a LARGE dog. this same thing happens around here, and the only people who don't have this problem all have big dogs.

last year they even stole some shrubs and ornamentals in the concrete planters downtown. not just the plants, but planters and all!

I had the same type of small shrub taken from an island bed twice--the original and its replacement. When I replaced it again, I wrapped and locked a small chain around the base, buried the chain under mulch and locked the chain to a tree in the island. The shrub is still in the ground, but of course, I will need to adjust the chain periodically. I also set up a motion-detecting wildlife camera. The camera won't be of much use at night b/c the flash doesn't travel far enough, but I'm hoping that it will serve as a deterent since it is in plain sight.

I noticed yesterday that someone came to the top of my driveway to help him/herself to one of my garbage cans. I haven't yet figured out a way to prevent this from occurring again without investing in a camera system.

If you don't want to get a dog, get two large water bowls, and a couple of 'Beware of Dog' signs to put on the fence.

Motion detector lights, hooked up to the doorbell ought to work... You would know when someone came into the yard and the lights should scare them off.

We also had 2 garbage cans stolen, one was full of stinky garbage--& no personal info. So I used spray paint and have our address numbers on our cans and the recycle bin. its easy to know which one is ours, when in a windstorm they all blow into the ditch.

We have a similar problem only we get ripped off at our local cemetery! How depraved is that! An antique Victorian cast iron urn that had been at our family plot a hundred years was stolen and our plot was right on the main road, in plain sight. And since the cemetery closes at dusk it had to have been done during the day. We also had a cement bench taken from another plot. These are heavy items! When I replace them I will definitely look into having them bolted down somehow.

My son used a night web cam to catch illegal happenings on his street.The faces showed up so well they sent 5 people in jail. If you dont actually use one maybe a sign that says surveillance camera in use. If they knew how well you could see on those things they would think twice.

My local church installed a TV camera in front of some reliogios statues after the church was broken into. It shocks me what thieves will do. I recently found out a stolen credit card can be re-sold for only $6. Guess crime really does not pay. I would not risk jail for $6!!!

Buy metal garbage cans, attach jumpers and a truck battery, place on rubber matt. Think....bug light. :D

Beyond revenge fantasies I think the night web cam is the way to go. Maybe get one of those dog tracking chips and put it on one of the plants?

Plant posinus plants right next to you favorite non posinus so when they come back they will get whats coming to them I recomend angels trumpet its a very posinus plant but looks harmless.

Electric cattle fencing is relativly cheap and would be VERY effective @ thwarting this type of crime.

I'm joking of course, in the world we live in today, if someone gets electricuted (just painful, not really dangerous) while trying to steal your stuff they could probably sue you and win money.

I notice this is an old thread but I was wondering if you ever solved this problem? I live in a rural area & have never had a problem with people digging stuff up out of my yard. Maybe I just don't have anything people want? LOL! I go to old homesites & dig up plants that are being choked out with tree seedlings & weeds, but I always make sure there's no posted signs or places that haven't been vacant for years. Most places are where houses once stood but are gone now. It almost breaks my heart to see some plant someone planted being choked out by trees or weeds. Anyway, I liked the 'Beware of Dog' sign. I have also seen a sign (on a fenced-in yard so may not work for your situation) with the outline of a dog with the words 'We can run 10 mph. Can you?' or something similar. Or, what about making a sign that says something like "This garden & these plants are in memory of our loved ones. Please, if you would like a piece, ask at the house & if possible, a cutting will be given." Maybe people wouldn't take if they knew it was in memory of someone? Well, guess if that was the case, the graveyard robbers wouldn't have stolen from the cemetary.

My father got tired of a kid smashing his mailbox - suspected someone but no proof since it was at night/early morning when everyone was in bed. So, he sunk the pole the mailbox was on into an iron pipe. Mixed cement around the pole & inside the pipe, then poured cement around the outside of the pipe, 3 or 4 feet deep, spray painted the pipe hunter orange. The boy tried again only this time it didn't hurt the mailbox but his car needed work. I am thinking something like that buried into the ground with chains on the legs would work for benches & things like that.

It amazes me what people will steal. Thieves were taking anything they could carry away so we put up a No Tresspassing sign and locked up the gates. Then someone took the No Tresspassing sign !

K.

I would expect a No Trespassing sigh to attract attention.

Where I grew up the old timers had a saw "Locks help to keep the honest honest." I think this is a fairly good description of what happens in real life now too.

Motion deter lights are usally enough or shile a light directly on the problem area and keep an inside light on so they think someone is awake also a sign "Prenmises protected by shot gun "

If you uses a camera and show the footage to the police around where I live, I doubt they would take your seriously. I saw someone smashing a public art work with a car, and got a photo of it. The San Francisco police did not want to even take a report. They said it would be too much trouble and make paper work. They did not feel like dealing with it. I even had the license plate of the car in the photo. So, if it just a face, I am sure they would say, we can not bother with trying to match that face. Therefore, I don't see what good a camera can do if someone is diggin up your plants in front. It happened to me a lot, so now I only plant ugly and undesierable plants in front.