The great lavender theft mystery

Sorry to hear about the loss of your plants, Kate.
Sadly, I have experienced this all too often. When I lived in a big city, my hanging baskets were stolen, and some days later found -just thrown away! Obviously the plants had died.
Expensive Shrubs that I planted in my garden were also dug up and removed. This happened several times! Eventually, I just left fairly common ground cover plants in the garden, and these were left alone. So sad that some people just want to cause distress to others by thieving!

This is funny but not so at the same time.
Several years ago my friend bought two very large gnomes,they were just for fun, they were bright coloured plastic and had big smiles on there faces. Most people passing by smiled and chuldren loved them. She had them for a few years, then one morning she opened her front door and they were gone. She was quite upset, even though they weren't valuable they had become a feature in the neighbourhood. Two days later she had a postcard arrive through the post saying it was from the gnomes, they were bored with just standing there and had gone on a holiday. This was of course very funny and obviously a joke. For the following 6 months she received postcards from differant countries in Europe and USA. Each card telling her they were having a great time and saying what they had seen and done.
After 6 months one morning she opened her front door and the gnomes were standing there. She never ever found out who had done this, and she did think it was funny. We assumed the gnomes had been stored away in a garage or shed and the person responsible, could have been a student touring, and obviously lived nearby.

I wish someone would come along and dig up my lavender border at the front.
The plants were labelled Hidcote, a smallish bushy upright plant but they aren't - they are large and sprawling all over the path.

At least the bees like them.

Lillian was the story of her gnomes on local TV?
I heard about this years ago, so funny.

I was told by a relation a few Christmases ago someone went to the local cemetery and stole all the wreaths on the graves. The community wondered where they had gone and they popped up at a local car boot sale some with messages still attached a few days later!
Where I used to live if pots were put at the front of the houses a few bricks were put in before the compost then they could not be lifted away.

My garden has a double front wall, which I fill with bulbs and bedding plants each year. I also have numerous pots, including an enormous one containing a beautiful large acer. Passers-by often comment on how attractive it looks. I have lived here for 55 years. I hope I’m not tempting providence by saying that I have never had so much as a plant pulled out of the wall. I live in just an ordinary neighbourhood.
One of my wheels bins did disappear, a few years ago, after being put out ready for next morning’s collection. A teenager in a hoodie was on the cctv, towing it towards the lane which is a half mile walk to the next district. We searched, but didn’t even find the rather heavy garden waste contents, so he must have dragged the lot all the way home. Strange! Unlike a previous Gransnetter, who was charged £39, our Council replaced the bin free of charge.

Thieving barstewards, hope their ill gotten gains wither and die...along with their fingers

Yes, this is more than likely why they were stolen. Years ago, I had two large planters with privet bushes in. I had grown them so they were tall with a round ball at the top ......like they do with Bay trees. One morning I found the 2 platers were gone. I bet they were disappointed to find they weren't Bay Trees! It would have took 2 people to move just one. They had left the pot drip trays behind, so I turned them up on end and put a sign on saying 'Come on you thieving toe rags, do a proper job and take the trays'. They never did. I found out from neighbours that they had been targeted too. Years later, I was recounting this story to a friend and she told me that it was more than likely a lad who lived near me. He apparently did a carboot stall every Sunday and would sell his stolen wares. Oh, ......and I still have the drip trays!

Way to go!

In late 80s my dad spent £150 (I know!) On some small ornamental Conifer trees ,planted in a prepared bed at front of bungalow.next morning ,ALL gone! Trail if soil from bed across pavement to boot of thief's car? Recently a friend had some xpensive stone ornaments and urns without plants Nicked overnight. Usually end up in carboots on a Sunday! What do we do to avoid? Not a lot really .CCTV/chain them down/set in concrete/cover them in...no that's a non starter!/weigh them with stone in bottom? You choose?

My neighbor has hit on a solution maybe? She has the most fab falsies!! Plants I mean, in pots and hanging baskets.i never knew until I was chatting and told herof this post! They're absolutely beautiful, not cheap but stuck in pots and baskets, I'd asked her if she always planted yellow begonia and trailing ivy ??

Silvertwigs

I have shingle sand a screwed to the sill window box now but my cctv captured someone coming in for a peak the other day, gloves on and for the ready!!!

I was going to say unbelievable but it's not! Screwing down and cementing in place seems to be the one!

sunnybean60

When Milton Keynes was relatively new and new build houses would fresh turf laud out in the front garden many times the new house owner would wake up to see the turf had been rolled up and stolen in the middle of the night leaving bare soil!

Same happend to a neighbor who had perfect lawn! A huge square removed one Saturday night.he was fuming.now he has faux grass and resin set gravel! It does look really good though and no mowing.....

Bought 'in good faith' doesn't matter.if it was stolen-its stolen! Also if the costs was way below its value then no defence either! If friend has images and can prove she owned it, she'll be able to recover via police, reported stolen,? Found again and recovered.

My student son and mates removed a gnome(STOLE!) from a garden in 1999....jump forward to 2004 when I was clearing his walk in room.found a gnome?! Weird thinks me. Grilled now graduate DS and his squeeze, appalled at thei theft I yelled at him to take it back!! Which they duly did.but not before painting him up as a Rastafari complete with dress( copying said squeeze, now wife) and accompanying dess code. It STILL sits proudly in their garden in pride of place with all other gnome. But I still am curious that he Nicked it!

Gabrielle56

My student son and mates removed a gnome(STOLE!) from a garden in 1999....jump forward to 2004 when I was clearing his walk in room.found a gnome?! Weird thinks me. Grilled now graduate DS and his squeeze, appalled at thei theft I yelled at him to take it back!! Which they duly did.but not before painting him up as a Rastafari complete with dress( copying said squeeze, now wife) and accompanying dess code. It STILL sits proudly in their garden in pride of place with all other gnome. But I still am curious that he Nicked it!

#dredlocks!!! Not dress!!!! Why can't this dictionary recognise simple commonly used English terms and words!!!!!?

This is so depressing. What is wrong with people!!

i would never put plants by the front door ..back garden . or put some plastic lavender in next time ..