‘Bizarre’ string of plant thefts has Canadian gardeners beefing up security
Global News
Thieves have dug up plants and flowers from front lawns of houses in Canada and also gone after trees, shrubs, soil and vegetables grown in community gardens.
A string of recent “bizarre” plant thefts has some garden owners on edge in Canada as they look to increase security.
Thieves – some caught on camera – have dug up plants and flowers from front lawns and also gone after trees, shrubs, soil and vegetables grown in community garden centres.
In Barrie, Ont., police received a couple of complaints in June, with one theft involving two plants valued at over $100 stolen from the porch of a home in the north end of the city, said Peter Leon, corporate communication co-ordinator of the Barrie Police Service (BPS).
Two days later, some 20 Irish flowers were dug out from the garden of another home.
“It’s kind of a bizarre type of theft that we’re seeing,” Leon told Global News.
“This is something we haven’t seen very much of certainly in our city. It’s certainly not a trend in any which way, but it’s disturbing enough.”
Meanwhile, Sheridan Nurseries, which has garden centres across Ontario, is reporting a growing number of thefts, including that of smaller houseplants.
“We have seen an increase this year – as recently as this weekend we had a number of hydrangeas stolen from one of our garden centres along with some soil,” said Victoria Mulvale, director of marketing at Sheridan Nurseries.