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Missing plant
daznrach
Posts: 26
Hi everyone .im wondering if anyone can solve a problem .we recently planted a buddlea and have just noticed that the plant is no longer there .we have other plants in the beds but it's just that one what's missing . Are we looking at a plant thief or does anyone know of any garden visitor ie squirrel , badgers or birds that would take it ?.does anyone have experiences of plants going missing without explanation.
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Posts
Buddleia aren't particularly rare or valuable. I can't think Why anyone would want to steal it. But you know your neighbours best. It's certainly strange.
I had some hedging plants go missing when there were builders here..........
sadly it sounds like a human thief, I can't think of any reason for an animal to remove a buddleja. Even if there was good handful of fish, blood and bone to attract the foxes, I can't imagine they would take it far.
In the past we have had hedge plants stolen and memorably we lost a ton of pig manure one night.
The wheelbarrow marks led about twenty yards up the path. Then there was a clean square on the road where a trailer had been. Must have taken them ages.
Ironically, the muck came from the village pig farm who, if I remember rightly all those years ago would supply a farm trailer load for about two quid. So hardly worth the risk.
I have heard of gardens that open to the public not labelling their more prized specimens due to thefts.
Back in the 1980's the Crematorium garden in the Cemetery where I worked suffered some plant thefts [I'm afraid some people have that level of respect for folk's grief] so the staff carefully planted a bindweed with cane for it to twist around and fake label. It was duly stolen and we all hoped it thrived in it's new home; the thefts certainly stopped.
I have heard that some people steal the labels to remember the name of the plant!
Was it in your front garden, Daznrach? Stuff is definitely more likely to go from front gardens (I lost a pair of planters with dwarf conifers in years back, they were nothing special but someone took a liking to them).
Our next door neighbour had their motorbike nicked from the drive one year (thick frost/snow overnight). It was chained up and was dragged away, the drag marks in the snow lead him right to it the next morning (thief wasn't blessed in the brains department).
Oh, and I was told to not leave the tags on new plants as it highlights that they're newly planted so easier for thieves to pull up.
Covered in Bees: if you remove the tags off new plants, you might forget what they are.
Imagine stealing a lawn...unbelievable!