Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

Window boxes stolen

We woke up this morning to find someone had ripped out all the geraniums from our window boxes.

Feel upset about it. We always like to make an effort with our front garden and I get a lot of pleasure from looking at our window boxes. Now I've got empty window boxes and wondering if there's any point planting more flowers.

Tags for Forum Posts: garden theft, garden theft/damage, plant theft, stolen plants, window box

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Permalink Reply by Alice Mezzo on June 7, 2013 at 10:55

Sorry to hear this. It's so sad when that happens. Someone broke the heads of my sunflowers and threw them in the street one year and I felt terrible! However, I do think the best thing to do it to plant more things. You can't let those people get you down!

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Permalink Reply by tulips on June 7, 2013 at 11:10

Thanks Alice, you're right!

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Permalink Reply by Abi on June 7, 2013 at 13:55

We should have a HoL fund that we can all chip in to for this sort of garden vandalism. Rip out one geranium and two more will grow in its place!

Glad I have a first floor flat, really. These things aren't cheap and take a lot of looking after. :(

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Permalink Reply by tulips on June 7, 2013 at 11:12

No it wasn't a fox

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Permalink Reply by Liz on June 7, 2013 at 11:34

What absolute swine. How disappointing for you. I know how angry you must feel.

When we first started street gardening, we lost a lot of plants and I was getting quite despondent but I wasn't going to let the thieves win. Please don't give up. A lovely window box and a well-kept front garden are a pleasure for everyone. We have to 'out garden' them. I found certain plants were like a magnet to thieves (like geraniums). How about trying some herbs in your window boxes? Or rocket? I've got strawberry plants and alliums in one of mine, cheap violas from Lidl in another. Maybe petunias? I'm not saying they are thief proof, I'm relieved every morning that what I have in my front garden is still there when I open the blinds, but its worth a go.

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Permalink Reply by tulips on June 7, 2013 at 11:40

Thanks Liz for your good advice, much appreciated.

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Permalink Reply by Justin Guest on June 7, 2013 at 13:39

Like Liz we have taken over our raised beds on Pemberton and we have planted among other things sunflowers for several years. It breaks my heart every time one is damaged, ripped out, shat on by someone's dog or the head ripped off. However, every time I am out there and someone walks past and comments it reminds me how important these things are for everyone.

Don't give up what ever you do. Life would be a race to the bottom for us all if we did I think.

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Permalink Reply by Charlotte on June 7, 2013 at 13:24

Oh please don't give up. There are some idiots around (and some very desperate people too looking for anything they can sell), but most are nice folks enjoying well kept front gardens which makes up for the ones which are not and distracts from the wheelie bins. We had our door mat stolen when we first moved in and someone also took a newly planted hygrange. This has happened over 5 years and each time I bit the bullet.

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Permalink Reply by Alison P on June 7, 2013 at 15:01

How annoying, completely share your feelings. But, like so many have said, please don't give up. Odds are it wont hapen again and you'll be able to enjoy your lovely plants. I had some geraniums stolen from my window boxes when I first planted them up - but nothing since (and that was years ago).

I echo what Liz said, some plants do indeed seem to be magnets so worth thinking about what you replace them with. The other things I did were make sure that any pots out front were huge and thus too heavy to steal. I also tend to put plants I care about more as far back from the wall as possible (but you can't get much further back than a window box, hey...).