Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
The return of the geraniumnappers
That time of year again? When your geraniums start to bloom and then suddenly they are gone, victims of the geraniumnappers of Harringay.
We lost two from the communal planters yesterday afternoon. At 4 o'clock I was admiring the startling pink of a new flower, by 6 o'clock there was nothing but a hole in the ground where once the little plant had been. Then, sadly, I noted that a scarlet beauty that had been hiding under the hollyhock has also been unceremoniously hauled from her shady bed and made away with.
Truth is after 5 years of street gardening, I've learned not to get (too) cross and not to plant geraniums. We try to outgarden the beggars, but these plants were a donation from a neighbour and it is discouraging for them when the nappers take things that they've given.
Anyway, more to the point, if you've got geraniums in your front gardens, keep an eye on them. It seems now they are starting to show their pretty faces, the geraniumnappers get to work.
We've left notes in the holes. Scrawled on exercise paper in coloured pencil, I'm hoping the pathos will appeal to the better nature of the nappers and they'll leave us be (or they might nick the signs). Plus, I spy a good excuse to publicise the Friends of Harringay Passage Gardening Group.
Tags for Forum Posts: geraniumnapping, geraniums, plant thieves
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Justin Guest on
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You have a thicker skin than I Liz, and for that you should be sainted.
Personally, if I catch anyone nicking the sunflowers from Pemberton I worry what my reaction will be given the time and love lavished on them for everyone to enjoy!
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Permalink Reply by Liz on
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Sunflowers are different. I get really p***ed off when people snap the heads off sunflowers, especially when they lean into my garden to do it.
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Permalink Reply by Sharon on
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I admire your attitude Liz, that's so annoying though! I'm a novice at it but have started gorilla gardening on the estate where I live and have some lovely thriving areas which were previously neglected. I've reclaimed empty planters and bits of plantable land mainly with cheap seed packets from the fabulous Aldi and some bits from my own garden. A neighbour said 'why bother' the kids will wreck them and steal them' All good so far but then there are no Geraniums! :-)
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Sharon. Good for you.
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I think the main thing is to choose things that people don't want to steal i.e. cheap and cheerful bedding plants (Bellis have been wonderful this year) or that are difficult to steal (like mint) and things that can take a bit of punishment like melissa or marigolds (although someone did once dig a lovely patch of orange ones) and also to keep going and experimenting with what works best (Hollyhocks are good, bee friendly and spectacular). I go to Lidl for cheap bedding plants and seeds and we have seed swaps - you'll have to come to the next one (prob Oct) there's always plenty of of spare seeds and plants. People also kindly donate to us.
Hopefully you'll join us for the Poppy Seed planting project (once we get the seeds!)
As I've discovered for the one 'why bother' neighbour there's lots of others who will be very grateful that someone is making a neglected space beautiful.
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Thanks Liz, for the advice. Mint sounds a good idea, and yes. I'd love to come to the next seed swap and have registered interest in the poppy project. :-)
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Permalink Reply by Angela on
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We have a lilac bush in our front 'garden' which people seem happy to help themselves to when it's in bloom.
I have chased one person plus baby in buggy along the passage after I knocked on the window and told her to stop, and another person had the cheek to come back a second time, come into the garden with a pair of scissors to cut some flowers
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Permalink Reply by Lauren on
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We've screwed our window boxes onto the window ledges, we're raised ground floor but not taking any chances!
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Permalink Reply by GillianM on
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Feeling so angry on your behalf!!
People that screw boxes onto their window sill - do you keep them there over winter, and if so do they have anything in them? Also, how do you go about screwing them on?
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Yes my window boxes (wooden) are left all winter. Chives survive well and give a great flower display, pansies, as TBD say,s also good. I have strawberries too which overwintered and a couple of ropey geraniums survived. As soon as spring comes, we plant up violas and petunias in the spaces. I did see one Ladder house with miniature sunflowers in their boxes which looked amazing.
Another thing you can do is put miniature daffodil bulbs (or other small bulbs) for a no fuss spring display. Important to keep the boxes watered though, as they dry out quickly.
I also have cheap troughs on the front window sill, which is in full sun and I grow rocket and, this year, chard there. Any salad leaves will do though. Places like Lidl, Wilkos etc do packets of salad leaves for a few pence. Not screwed down because I figure probably not worth anyone nicking and if they do, I'd just throw some more seeds in a pot.
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My fella made ours and put little brackets on them to screw them on with a drill. Sorry this doesn't sound very technical I'm afraid, he is a handyman so does all the technical stuff in our house! We swap our plants over quite often as things die or lose their flowers we just open the windows and do this, so over the winter we have little potted shrubs in and spider plants rather than the flowers. If you want some bespoke windowboxes made I could give you his contact details.
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