I certainly don't hate you, GP. I frankly can't imagine sneaking around at night and nipping anyone's shrubs. Personally, if I want a cutting, I will ask permission. And if that doesn't work, I'll buy the plant. And that's how I would want my neighbors to treat me. I'll gladly give cuttings, but please don't steal them. That's just not right. And if I found my shrubs being seriously nipped, I'd probably invest in a camera myself! Of course, that's only MY opinion, as always.

Marcia

I'm with you Girl! Ask, and you'll receive or go and spend your hard earned money!
Your son doesn't live in Vero does he?
My dad was a sheriff deputy long ago there. That's my home town!

GP~ I am so glad you brought the topic up. I cringed each and every time I have heard of the night time nipping at plants. I agree with Ma! I would ask. My neighbor had a beautiful clump of black stemmed elephant ears distroyed by a night intruder. It is very unnerving to say the least to think someone could be so bold. It has been about two years and the plants are just now filling in again. Most plant people are so willing to share. If you want something just put the word out, you'll find it!
Kat

I'm becoming more and more attracted to remote cameras. There are lots of choices, and they are affordable. There is NO reason to steal, most people will gladly give you cuttings if just asked politely.

I've been asked for Palmetto/Areca seeds, by strangers, and I have no problem sharing them.

Are these people climbing fences? Or are the thefts in an open area?

It is legal to shoot trespassers. I'd rather not, so I'm depending on my Beware-of-Dog-signs, 7 Mastiffs , locked gate, secure fence, and my birds who scream if anyone is in the driveway. My dogs are indoors most of the time - they listen to the birds too, to get fired up! I'm not willing to risk my dogs, to A-holes who care nothing about what belongs to me, so I'll bring out "my little friend"...

Funny how the sound of a shotgun getting "Locked and Loaded" is so effective! Birdshot won't kill anyone, but it will make them sorry they were here!

Plant-loving folks are welcomed here, to visit and get free plants, but not after dark, uninvited.

At that point, your behind is mine.

BTW, I've never, ever brought out the shotgun. The signs, fences, big dogs have worked well, so far. But my area is a favorite of theives, since most houses cannot be seen from the roads, and nearly everyone works during the day.

But I refuse to be a victim. I think letting people harm you, or steal from you is not an option.

Ladies, keep your car doors locked at all times and get Pepper spray-learn how to use it.

And, a Mastiff is not only a great protector, they are terrific snuggle-sweeties too!

Lisa

I have no problem knocking on someone's door and asking for a seed or a cutting, but I wouldn't steal it and wouldn't want it done to me. If they were to say no, I'd accept their answer and say thanks for your time. But I haven't been told no yet and everyone's been very friendly. And I usually try to bring them something in return for their kindness. :o)

I sure agree with you GP. I don't want anyone taking anything out of my yard without my permission--lemons, cuttings. We have motion detection lights which may discourage roaming although I did find a beer can in a remote corner of my yard.
For those who like cuttings, we have horticultural waste day and it's amazing what cuttings people put out. I don't feel there's any harm in taking something I think I can root-or palm seeds. I'm sure the trash collectors appreciate my lightening their load a bit
Barb

No my son is in Fellsmere a tad smaller that Vero but growing quickly. Our deputies have always done a great job responding in Vero.
I agree with the rest that gardens are for sharing but NOT taking. In fact my neighbors have such pathetic gardens Id probably help them plant what I give them! I was even thinking of planting daylilies near the road so kids could pick them like I use to pick tiger lilies as a kid.
Guns while they have there place are often misused.
I think the law is only if they are breaking IN your home,I may be wrong but I do not think you will get off scott free if you shoot them for trespassing.

Ditto, ditto, ditto....... I find it hard to imagine the audacity some people have to think "it's okay" to just take snips of plants. Ask me and I'll hand you the clippers, steal from me will get you a serious problem.

Luckily the way my property lays out, I can easily keep plants out of view, if they worry me. My street side is lined with common Hibiscus.

If we had to stay next to our current neighbors I would check into a hidden camera! I don't trust them and it has nothing to do with plants either.

The new house is on a semi-busy corner and I'm planning on putting roses on the side. I think I'll put a small sign out that says: Smile, you're on candid camera! Or something something to that effect even if I don't have a camera. Somehow roses can be so tempting to pluck!

I would never just take cuttings from someone's garden. But I love it when folks ask about a plant, or ask me for cuttings. I'm usually too shy to ask anyone for cuttings, unless it's someone I know.

Now, a city planter downtown who's overgrown coleus needs to be pinched for bushier growth... I figure I'm doing the city a service. :) And I do it in broad daylight - I'm not ashamed. I sort of paid for them with my tax dollars, right? At least at the rate my property taxes went up... ouch.

The law has changed - they don't have to be in your home anymore before you can defend yourself. But I don't think a person trespassing deserves to be shot. Unless of course, they're trespassing, they have a gun, they're wearing a ski mask, and they don't leave when you tell them to, even when you tell them you have a gun.

