Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
The First Sunflowers of Summer
Did you plant any for Guerilla Gardening International Sunflower Day? Some are beginning to show their lovely heads. Looking forward to the display in Pemberton Road, some are poking their heads up from the Nursery garden too.
Sadly though, there are weird people who vandalise the flowers. Pemberton Road gardeners have already lost one sunflower head and someone pulled a whole flowering mini sunflower out of the Warham Community Garden. Not sure there's much we can do about such selfishness and it may mean that some of us decide not to plant them in public spaces in the future which is a shame as they are so much fun but let's enjoy them and maybe share any snaps of them
Tags for Forum Posts: garden theft, guerilla gardening, plant theft, sunflowers
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Liz on
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I've toyed with the idea of notices but the West Hampstead street gardener (linked to above) suggests that they don't have much effect. I'm sure the thief is well aware that the plants are not 'free'.
I reckon it is about 'outgardening' thieves and vandals. I've been taking advice from the nursery gardeners who have created a robust garden able to deal with small children and I'm sure head gardener, Maggie will have some ideas too. We need to start planning now. Interestingly its mainly one planter that bears the brunt of the vandalism and theft, so we may need to get down to the level of individual plans for each of the containers e.g. not putting big daffs in the one that was stripped of them last Spring but sticking to miniatures and cornflowers that were left alone
I would happily accept an official plaque that made it clear that we are a community gardening project but the person who might have helped me with that has lost their job in the cuts.
If you have any ideas about who might be interested in supporting 'official street gardening' in the council, I'd be happy to contact them. I know Seymour Road gardeners would be interested too.
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Permalink Reply by Annette Albert on
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What a beautiful plant. I must admit I have given up with my local community garden as stuff was disappearing but I have, along with a friend, guerilla gardened large tubs outside a local estate and no one has touched them. I think the residents think I come from the local authority hee hee. Anyway don't give up
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Permalink Reply by David Solomon on
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Hi Liz,
Yes, we too are enjoying ours sunflowers, but even in our back garden we have had problems in previous years with squirrels who will eat through the stem and carry off the head whole in order to eat the seeds at their leisure. Not trying to defend people who quite possibly do do weird things like this out of pure selfishness, just wodered if the thieves might actually have had 4 legs and grey fur....(if the head wasn't approaching maturity, this is less likely as it's the seeds the squirrels are after.) In any case, keep up the good work, don't be too discouraged by squirrels/people and happy gardening!
David
PS this year it's rather the snails who are getting my goat. Almost complete failure of dwarf bean crop thanks to their depredations on seedlings...
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No its people. You usually find the heads a bit further away when they've got tired of them and left them somewhere. Squirrels are unlikely to risk being out in the street. Also the ripping out of plants by the roots tends to make me think the thieves are not simply vandalising, as vandals normally just leave the plants on the floor.
I conducted a snail massacre in Mattison in the rain when I realised that it was they who were responsible for munching through the stems of the sunflowers we planted there and a few have survived. I hate snails :)
As I said its a common problem, people see things in the street as free and that includes flowers in beds. We've only been at this less than a year and we're learning. I just feel bad if the plants are ones people donated. We grew lots of things from seed like nasturtiums and we've used stuff from gardens but when someone buys something nice for everyone to enjoy it's sad that someone else steals it just for themselves.
Keep 'em peeled people and if you see the flowernappers let me know!
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OK, so my faith in squirrels is somewhat restored, pity about my fellow humans...
I
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Permalink Reply by Alix on
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Ahh they're beautiful - hope everyone involved is very proud of bringing some sunshine to our streets.
They're also a little reproach to me that I didn't get my act together and throw some seed bombs on the desperate strip of ground opposite the mosque on wightman at the top of Hampden Road. Anyone want to join up for poppy seed action next spring...?
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Permalink Reply by tigha on
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actually I caught young kids pulling up plants in my front garden a few weeks ago, boy did I move and chase them down the road and confront them and yelled at them that i would report them to the police next time, I suspect it is young kids doing it for a bet
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Permalink Reply by Alison P on
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Yes, and I have just the seeds for it - this amazingly weird frilly popply that has taken over part of my garden this year. I'll have lots of seeds, so if anyone wants some please let me know.
They look like this ..
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Not a solution, but might be worth thinking about some of the spikier plants, many of which like dry conditions - something like this Eryngium? That might put off some people..
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It's pretty, I like it. Anyone got any? Apparently, you can split plants in March.
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I'm trying some this year, will try splitting next year if it survives my front garden!
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