That's unbelievable! Are you in a big city or small town. And the nerve to ask for a flower and then want to dig up the lone plant.

I agree! What nerve!

I wonder if she knows what happened to your other freesia?

I haven't had plants stolen that I am aware of but someone took my cow skull out of the cactus garden.

I'm in San Antonio, so a big city. And she did know that the other freesias were missing because she pointed and said "you had some over there and now they're gone. I really wanted one of those." I can't say if she was responsible for their disappearance, since why go to all the trouble to knock on the door and ask, but then again her story kept changing as to what she wanted and why. What bothered me the most was the Bougainville, since it wasn't visible from the street. That disappearance meant someone was snooping around the house. PKponder, I sympathize. I've had some garden ornaments grow legs and walk off as well. It always makes you wonder why someone would stoop so low.

Sorry this has happened to you.

Wow that is very scary stuff. If they will come into your yard with a shovel and dig up the plants what else would they be willing to do? My neighbor did have their new bikes stolen from the back porch which is not visible at all from the street, it's behind tall wooden fences, lots of trees. I can't even see their porch from my yard. They also went through a chest on the porch and stole the tools from it. The next street over his garden shed was broken into and everything of value taken including his rototiller. They are getting so brazen!

I have cameras up all over and signs telling them they are on camera. So far we have not been hit. Some one tried to come in our driveway door one morning around 6 am. My husband was sitting at the computer directly in front of the door, it's a glass door, he saw the guy but the guy could not see him. My husband jumped up, the guy saw him, froze, then took off running. He had a truck running at the curb. My husband took off chasing him. Which was a really dumb move he could have been shot. Police came out and my husband gave an excellent description of him and his truck and part of the license plate number. They caught him a few streets over trying another house. That's when I installed the cameras and security. I love being able to watch my house from anywhere I travel to by using my phone or tablet. I hope it deters them.

texaskittysa, Terrible to lose plants that way, but amazing the patience and grace you showed a seemingly tactless/clueless visitor... wow... you're obviously making our world a better place.

Meanwhile, those of us who have yet to outgrow a vindictive streak can watch the potted plant thief face-plant video recently posted by a Houston station and fantasize your thief may have had similar fortune unloading. :-)

You are very kind, Bostedo. Thank you:). The video was quite funny. Especially the second face plant!

Texaskitty, I'm also sorry that your plants 'walked off'. The only plants I've lost have been to four and six legged creatures, not two legged. I did come home once to a boot print on the front door!

Hopefully, the "instant karma' shown in the video is the best thing that ever happened to the plant thief. How embarresssing to be 'caught' like that. You know that her friends and family will be able to ID her. It's probably cured her and deterred others that might have considered night time 'shopping' in their neighbor's yards.

Makes one feel like putting up fake security cameras , if not real ones, along with a sign that the home is protected.

I do have real ones but I did put up the signs at each door and some windows that they were on camera. I think it sure can't hurt.

I was out of town and the telephone repair man was at my house. He needed to get inside so he called my cell. I got my neighbor to go let him in the house. I was watching the entire time on my tablet so I saw both of them. After he was done and I was talking to him I said yes I see you, he stopped looked around told my neighbor and he was looking around. He said well I see the signs but don't see any cameras. So I said do something right now and I will tell you what you are doing. So he waved then tapped his head, I told him. He said oh well I guess you saw me use your step ladder lol yes I did. Pretty cool to be able to do that.

Potted plants get stolen around here from time to time. Recently I head that cacti were being dug up from nearby commercial property. I think that maybe we find it surprising because we think of "people who appreciate plants" and "people who steal things" as non intersecting groups.

Kitty - That young woman whom asked about your freesias sounded a little off.. I'm sorry about your plants.

Talking about destroying plants makes me remember when I was six or seven years old and walking to school (as we did in those days) a little friend and I went into someone's yard, happily picked all the flowers we could, ran to school, and proudly gave them to our teacher. In my mind I've apologized to the yard owner many times since then hoping that she forgives me. And also to the lady who grew roses on the corner. We'd pick her roses, put the curved petal in a circle made by our forefinger and thumb, and slap our open hand on them making them pop loudly -- laughing as we went.

Oh well, we live and learn -- one way or another. Hopefully it's by being educated by a kind gardner and not by falling down while being recorded by someone's security camera, but if that's what it takes -- so be it.

Ragna, I always knew there was a naughty girl in you. gloriously joyfully naughty.

How awful. I haven't had any plants stolen, but someone tried to get the toolbox out of the pickup one time. It was loaded with chains dh had picked up somewhere and they gave up. lol

I had a friend who came home from church one Easter morning to find every one of her daffodils had been cut. I guess someone wanted a nice bouquet for Easter. I thought of that as I looked at my daffodils the other day.

ravencajun, how do you have your cameras mounted so they can't be seen? Ours are very obvious, IMO and I'd like to have one by the front door that wasn't so in your face.

Thanks, Gardenspice. She did seem a little off. At first she wanted the plant for herself, then told me it was a gift for someone's office. I explained that it wasn't a proper plant for the office and would just die from lack of sufficient sunlight. That seemed to mystify her as to why it would need sun. I told her I couldn't let her dig it up just to kill it. She kept asking why not? Very disturbing.

