Theft in the garden

Discussion in 'Conversations Forum' started by joecat, Apr 26, 2008.

  1. maggiec

    maggiec Active Member 10 Years

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    Hi joecat
    I'm in New Westminster too, and a couple of years ago, someone yanked out a small daphne odora that was in bloom. I strolled out in the morning to see nothing but a hole so they must have taken it in the wee hours. A trail of dirt led to the curb so they likely took it in a car. Crazy, isn't it? I guess the fragrance drifted out too far! I was so-o mad, but I too a cutting (my first try) from another more mature bush and the cutting took! I saw that as a gift from above, haha.
    I thought I would not put nice fragrant plants in the front anymore, but couldn't resist, and last fall planted a daphne transatlantica in the same spot. Living on the edge...
     
  2. nic

    nic Active Member 10 Years

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    I've just looked up your hosta, Joecat, what a pretty thing! That makes it all the worse, losing a new treasure, like that. I haaven't seen these baby hostas before, and am very interested, all mine are huge and lovely, but I can think of places and groupings that would be good.
    Why can't they steal the bindweed, that's pretty, too!
     
  3. DGuertin

    DGuertin Active Member 10 Years

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    My policy is to propagate and divide as neccesary, desired, or able, plant only what you expect to lose, enjoy it while it lasts, and padlock the back gate...

    This is neither truly fun, nor easy. I have over 200 potted plants in the back garden, and 5 total planted in the front... Yesterday I repotted 14 out the back. The front of the house looks quite mundane and pedestrian; a bald cypress, two common swords ferns, and two holly ferns. Quite lacking in appeal, if I do say so myself.

    Get through the locked gate, which means removing it from the hinges or breaking the bolts from the lock while somehow removing 2" of steel from the adjacent post, and you're home free in the jungle. Pull all of that off while being immediately outside of my bedroom window, and you still wouldn't be able to get it all out in one truck load unless it was a Semi... Oh, and I sleep very lightly and keep a broadsword by the bed... ;-)
     
  4. lorax

    lorax Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    Joecat - I actually ended up with something far more wicked as my final fence... there was wild lemon pepper (Xyloxanthum spp) growing on my back 40, so I interplanted that between the Euphorbias. If you've never encountered this stuff, it's got wicked, slightly barbed, recurved thorns about the size of kitten claws all over the stems, and it runs like a liana. It grew into my big tirucalli and made this impenetrable hedge of doooom.

    I talked to one of the guys who tried to go through it, who I found still stuck in the hedge in the morning. He was not a happy camper by any stretch of the imagination.... He said that he'd rather face a dozen rabid dogs than try to cross that fence again.
     
  5. Michael F

    Michael F Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    WOW!!!
     
  6. Liz

    Liz Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    If I had anything worth nicking in the garden they would have to get through my three dogs first. Nobody will come through my gate I even leave the backdoor open sometimes... I have them for the business but they mind the rest as well including all the paddock area and neighbouring properties. The good thing is these dogs will not take food unless from me. This is something they seem to have in their genes along with a lot of other useful traits such as holding an intruder in a corner with a low menacing grumble, or will not let them out of the car.

    Liz
     
  7. Debby

    Debby Active Member 10 Years

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    We had a fir sapling whacked by a (no doubt juvenile) passerby. Broke off the leader. We felt hurt ourselves. Fortunately we knew that we could train a side branch to be the new leader. Duct tape to the rescue. The fir is fine and tall, with one leader.

    We used to get a kick out of watching passers by on the back lane try to pick the flowers of perennial sweet peas growing on our fence. They had to yank and tug, to little avail. The things aren't even fragrant; better left on the vine.

    "Sidewalk interest" is something gardening magazines talk about, but they don't talk about how to foil folks who are a little too interested.

    When I buy a new plant, I try to get as many portions out of it as possible, so that idea of planting in several places for insurance is a good one; works for perennials anyway.

    This has been a very entertaining forum to read. We share the pain! And the urge to retaliate. Now ask me about dog owners who neglect to pick up...
     
  8. lorax

    lorax Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    I had a tea tree die the same way at the hands of the soccer hooligans. I was so upset! I feel your pain, Debby....

