Sorry to hear, hopefully they can fill in the spaces with the left plants and everything will look wonderful for them. Unfortunatly it doesn't suprise me. I lived in east Charlotte most of my adult life and things were getting worse and worse. That is one of the many reasons I now reside in a small town in SC. It's really sad, Charlotte is a beautiful city, but no neighborhood is immune to the crime wave they have going on now. The last house I owned in Charlotte was over off Margret Wallace Road in a beautiful family neighborhood. Someone stole a car and drove it thru my front yard! People in my old neighborhood couldn't leave their garages open during the day on weekends while working in the yard, several of my neighbors got ripped off that way. And gangs were tagging the street signs in the neighborhood directly behind mine. That was 4 years ago and I'm glad to be out!!

I volunteer at a public garden, and we have thefts every now and then, including the plants signs! Sometimes they take annuals, which doesn't make sense to me, and this spring we found our Hexystylis missing in two areas. This tells me the people who took these knew something about plants since Hexystylis are not your average looking plants. Oh, and this past winter they took the gate to a chain anchor fence!

Some people just have no conscience. I live in Cabarrus County between Davidson and Concord. There is a housing development down the street from me. A few years ago they had 2 Japanese Maple trees stolen from the landscaped area at the entrance to the development. They developers replaced the trees, the replacements are still there.

Japanese Maples are a prime target for plantkleptos. I often suspect the landscape crew that installs them, replenishing their stock for the next unsuspecting customer.
The reason for my suspicion, is that they often disappear the same night after they are installed.
Plant thefts are very common in my area. I have lost dozens of them, often right under my nose. I once took three potted plants to a newly prepared bed in my front yard and had to go inside to make a phone call, when I returned a few minutes later, 2 were gone and the third was sitting in the middle of the lawn, either dropped in their hurry or couldn't manage to carry but two. No sign of the crook.
I have had them rip up dozens of plants that had been in the ground for months, but just starting to bloom.
Once we left to go to a nearby Clinic for a routine test and upon returning, found that someone had stolen 2 large Banana trees fron the middle of our back yard, that were planted in large decorative pots. Yes they took the pots too!
The last item taken, recently, was one of my bird baths, that weighed about 200 lbs. Feel sorry for the birds and other wildlife that used it, because it will not be replaced. I'm tired of providing plants and garden decor for people that are just plain criminal and have no conscience.
Rb

I had a similar situation happen back home.
A beautiful hibiscus in a large pot,I had
painted a Japanese symbol on the pot for
identification,It went missing one night
the next day while out for a walk I saw
it sitting on a porch of this elderly women
and commented on what a lovely plant she
had she replied that her grandson had given
it to her for mother's day.I simply said that
was a nice thing for her grandson to have given
her and told her to enjoy her lovely plant.
I could Identified the plant by my mark
but it meant so much to her.
Sometimes missing plants may bring joy
but I do still feel this is wrong and not
so many end up on Grandma's porch.

When I lived in San Francisco, I did gardening part-time. Several of my clients had areas in front of the building that I planteed and cared for. I quickly learned not to plant anything out of the ordinary there because they would disappear. Even pansies would be stolen at times!

Here, I planted a row of various evergreens (mostly 1-gal. and mostly arbs) along the road to give a block to car headlights at night. At the time, there was no fence between the small ditch and my property. I came out one Jan. 1, to find that over half the small trees had been taken overnight. I replaced them with 15-gal. hollies (which I got at a very good price), figuring that they wouldn't be as easily stolen. And there is now a fence along the road!

A couple of years ago, over on the 'Landscaping Forum' here on Garden Web there was a long thread about plant thefts. It was amazing the stories that were told. They included some planting techniques to discourage theives. A sad day.

I had a large newly purchased 3 ft tall blueberry plant sitting behind my house right next to the house were no one could see it unless you walked back there. It was sitting in a bucket of water waiting for me to get time to plant it. All of a sudden it was gone and the bucket too.

Years ago someone went up the street my mother lives on and stole every potted plant. They took pot and all. It was really a shame since most folks coddled those plants like babies.

My house was on the market a few years back. I moved before the house sold. A beautiful variegated Japanese maple was dug from in front of the house. The roots were under the driveway which is why I left it. Even at 4 ft tall it was well rooted. It made me sick. They also lifted all the bricks in my sundial patio in back. Talk about nerve..what about the time and labor!!! Determined--I'd say so!!!

{{gwi:563653}}

Well, I now see that this type of crime is more widespread than I could have ever imagined! I think that the most irksome part is that it doesn't seem to be your average street criminal who does this sort of thing. It seems like its people who should know better and that is just shameful!

Makes you want to get a big dog...

LOL, I had a 156 pound male Rottweiler when I lived in the city. I honestly think he is the only thing that saved my butt in a lot of situations. Unfortunatly, my boy died from old age before we moved out here where he could enjoy being a dog with room to run and play. Seriously, crime is way out of hand when people steal the plants out of your yard!!! I had no idea it had got so bad!!!

Another reason why I live in a gated community.
Only thing I ever had stolen from my other house was the big goldfish and carp out of my pond. Wasn't owls and raccoons that time because all the water plants had been pulled out so the thief could net the fish.
I was angry but not as angry as I would have been to have my gardens disturbed.

I'm sure we all have heard stories about people who have had their dogs taken from their fenced yards.

Just a good reminder that we all teach our children to respect other people's property.

I have a friend who lives in Nashville. Someone was stealing whole rose bushes from her. She actually caught the thief in the act thanks to her dog. She and dog set out in hot pursuit of a thief running down the street trying to hang onto a rose bush. Then the whole neighborhood joined in the chase. His car was parked a couple of blocks away, he was specifically targeting her because she had many, many rose bushes.