Bad luck or thieves?

I've had a hellebore growing beneath the Daphne for some years now. I got it from my mother, and it was fairly small to begin with but had grown into a nice, little plant. One January day I thought something looked funny around that area. It was, because the plant wasn't there. Not a single trace of it. I dug a bit into the ground, expecting to see some slimy left-overs, but nothing. These have evergreen leaves and deer don't eat them. We might have plant thieves in the area. Well, no use crying over spilt milk, but I was fairly annoyed, I tell you.

This morning something else caught my eye. Near some Meconopsis I spotted shiny, green leaves, and even something small and white. A baby! A small hellebore baby from the vanished hellebore. It had managed to self seed. The baby is probably three to four years old, and I really hadn't noticed it growing there at all.



When telling my mother about the lost hellebore, she told me she suspected somebody had helped themselves to other plants of mine. Some hostas were suddenly smaller than they ought to be, a trillium had vanished, stuff like that. And here I was, thinking that I just had put the poor things in the wrong place. We know my mother has had plant thieves visiting. They disappeared with more than half of her "Molly the Witch" paeonia, and what was left of it died. Little pieces of plants have vanished from here and there over the years, but that paeonia was the last straw. We're installing a surveillance camera this spring.

 

My friend in Missouri is a BIG daylily fan/collector. She planted a very unusual strain around her mailbox at the end of her very long driveway. One day she went to get the mail and they were all gone!
Funny how the next house down suddenly had them in their front garden......

 

Wrennie, that's plain stupid, putting the stolen plants on display like that. I like to share my plants, but only when they've grown big enough. Most gardeners can wait a year or two for a small piece of a slow-growing beauty.

 

Back in 1998 my husband mom and cousin all three had cancer and we lived in a trangle all neighbors.My cousin had a wonderful boganvilla plant that was climbing her porch railing.Her hospital bed was by the rail and plant she watched it growing daily She was was so excited over its beatiful blooms going up it and down the rail. She was going to get chemo treatments
often .One of our neighbors (lived about a mile from us)walked through her yard why we didn't know until the long runner dissapeared from her rail while she was gone foe treatments.We could see it on her side porch on a trellis when driving by.Then it was gone as I think it didn't take root.
This woman knew all 3 people were dying and knew my cousin could only view a few of her wonderful plants from her window but I feel sure she cut it and stole it.I'm glad something grew back for you.I'm glad your getting security for your yard.

 

Glendann, that's plain thoughtless. Shame on the woman, I'm glad the plant didn't root for her.

Theft annoys me no end. My disappeared plant is at least both common and easily replaced, since my mother still has hers and mine self-seeded. One of my garden friends lost a lovely Dicentra peregrina and a rare trillium she was about to plant in her garden. They only nipped down to the shop for ten minutes, and when they came back both plants were gone. I know she's managed to replace the Dicentra this year, but she's searched all over before finding it in England.

 

This seems to be happening more often these days. Probably because of the higher cost of plants. I'm an addict when it comes to collecting unusual plants, and have been known to spend more than I should for a rare peony or daylily. So far I've been lucky, though, and my only thieves have been of the 4-legged variety (chipmunks, rabbits...). It's really a shame, as most of us gardeners are willing to share anyway...all they have to do is ask.

 

Same here, kaseylib, we tend to spend more money than we ought to on something special. We bought Hosta "June" years back, and I divided it last year and gave some away to garden friends who had asked. My mother's got a deer problem, but so far we've been lucky.

I think those stealing the really special plants don't know what they're doing. If caught, they can't say they bought it at a chain store, because they won't find them there. I've also got problems understanding how they can enjoy their stolen goodies.

 

It just goes to show that there are some really bad people out there! Our next door neighbor, a little old Japanese lady about 83 had the most beautiful blue spruce tree growing in her yard. Last December someone came and cut it out of her yard!! Believe it or not. They left the trunk up about 2 feet, did a horrible job of cutting it down. Guess they couldn't afford a Christmas tree so they stole Hisaki's. Jerks!
Deanna
:-D

 

Geeeez,,, i'm sorry to hear about all your losses in plants. I don't really have that many flowers, just veggies, but even still like everyone has said here, all they have to do is ask. I would be more than happy to share. I alway have more than i really need anyways..

Droopy i sure hope you catch the thieves. And honestly i think the best punishment would be embarressment, expecially if a someone who lives near by. if you find out who did it, put a sign out that says so!!

 

I share all time I have cuttings rooted right now for people who have ask me.I love to share.When I cut back before I left for Heather I potted lots of cutting and most all rooted.Its a shame people have to steal.Nothing worse then digging someones prize plants.Yes they are expensive and I can not afford so many I wont but I wouldn't ever steal one from anyone.

 

What, stealing a Christmas tree? Now, how can people live with that?

I've got fairly vigilant neighbours and they work shifts, so anybody pinching anything from us really runs a risk. My mother's garden is more secluded, which is why we're installing that camera. There's a lot of paperwork involved, but we'll do that too. Then she can report the plant thieves to the police and show photos for evidence. I think having police knocking on the door is humiliating enough for most people.

Eileen, too funny!

I can't buy everything I want either, but I'd never steal from other people's gardens. We've got the occasional trade day through the local Gardening Society but I'm a bit wary of participating in case more people get funny ideas. I swap with people I already know.

 

I've had Hosta's stolen from a roadside garden. Most of them were common and easily replaced except for the Hosta Plantaginea which I have never seen in a green house here. After replacing the stolen Hosta's (not the Plantaginea) can you believe they got stolen AGAIN?!!
Some people have a lot of nerve!!

 

Do you think it was the same people? My neighbour reported visitors standing outside the hedge with leaflets from the garden center, trying to figure out which hostas to buy. Only thing is, they won't find many of them in the centers around here.

 

Absolutely infuriating, Droopy.
I am always dismayed by such things.
I hope that you can siscover the culprets and expose them to the community.
Shame on them!