Someone stole my rose bushes

[Rob Tucker]

I think I will plant some more and place each one in a tangle of barbed wire. The roses will grow through the wire okay.

[Punaperson]

Very sorry about your loss - losing something of beauty because of someone else's greed cuts deeply.

I know that this most likely wouldn't have helped your situation with the loss of your rose bushes, but I'd like to share an old timer's tip that may help someone else ( such as the person who lost the row of podocarpus).

Back in the day when I had a landscaping business, a very nice couple bought 10 sealing wax palms ( 2 gal., 4-5' tall ) to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary, and planted them over a weekend just behind a rock wall they had built fronting their property. They came home after work several days later and all of the plants were gone, pulled out of the holes they had been planted in. The very next weekend, there were 10 sealing wax palms, the very same size, for sale at a yard sale in a neighborhood close by. The couple had no way to prove the plants were the ones that were stolen except for a receipt.

Skipping forward about a year, when the plants were replaced, we took a can of blue spray paint and painted 2 circular stripes around each replacement plant, one about 2 feet above ground level, and the second a little bit higher. The paint stripes did not harm the plant, and flaked off about 8-10 months later, when the root system had established itself and made pulling them up hard work instead of a quick hit-and-run opportunity. The plants are still there, beautiful and thriving.

The paint stripes made the plants distinctive and unsaleable ( sorry, not sure if that's a real word ). I used this striping idea for years - in various colors, depending on the preference of the person who had to look at it. It was used on both hedging palms ( sealing wax, arecas, Arengas, McArthur sp., Phoenix reclinata ), and individual palms( Bismarkia, Butias, Foxtails, etc., )

To my knowledge and the feedback from customers, this has not had harmful effects on the plants, and none have been stolen.

[lquade]

very good idea punaperson, i too have had plants stolen, seems they will steal anything here. They finally closed down a 'permanent' yard sale in nanawale, all stolen goods a few years back...

[knieft]

quote:

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Originally posted by glinda

I am sorry to hear about that Rob. For me theft is no less a crime than rape.

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Seriously? Care to elaborate?

Cheers,
Kirt

[leo]

I think I will plant some more and place each one in a tangle of barbed wire. The roses will grow through the wire okay.
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Decorative roses for your barbed wire Rob? []

I have a friend who owns a nursery in Waimanalo, Oahu and had problems with plant theft, especially sealing wax palms. Striping palms aren't an option in this situation. Punaperson I'm curious, do you know if local nurseries have similar problems with plant theft?

[DTisme]

Very sorry to hear, Rob. Not just the beauty gone, but all that work.

Years ago on the mainland, I had grown like 30' of day lillies along our fence. They were just about to open, and some kids came along after school and broke every single stalk. I'm betting they didn't even break their stride.

There is a special place in Hell for these people.

[Frankie Stapleton]

For shame! Sorry that happened, Rob! And my friend Lenny's work truck got stolen here in Nanawale. Souls of the perps in both instances should just wither and die...

[Punaperson]

" leo = I have a friend who owns a nursery in Waimanalo, Oahu, and had problems with plant theft, especially sealing wax palms. Striping palms aren't an option in this situation. Punaperson, I'm curious, do you know if local nurseries have similar problems with plant theft? "

It's been about a decade since the coqui infestation drove me out of the nursery business, and I'm more in casual contact with old friends than up on current industry problems/practices, but plant theft has always been an on-going problem. The huge amount of new home construction combined with people who have more money than patience seems to be the current driver in the market for stolen plant material.

I know several nursery owners who have gone high tech and combined cameras/lights with their smart phones to be aware of when any unauthorized person comes on their property after hours. I know several others who have gone basic low tech, and have fencing with large, loud, and fierce looking dogs. One has taken a page out of our military bases in Europe and has a flock of geese in a perimeter runway around his more valuable plant stock. It always depends on what is practical in your own situation.

As for your friend in Waimanalo, sealing wax palms are always at a premium. When I was down to my last large ( 20 gal pots ) matching pairs, instead of spray painting on the plant itself, I sprayed 'STOLEN' in large letters using International Orange on the pot itself, with " from 'my nursery's name' " in smaller letters below it. Perhaps your friend could tag his pots with the nursery name ? Thieves seems to take the easiest road, and if they have to repot everything they steal, they may find it to be not worth the hassle.

[Tink]

Sorry for the loss off your beautiful roses you took care of due to some desperate dumba**. Maybe try tagging with a metal dog collar type wired to the base, intermixed with the shoots next time? Wish there was a way to have plastic "toothpicks" with your info on them (what the heck, they can put that stuff on a grain of rice at the fair!) to spike between plant shoots to be able to later identify if stolen.
As far as nursery stock, beware of who is loading the vehicle and if they are "friends" with the customer! Also, paint your logo on the bottom of the container, as most will never notice until the pile is staring at the road with your logo dotting the pile.

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