Two legged pests stealing blooms

Two new irises that i had never seen before bloomed. Sadly, I still did not get to see them. They were wisked away be the 2-legged variety of garden pest, leaving only the cut stems. Last summer I had a difficult knee surgery that kept me out of the garden. When my irises arrived I endured considerable pain to get them planted. I know there are much bigger problems in the world, but I am frustrated to realize that now I will have to wait another year to see (and photograph) the blooms I worked so hard for. : (

Does anyone have any ideas for dealing with this variety of garden pest? I'm thinking about a sign. Any ideas on how to make one that is legible, reletively inexpensive, and sufficiently inconspicuous to get past HOA?

I have many, many plants and lots of flowers. I suspect that non-gardeners may look at them and think that I will not miss a few. But, as you guys know, each is unique, and I know them all as individuals and I do miss them. And I think it is rude for passersby to think that it is ok for them to steal the flowers. Afterall, if they want flowers, they are free to grow their own. Ok, enough wining. But I know that you "guys" will understand.

Thanks,

Sheryl

Here in Georgia, if someone steals a flower from a public place they can (and do) get arrested. How about a sign telling the visitors not to touch because the plants have all been sprayed with poison ivy oil?

Well Sheryl, I feel your frustration. As someone that has had a problem with "2 legged THIEVES" taking my WHOLE plants, I can tell you that a sign does not mean a thing to a person that would steal. I suggest you do what I did and set a video camera up in a window and find out who it is. Once you know who it is, you can address them directly.
If you have already seen a pattern, time of day-wise, then you only need to run it then. I always saw the empty holes in the morning, so I ran my camera at night. Imagine my surprise when I watched the tape & saw my paperlady crouching down and digging through my beds. Needless to say she changed careers.

Wow!

You guys are great, supportive, AND funny.

pins2006, you had me LOL for real. AND it's an interesting idea to boot!

pudgyMudpies, good idea. I think I know who it is, but don't want to say anything because I could be wrong. Well a video cam would settle it once and for all! I can only imagine how shocked you must have been to see your paper lady stealing plants. You probably never guessed it was her. That's a hilarious story (although I'm sure it was not so funny at the time.) I might even do a web cam so I can watch from work!!! Cool idea.

Wow these are great and unique ideas. I was thinking ordinary stuff. But you guys have super ideas!

Thanks a lot. I feel better already because (1) I don't feel alone and (2) with these great ideas I don't feel so powerless.

Thanks,

Sheryl

My cousin lives in Nashville and there is someone that comes thru the neighborhood and just cuts stuff in half and leaves it lying there. Trees, flowers, vines, doesn't matter what it is, they cut it. Everyone has tried to catch them but no one has been able to yet.
I hope you find out who it is, I know it is frustrating.

There is a sprinkler that works when something crosses it (it has a sensor) and when something crosses the sensor, it shoots out a stream of water...it works for all animals, two legged or not...from my experience, it is highly effective on UPS men (I was not counting on getting him) he used to cut across my yard...but, not anymore!

Wow, Calalily, that sounds aweful. At least my garden pests leave the plant unharmed. Yours sound like kids with too much time on their hands. Mine left a clean cut where they removed the blooms only, so it was pretty clear they were making a bouquet.

BTW, this is not my 1st encounter with this variety of garden foe. When I 1st moved into my new home I was happy to see that I had acquired a dwarf Southern Magnolia - the one with the dark green-black leaves and white flowers. I was eager to get some photos of those beauties. For 2 years my tree did not bloom. Then 1 day while I was working outside my neighbor casually mentioned that SHE had given the other neighbor (A FLORIST) permission to take cuttings from my tree! Turns out the FLORIST was cutting off all the new branches for greenery in her arrangements. In the process, she was also removing the potential blooms; hence the tree never bloomed! Now that I have straightened this out, it blooms quite reliably!

melvatoo, what a great idea! lol about that ups guy. I have one of those "scarecrows". I use it at night on the other side of the house for deer. That is an awesome idea! BTW, one morning I forgot to turn it off and it "hit" me in the back of the head with a stream of cold water. Even though I KNOW it's there, it freaked me out. I can only imagine how the ups guy must have felt.

Thanks for the great idea.

Sheryl

I've had this problem as well. It fills me with Grrrrrr.

