I’ve Lost Faith in My Neighbors
Ok, I still like my immediate neighbors, but there’s someone who walks down my SHORT alley that stole the most beautiful dahlia bloom, stepped on a bunch plants in the process and then destroyed my other Dahlia when they pulled it out of the ground and tossed it on the other plants. This very thing was happening in 2007 and I swore I’d never grow flowers (especially Dahlias) in the alley again. And here I am, four short years later thinking I can get away with tucking a couple Dahlias in the garden.
How can someone be so heartless?

Crazy Legs was pulled out of the garden and then tossed on the other plants to dry up -- metal stake and all.
Now, don’t judge me on how pathetic my garden looks. I just removed all the overgrown iris tubers and replaced with baby Carex comans ‘Bronco’ and dark ruffled Heuchera. I was going for something low maintenance and evergreen. It’ll look better next year.
Anyway, I posted something to my Facebook page just last week about the folks taking my Dahlia blooms (at the plant’s expense) and most suggested I put up a sign to deter the culprits. I think I’m going to do something even better… I’m going to use our motion “sprinkler.”
I’ll let you know how it goes. They may decide (after I spray them), to destroy the entire garden. That’s when I’ll add spiky, thorny, and violent plants that will destroy them if they try it again. This is war. I’m tired of being nice.
Maybe I should start collecting names of nasty plants hardy to zone 7. Know any? I’d like it if they were pretty too.
Is that a motion-sensor activated sprinkler? :-)
How about Rosa rugosa? It has vicious thorns, wonderfully fragrant flowers and rosehips enjoyed by birds. There are named cultivars available, as well as the species.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_rugosa
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Have you visited Loree at Danger Garden? She might have some “spiky” suggestions. I think you were majorly ripped off and I’m pissed.
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I don’t know about humans some times.
Last week, someone broke into my friend’s yard, and sprayed insecticide onto her beehive. I tell the story over at my blog.
http://howsrobb.blogspot.com/2011/08/trespassing-and-killing.html
and also
http://howsrobb.blogspot.com/2011/08/bee-massacre.html
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I think you should start a cactus garden there, or just happen to mix in some stinging nettle plants.
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I wish I could say I was surprised, but I’ve had large, heavy pots full of succulents stolen from me. If the sprinkler doesn’t work, I like the idea of planting something thorny in your alley.
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Try putting in datura, as they have spiky pods, although they may find out they can be used as a drug .
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Last September I planted two raspberry plants that came from my backyard into the front yard of my daughter’s house. A few weeks later she noticed something was wrong/different… someone had dug the plants up, filled in the holes, and placed two sticks where the raspberry plants had been, to try to hide the crime. I suppose that’s nicer than flaunting the act… maybe the perp replanted the plants in his/her own yard.
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