A few years ago, psycho neighbor's teenage son and his buddies used to be a real nuisance at all hours of the night. It almost drove me to get security cameras. They'd have a good time getting drunk and stoned, then theyd remove all the flowers and buds from my roses near the sidewalk. I yelled at him and his girlfriend when I caught them in the act. I mocked him - telling him he must feel like a real big man for beating a flower. It worked - they left my garden alone after that. Kids these days... geez, I'm an old fart.

Ha! There's a little girl right now as I speak picking flowers near the sidewalk! She's cute. I WAS that little girl. Except I picked the flowers, then sold them back to the neighbors. I can't believe they didn't get mad at me for it! I had no idea it was wrong. Actually, it was my friend's idea to sell them back. I just remember the neighbors giving us a nickel and smiling a lot at us. Crazy. Of course, when my mom found out, she put a stop to my flower picking ways! I cringe about that. Geez, kids those days! ;-)

I'm glad the camera worked well for your son. Once the news gets out, he shouldn't have too much trouble on his street.

Anyway, I agree, gardens are for sharing, not taking. I like that. Us gardeners seem to be very generous. All a person has to do is ask.

Arghh! My pet peeve for today. I have/had a beautiful pink plummie up at the Stuart house. I was working up there today and I noticed that someone wanted some so they tore two huge chuncks off. Both on the left side. No snippers just a nasty wound for me to look at. I was furious! I would have given cuttings to anyone.

The good news is that we were up there putting in fence posts. Maybe the sign that says trespassers will be shot and survivors will be shot again will deter the thieves in the future. Whoever did that convinced me to take the fence all the way to the dock and across it. I was really pissed off. I took pictures to show you guys but I left the camera up there.

This is what it used to look like.

Every time I passed a particular house, I drooled over their big patch of coral canna. Finally, I got up the nerve to knock on their door to ask if they would let me have a start. I was even willing to pay for it. They weren't home, so I left a note and my phone number. Two days later, I got a call from the owner of the coral canna. He was willing to give me lots of starts. No pay. I told him I would be there the next day. I showed up with a wreath I'd made and went home with a lot of canna. I noticed the other week that the wreath is still on their front door.
OTH - the sound of ANY gun being cocked is enough to freeze my blood. Only the criminally stupid would ignore it!
cora

I stress again...this is the south. Trust me, if you sneek onto any of my extended family's properties at night, a candid photo will be the least of your worries.

Stepping onto another person's land should be done directly, straitforwardly, and respectfully. Anything else is rude and might be looked upon sternly.

I will admit that I've snagged seed heads from public property areas and I've dug up some plants (clumps of crinum lilies, some daylilies, and crocosmia) from an old abandoned home site but I've never taken plants, cuttings, or seeds from somebody's yard. The abandoned home site didn't even have any buildings left on it, is completely overgrown, and is in the path of future road expansions and huge housing developements. In that situation I feel that I'm saving the plants from being destroyed. I tried to contact the land owners but didn't have much luck.

The times that I've seen a plant in someone's yard that I really liked and either couldn't identify or find one to buy I've gone up to the house to ask about it. Most times people are more then happy to tell me about the plant. Of course, it usually takes me driving past the house at least 5 or 6 times over the coarse of several days for me to get up the courage to actually go up to the house.

I'm lucky that my neighborhood is pretty safe and everyone knows everyone and is fairly nice. We did have trouble with a group of teens a few years ago that were causing damage to peoples property. They threw pineapples at mine and my dad's cars (dented my side door and broke his windshield) and took baseball bats to the lights on the police car parked up the street. But the ring leaders have since moved away.

There is a big difference in snagging a seed head from a plant in a public area and taking actual cuttings (or breaking off bits) of plants from a private yard, under cover of darkness. I think your approach sounds just right, Karalynn.

Marcia

Boy, that's a pretty plumeria, Joanm. It was such a perfect shape, too. Jerks.

I remember you telling me about the pineapple assassins, KaraLynn. That's expensive ammunition! Did you guys ever press charges? I hope you were at least able to get the parents to pay for the damage.

Nicki
(who's already bought her night vision goggles so she can sneak over to joanm's house and steal huge hunks of her plumeria. mwaaa ha ha!)

Nicki, although everyone in the neighborhood knew who the vandals were, we didn't have any proof. I don't think they got in trouble for even the damage to the police car. I'm just glad they're gone. And yes that was some pretty expensive ammo they used!

Too funny... when I first read the title of this post, I thought it was going to be about going outside late at night to "nip back" neighbors' trees and stuff that come across the property line (not theft)!

A few years ago while I was at work someone pulled up in a white truck, entered my back yard and removed three orange bougeavillia (sp?). I called the police and they made up a report - nothing ever came of it. They were hugh plants and the thief must have been really scratched up when he was done. My neighbors saw him but thought I had hired someone to remove the plants.