My suggestion: a very nice sign that says something to the effect of, "Like what you see? Please knock on my door. Chances are, I'll probably give you whatever it is you're thinking of stealing. Remember, stealing is against the law. Asking nicely is not."

I'm with you. Had a neighbor said, "I love this, can I cut some for an arrangement?" I'd probably give away that and more. (Right now, my neighbors are trying to become gardeners. About every other day, they run across the street with a plant in their hand and ask me to ID it for them. It's so cute!) But if you trespass and steal, you should be prepared to see me run screaming out of the house, like a banshee, in your general direction. If you're on foot, I will catch you and snatch whatever you took right back, out of your hands.

I live on the same street as an elementary school, so sometimes the kiddies get sticky fingers on their walks home. If I ever happen to be home during the day, and happen to witness the theivery, I will follow the kid home and bang on the door to rat 'em out to its mother. It surprises me what kids will take out of someone's yard. You'd think they have no interest in a potted plant, but they probably want to smash the pot and trash stuff. I could see kids stealing blooms to bring mommy a bouquet and that's sort of hard to get mad about... hence my suggestion for a nice sign. (I may also walk down to the school and complain to the principal some day, although I'd probably have to do it every September...)

If you have a Homeowner's Association, how about bringing this issue to their attention? Some HOA's have regular meetings or a newsletter where it could be brought up. It's a long shot, but you might hit a nerve somewhere if it's someone in the neighborhood.

I don't have an HOA, but maybe some others here do -- good suggestion.

nathalyn, HOA is a good idea. I hadn't thought of that, but if I contact them, they will probably add a polite but firm reminder to the next HOA news bulletin that they send out.

These are ALL great ideas!

The day that I started the thread, I knew it was a small problem in the big scheme of things but I felt powerless. Short of confronting someone who might not even be the culprit or posting a sign, I could not think of a solution. But you guys have been incredibly supportive (as I knew you would) and have provided a plethera of great ideas that I would never have considered.

THIS IS A FABULOUS PLACE!!!

Sheryl

Sheryl, here is a pic of the only Iris I have blooming, maybe it will help until you can see your own... dang those flower pickers.... ;)


Viv

Oh, Viv, THANK YOU! What a nice gesture. And such a lovely picture.
I'm over the trauma of finding my fledgling irises decapitated now. Thanks for sharing your iris blooms. : )

Sheryl

A heartfelt thanks to all who wrote in to express their support and never said, "get over it". I wish now that I could retitle this thread "Getting Perspective". In retrospect, I think that I may have started this thread on a day when I was, say, a bit hormonally challenged. (Has anyone seen the Exorcist? lol) Last Sunday, on Mother's Day, as I was dabbling in the garden, a very nice lady next door called to me over the garden gate. She had brought me a covered plate from their Mother's Day dinner. How very thoughtful! Oh, and yes, she had borrowed a few flowers. Seems I had offered her some the week before (I was going to pick them), so she didn't think I'd mind. Oh, the humility! That day I got perspective and realized that caring friends are irreplaceable; irises will bloom again.

Again, thanks to all who listened and sympathized.

Sheryl

My picture isn't Iris, but it is flowers...and I can sure relate to the hormone thing...there are days when I am sure I resemble Linda Blair! The other day my DH was explaining something to me on the computer, and I started crying, and he looked at me in shock, and asked me, what was wrong? I was unable to answer, as I don't know, where to start...maybe being 51, is a good start to answering the question. I am glad the mystery of the missing Iris is solved, and very glad that it wasn't some miscreant stealing flowers. A lot of mine are planted in the front, and I keep waiting to have some taken..so far I think people have just looked and not picked.

This message was edited May 11, 2005 11:36 AM

Sheryl, I am so glad you found out who took them! I personally think the not knowing part is the worst. And that it turned out to not be an act of theft is even better! :~)
And the hormonal part, hey, we are all in that together.
Melva, your flowers are lovely, I really enjoy the pics you post.

I can sooo relate to this! A few weeks ago someone stole an entire pot of petunias off my front porch. Thing is, I have 2 much nicer urns right near the street that they left untouched. The cannas and diachondra weren't "up" yet so I guess it wasn't as appealing. They actually took one of my cheap plastic made to look like terra cotta long skinny planters with a bunch of run of the mill petunias. I even have nice ceramic and REAL pottery type pots that they left. I was still livid. The fact that they came all the way up onto my porch was quite brazen too.

