We were out of town for the weekend. When I returned home on Monday I found that someone had chopped off a bunch of my Sweet Potato Vine. This is how it looked a couple of weeks ago. "Blackie" with flowers ( photo / image / picture from cherylad's Garden ) And this is what it looks like now. "Blackie" chopped ( photo / image / picture from cherylad's Garden ) I was so heart-broken (and MAD)! Who would do such a thing!? I say it's a person and not an animal because each cut was very smooth and uniform looking, like done with scissors. Plus there was no evidence of the cuttings/leaves anywhere. I know the plant will survive and will come back and fill in. But in the meantime, I'm saddened each time I look at it. :'( I couldn't even take a photo of it for a couple of days. If it was done by and animal... oh well.. that's life. But if I ever find out it was a person... they'd better watch out!
Garden thieves seem to be a new society ill. If people only realized that gardeners love to share. Plus they could have gotten the information needed to make a cutting survive and flourish. Hopefully there will be more pretty sweet potato vines in the world because of your unwilling generosity.
What a shame! However, I do see new leaves coming out, so the vine has been set back, not killed. That is poor comfort, but all I can offer. We, too, were visited by plant thieves when we lived in town. We were in the middle of giving a garden tour at our home and I noticed a woman with a bulging purse which contained SIX of my 4" pots of newly rooted rose cuttings. I retrieved the pots, escorted her off the property, and told her if I ever saw her again I'd have a large addition to my compost pile! Put a sign on Blackie "Caution, highly poisonous plant, do not touch"!
Love the "caution sign" idea! But instead of just warding someone off from that one plant... maybe the sign should say "Caution! Gardener has sharp tools and is not afraid to use them!" :-D
That's terrible, it is easy to get those cuttings to root so there isn't even the satisfaction of them not having a plant for all their thievery I like the poisonous plant sign.
Why do people feel they have to do something like this? :-x If they only realised that we gardeners are usually more than happy to share if only they are asked. I hope your thief will stay away and leave your plants alone in future.
marlingardener - love your compost and sign idea Some gardeners havethe best sense of humor. Six pots in a purse...good grief. :-?
That is really unbelievable that someone would go to those means to get a plant! :-x I would just have a fit right out in my yard if someone stole my flowers! Hope it grows back quickly for you, it was so pretty, and will be again.
Oh you should have seen me stomping and cussing about. Neighbors came running to see what was wrong. Then I cried. And then cussed some more!
Yesterday at work I caught some thieves stealing veggies from the garden. They got away with some carrots, a few banana peppers, a few beets and some radish. I wonder it they would have left anything if they hadn't been caught...
I just don't get it. Why not just ask for something?? Chances are the person would be more than happy to share. Sheeesh!
