Horticultural theft...Archdale Road

[Trine Adams]

Hi all

This is mainly a warning to others to reconsider leaving plants outside the front of your house. Overnight a sad individual has stolen my much appreciated Wisteria and large pot. Very disappointing that someone should take it...I can only hope that they liked it as much as my family...the kids are currently creating 'Have you seen?' posters; it's keeping them occupied.

If anyone is offered a black market Wisteria the please PM me.

Thanks for reading

Katrina

[Sue]

Very very sorry to hear this.

Sadly, if you are able to replace it, you may need to consider chaining the pot down in some way, or otherwise find a way of making it very hard to steal.

Some time back there was a spate of window box theft in ED. The police said that the thieves had gone round the neighbourhood with a van. It was just before Mother's Day. My three were taken in broad daylight :(

It's hard to believe that people would stoop so low as to take somebody's plants.

[Trine Adams]

Thanks Sue; it did cross my mind that someone may have eyed it up for a gift. I find it hard to believe that someone would take it for their own garden as I'd like think if they wanted one for themselves then they would respect appreciation of plants...if that makes sense.

I think that if we replace it then which ever plant I choose will have to go in the ground.

[Sue]

Many moons ago I had to dig up all the (small) shrubs I had in my front garden and resort to having plants in pots because my insurance company claimed that the shrubs had contributed to differential movement of the bay/rest of the house, so be careful if you are planting anything in the ground near to the house :(

[cookie]

A friend's box plant in very large pot was stolen from their front garden in Whateley Rd this weekend too. Definitely chain your pots down.

[Freddy1929]

How sad....someone stealing plants. Many years ago when living over the boarder in Catford, I had some beautiful pots outside my front door, they were just at their best, and they disappeared overnight. I did report it to the Police but their attitude was what did I expect? But I had had the pots outside for years, I was by a Bus Stop and I always imagined people waiting at the Bus Stop were admiring my creations (My fingers are not very green - as my house plants will testify!)The pots were very heavy, so god knows how they moved them!

Since moving to the rarefied area of ED, I have thought about putting pots outside the front again, but haven't got round to it.

Sad world we live in sometimes......

[Penguin68]

Plants at the fronts of houses (pace the thread about overhanging bushes) are often a delight to the passer-by; my walks are enhanced by what my neighbours have done. It is better if they can be planted directly in the ground, if there is room to do so; the toe-rags who steal plants are less likely to want to go to the bother of digging them up. Plants with thorns or prickles are also a discouragement (roses, mahonia, holly,etc.) It would be lovely to be able to rotate potted plants to enjoy the season/ aspect in the front garden, but sadly you have identified the problem in doing this. If you have room, a raised bed (there are a series of concrete raised beds close to me, painted white) will allow plants to benefit from their height and appear commanding, even when relatively diminutive. But often the space in front of houses is limited and the planting conditions (directly into soil, if there is any) poor, so plants in pots are the only option - or not when there are thieves about. Sorry for your loss.

[Whittler]

I think it's safe to assume that people are being quite organised and are stealing the potted plants to sell them on....probably at boot fairs... As Sue mentions above, it's happened in and around the area before at this time of the year, just as the weather warms up and the boot sale season begins. If you have plants in pots outside the front of your house, as others have said, chain 'em down. A trip to a garden centre will tell you just how much well established plants and nice pots are worth, so it's not a surprise that some thieves see it as easy money. I agree, it's very sad.

[Mustard]

A friend had her metal and wooden bench taken from her front garden.

[Sue]

Freddy1929 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> How sad....someone stealing plants. Many years ago

> when living over the boarder in Catford, I had

> some beautiful pots outside my front door, they

> were just at their best, and they disappeared

> overnight. I did report it to the Police but their

> attitude was what did I expect?

xxxxxxx

That's a pretty poor response from the police. They were great when I reported the theft of my windowboxes.

They might perceive it as fairly minor crime in the great scheme of things, but surely if there's a pattern they would want to keep an eye out for the culprits? If people think they can get away with thieving, then they will continue (and may go on to bigger things :( )

I think it would be a terrible shame if everybody stopped having plants at the front of their houses. One of my great pleasures is watching the seasonal changes in people's front gardens as I walk down the street.

Otherwise we'd have a neighbourhood just full of those (expletive deleted) bright blue bins :( :( :(

[marigolds]

Not always in pots?..I had some plants dug up from my front garden last year. They were nothing special so I was amazed to see the holes in the ground one morning. Digging up people's plants overnight - just low !!

Doing some planting at the moment. Hopefully they'll survive someone's passing fancy.

[Sue]

marigolds Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Not always in pots?..I had some plants dug up from

> my front garden last year. They were nothing

> special so I was amazed to see the holes in the

> ground one morning. Digging up people's plants

> overnight - just low !!

xxxxxx

Could have been foxes, they dig up plants in my back garden sometimes?

[marigolds]

Sadly Sue there were shoe prints in the flower bed and muddy footprints on the path. Can't put this one down to the foxes.

[Sue]

That's awful :(

[nunheadmum]

Sorry to hear that Katrina. Rather glad my pots look pretty pathetic!! Having come from somewhere that you couldn't dare put anything decent in your garden, I've always been delighted at how we could leave nice things out around here. Pity some sods have to spoil it!!

[Bluelagoon]

Someone once stole an olive tree from out the front of ours, just yanked out of the pot. Really annoying as we're given it as a gift.