Then the following weekend I saw a sign, like a yard sale sign, but it said "Plants For Sale: Container and Hanging Baskets." I was in a huge hurry so I couldn't drive down to see what it was all about but it made me wonder. I mean it would make sense why they stole the one they stole- it was the only one with mature blooming plants at the time! That is apparently a common practice around here. So people suggesting that I use a Dremmel when possible and a permanent marker when I can't (like with plastic) and put my name INSIDE the pot below the soil line. Then if I see my stuff somewhere I can dig out the dirt and ID it for the cops. One of my neighbors did that at the Farmer's Market near downtown. They told this guy selling plants and pots that a few of the pots he had were theirs and they wanted their stuff back, after showing him how they had engraved their address inside the pot. They called 911 from their cell phone and waited. The guy tried to pack up at warp speed but the cops got there in time. He was charged with receiving/selling stolen goods.

Our neighborhood association also purchased a video camera "nanny cam" type thing like y'all discussed. If someone is robbed, they set up the camera after replacing the plants. Odds are, the thiefs will return and you catch 'em on tape. One couple in our neighborhod witnessed a man in a pickup driving down the street and loading up on pots. Nice. The husband chased him down but the guy jumped in the truck and took off. Jerk!!! I have used Liquid Nails to secure all my big planters now, and I took wire and twisted it all around my hanging baskets. It isn't 100% fool proof but if it takes too long the thought is they will just move on to an easier target. These are all suggestions I got from others in my neighborhood when I was robbed.

Now the part about picking flowers or digging up plants is a bit more difficult. I LOVE the "scarecrow" idea! I would have never thought of those to deter humans but I bet it would work!

Anyway, glad you solved the mystery of the stolen iris. Did you kindly ask her to let you cut the flowers from now on and that some are more unusual than others? I mean cutting roses off a plant that blooms all season or a hydrangea bloom off a plant that is a continuous bloomer is one thing. But when you get A SINGLE bloom out of something once a year like an iris, that just isn't cool to cut!

Jamie

Oh my goodness, Jamie, you have been through some stuff. Wow. I can't imagine having to engrave flower pots. ... and Liquid Nails, that is funny ... and smart. The more of these stories I hear the luckier I feel.

I can't believe folks are selling your plants. Unbelievable. That must be very frustrating. I haven't heard of that around here ... yet. But, then, as I mentioned above, a florist who lives near me cut all of the lower branches off my magnolia because they looked nice in her arrangements. So as branches will NEVER grow back, the only flowers on my tree are at the top where I can't reach them; meanwhile lots of people have paid (exhorbitant prices, no less) for arrangements containing parts from my tree!

From all of the stories here it almost seems like the 2 legged garden foes may be the worst! But then again, I don't have any pots in my front yard anymore because the deer walked right up on the porch and ate the hibiscus in the pot by my front door! Thankfully, most of my private garden is in the backyard behind a privacy fence where it is relatively safe from most of the 2 legged AND 4 legged foes.

Yes, I picked her a large bouquet while we talked, and I explained that I'm happy to share some flowers with her but would like to pick them myself because some things only bloom once per year, and I would like an opportunity to see them, too. Once I realized what happened, I could see that it really was an innocent mistake. A few day earlier she had admired an iris in the front yard, and I had offered to cut it for her...just a misunderstanding, I think. Anyhow, as I mentioned most of them are in the back yard where I have a cottage garden effect with dense planting and winding paths. She will not step foot in there ever; she is terrified of snakes.

Keep those pots nailed down. Maybe you should put something super heavy in the bottom - boulder, sand, cement, water resevoir. You could still move them with a hand truck, but it would be hard to grab them and run. : )
Sheryl

Sheryl

That florist that stole the flowers and greenery knew better. She is from the neighborhood and knew it wasn't that neighbor's to give away! She should have at least offered you another tree as a replacement. I can see snitching couple cuttings/slips, lilacs, or something that proliferates, but tree branches??? She's lucky you didn't press charges, with the neighbor as a co-conspirator! ~ Suzi :)