I tell them the skunk family lives in a burrow in my yard and are welcome because they are beneficial to my garden.
I have had plants stolen from the garden closest to the sidewalk on several occasions. There's three reasons I know of why some people steal plants - they want it for theirself; they want it for a gift for somebody else; they will try to sell it.
The last two reasons I found out when (1) a very distinctive rose plant went missing, I saw it a week later in somebody else's garden and the lady working in the garden said it was a birthday gift given last week from her son and (2) a huge clump of Double-Decker blooming echinacea plants was stolen, it would have been at least a two person job to get the entire clump out of the ground intact. The next weekend I saw the same clump of echinaceas in a massive container being sold for $100 at a farmer's market, along with several other potted perennial plants that I have no doubt were stolen from other people too.
Three years ago I solved my problem. I put a sign up, prominently displayed enough that it can't me missed - it says "Enter carefully and be on guard for the mother SKUNK and her babies foraging in the garden. If you see them do not disturb them, back away slowly and you should be okay."
I did let the postman know that there wasn't really a skunk in the yard. I haven't had any plants stolen since then, nor any uninvited visitors, but I have had plenty of enquiries from strangers wanting to know about the skunk family. I tell them the skunk family lives in a burrow in my yard and are welcome because they are beneficial to my garden.
I've seen younger kids rip entire plants out for the flowers, and they seem confused when you tell them they shouldn't do that because in their minds its no different than picking wildflowers. I can only imagine the conversation when someone doesn't intervene, and they come home with such. Parents: "Where did you get that...?"
We have a neighbor that feeds the neighborhood squirrels peanuts. At least once a week, my beds are dug up, and in the process of tidying them back up, I will find bits or entire peanut shells. When I first moved here and had to deep weed the beds because the current owner doesn't landscape at all, I had wondered what the old owner knew that I didn't that I kept finding all these peanuts, since apparently she was quite the gardener. If I ever find out what neighbor it is, I'm tempted to ask them if they'll stop by our place once a week to fix all the beds if they won't stop feeding the squirrels.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zoisite
{snip}Three years ago I solved my problem. I put a sign up, prominently displayed enough that it can't me missed - it says "Enter carefully and be on guard for the mother SKUNK and her babies foraging in the garden. If you see them do not disturb them, back away slowly and you should be okay."
I did let the postman know that there wasn't really a skunk in the yard. I haven't had any plants stolen since then, nor any uninvited visitors, but I have had plenty of enquiries from strangers wanting to know about the skunk family. I tell them the skunk family lives in a burrow in my yard and are welcome because they are beneficial to my garden. .
Pure genius.
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If I ever find out what neighbor it is, I'm tempted to ask them if they'll stop by our place once a week to fix all the beds if they won't stop feeding the squirrels.