    As far as "sidewalk interest" it tempts me to plant spurges like Devil's Tongues and Redbird out for the thieving public. Very pretty, very contact-irritating. You can make a very attractive front garden using just plants that will harm the people who would steal them - I especially like the spurges for this, but there's also Oleander for people you really hate, and stuff like Cat's claws or Xyloxanthum which are quite spiney in inventive ways and have very pretty flowers to boot....
     
  9. Debby

    Debby Active Member 10 Years

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    We planted berberis juliae (?) as a hedge between front yards to keep the kids next door from including our property in their playing area. But we got poked by the thorns as much as if not more than they did!
     
  10. et2007

    et2007 Active Member

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    I'm having a lots of problem with people not picking up after their dog, i have lots of fragrant tropical plants in pots out in my front port that i can't enjoy because of the mix fragrant of flowers & dog... I guess they stopped to enjoy the my plants and their way of thank you...
     
  11. Michael F

    Michael F Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    If you know who is emptying their dog on your garden, follow them home, and post the offending stuff through their letterbox.
     
  12. lorax

    lorax Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    Or, conversely, if you've got a dog you can take it to their house and empty it into their flowerbeds.
     
  13. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    As with deer it always comes down to denying access with effective fencing. Can't eat it, take it, break it or crap on it if they can't get at it.
     
  14. lorax

    lorax Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    Which brings us back around to why I lurve Euphorbias.

    Although the mindeers still get in somehow, and munch on my hibiscus. Gnrrr.
     
  15. that dee girl

    that dee girl Member

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    When I was in New West, someone tried to dig out a tree I had beside the driveway. Shovel marks all around it, the tree was half wrested out of the ground, but the roots just wouldn't let go. I hope they really worked at it & got really po'd :) (tree survived it's indignity BTW)
     
  16. et2007

    et2007 Active Member

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    Very tempting...
     
  17. LPN

    LPN Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    I heard of people using a couple of long re-bar spikes, driven diagonally through the root ball after planting. This would make it very difficult to steal a newly planted tree or shrub.
     
  18. Francis Eric

    Francis Eric Member

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    Location:
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    a couple years ago
    I had a grape cutting stolen for the pot made out of a milk jug. HA HA HA.
    all the others died before it was taken,
    after my nieces pulled them up twice trying to help.
    I asked the person that took it At least they told the truth.
    I have thought about booby traping maybe not harmful, but a warning.
    The idea I had was One of those string fire crackers
    you pull with the explosives in the middle of the string.
    The idea was originaly for rabits,
    but I think adding gun powder will give alittle more flash, and make a statment.
     
  19. edleigh7

    edleigh7 Well-Known Member

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    Sounds like fun!!!
     
  20. growing4it

    growing4it Active Member 10 Years

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    I've experience plant theft too - of unlabelled plants such as red-twig dogwood and echinacea. I stopped trying to establish these plants in my lane wildlife garden.

    However, some dog owner leaves 'gifts' for my garden. I haven't figured out how to get the owner to pick up. I may have seen him walk his large dog while working out but didn't catch him 'red-handed'.
     
  21. et2007

    et2007 Active Member

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    Please share your idea when you figured out, i would like to be able to enjoy my fragrant flowers without the unwanted 'gifts' smelt. I wonder if those dog owner think of it as fertilizer?
     
  22. sweetpea66

    sweetpea66 Member

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    After reading all this, I wonder if the rose I planted this spring in memory of my grandma will still be there for me to see it Bloom. I planted it right in front of my house right beside the sidewalk. I guess I only have myself to blame it it goes missing.
     
  23. lorax

    lorax Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    I actually had luck using shame as a tool in Canada to recover stolen plants. I made up little signs that said "Why did you steal my plants? If you had asked I would have given you a cutting." and planted them in the theft holes. 4/5 of the plants came back with really sheepish people. One came back in the middle of the night and whoever brought it back wrote "Sorry" on the back of the sign in sharpie.
     
  24. sweetpea66

    sweetpea66 Member

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    I think that goes to show that most people are decent and most people really don't think about their actions until it is pointed out to them and will do the right thing if given the chance to rectify their actions.
     
  25. et2007

    et2007 Active Member

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    sweetpea66,
    Maybe you make a sign like lorax "in memory of my grandma" in front of your rose and see if anyone still have nerb to steal that rose.
     

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