Roselee, loved your story of childhood misdeeds. If it was just children, one can understand. Kids see something pretty or fun and simply want it. I had one lady stop one Sunday with her two little girls to ask about my passion vine. I gave her some rooted plants and picked a couple of the flowers for the girls. The look on their faces was priceless. You would have thought I had given them the moon.

Mara ... dang! I thought I was keeping that well hidden. All I can say is 'it takes one to know one' ... :-)))))

Texaskitty, nothing beats the innocent gratefulness of children.

Oh, yes, an ongoing problem if you garden. I caught the guy down the street, his excuse "they were just growing there", someone stole all the plants out of the pots in the alley, they had been there 5 or more years, pulled up pansies the other day, it never ends. People are thieves. We have locks on the gates and dogs.

I lived in a "not very good neighborhood" at one time and had house plants outside on the back porch. I noticed one day several were missing, one was a nice size Philodendron. I want to say it was around Mothers Day. Probably some neighborhood kid trying to get his mom a gift. Hope she loved them.

I once lived in a rented house in a humble part of town.
There were 2 big plastic "terra cotta" planters on either side of the sidewalk.
I was still pondering what I could put in them when they were stolen.

& within the past couple of years, I've had a garden cherub & a Loch Ness monster taken from the yard/garden.

the person who took 2 hanging baskets of ferns from the carport was so rough with them that pieces of fronds broke off leaving a trail. They were heavy, and he probably dragged them. It led toward the house of a neighbor whose problem son had moved in with her. We did nothing for her sake. Maybe he got a dollar each

for them to finance his habit.

Hi Texas Kitty. What an experience ! The bogie had to be hard to steal because of the thorns. Hope it got them in all the right places! Saw you post on our swap thread, but haven't seen you again... are you still interested in joining us ? We'd love to have you !

patty

I'm so sorry. It's hard to believe people can be so inconsiderate. My long-time neighbors, who see me knocking myself out to take care of my yard and garden beds (while they have a hired lawn service), regularly let their dog walk over and pee on my plants - while we are both outside. They don't try to stop the dog or even really move a muscle... and then they usually make a joke about it. I am so bothered by it, but say nothing because it is not worth it to have a strained relationship. People can be amazingly selfish.

Keep your water hose close by & squirt the dog.

I doubt they'll say a word.

& then spray down the dog pee to dilute it.

Posted by texaskittysa:
What bothered me the most was the Bougainville, since it wasn't visible
from the street. That disappearance meant someone was snooping around
the house.

Now that would have totally freaked me out!

What's really disturbing is the attitude of some of these people, as if they don't understand that what they're doing is wrong. Such a sad shame, since most gardeners are naturally generous folks that would be happy to share if asked.

It's sad to see that this is not just something I've experienced, but some kind of widespread problem. Like the OP, I too am in San Antonio. I've had flowers picked and then thrown into the street, people openly allowing their dogs to relieve themselves on plants, and strangest of all, parents allowing their children to just meander through my (rather dangerously thorny, cacti-and-rose filled) garden as though it is a public park, and not someone's private property. The thefts are what really bother me though. I went out one evening and when I returned, I found that the top of my beautiful large blooming plumeria had been cleanly sliced off and removed. It was located up near my garage, next to the front walk, so whoever had done this had to walk up my driveway in complete view of all my neighbors and had to have been carrying quite a large knife or saw to do it as the trunk was quite thick. I've also had small items stolen like my little solar gnome, which I've since replaced, and now keep in the backyard. I also caught a door-to-door solicitor one time trying to steal my running shoes of all things (I had left them outside the front door upon returning home from a muddy run). I watched him through the peephole as he actually sat down on my porch, took off his own shoe, picked up mine, and began to try it on! When I opened the door and asked him what he wanted, he just put the shoe down, said nothing about it, and while putting his own shoe back on, proceeded to try to sell to me whatever it was he was peddling! It just boggles the mind that certain people think they are entitled to take whatever they want - or whatever they can get away with. It's gotten to the point that I don't want to keep anything decorative or showy in the front yard or at the front door anymore for fear of losing it. I am really eager to get some cameras installed so I can catch any future thieves in the act.

My parents went out of town last month and while they were gone, someone dug up one of my mom's amaryllis in the back yard (which is fenced in.) It's sad because if they'd simply asked, my mom would have given them pots of stuff (she's always trying to send more things my way, lol.)

I had a potted topiary stolen off the porch before; it was a beautiful arrangement, with the greenery trained in the shape of a heart and tea roses in the center. It is definitely upsetting!

Shan, so sorry that happened to you and your mom :-/ Some plant thieves are very brazen to go into a fenced yard and onto a porch to dig and carry things off.

The closest thing to a plant thief I've experienced was when a dapper young man who was probably selling something rang my door bell. I didn't answer, but peeped through the blinds. When I didn't answered he looked around, picked a red rose from the Don Juan bush growing by the front porch, stuck it in his lapel and pranced off. It was kinda' cute and I didn't mind, but wished him success as he went and smile whenever I think about it ... :-)