MaryAnne Spinner, Chicago Master Gardener

Life in the big city has its rewards, and its occasional trade-offs. As lifelong City Mice, my spouse and I have endured an assortment of smash-and-grab burglaries and petty thefts. We've lost televisions and CD players, power tools and ladders, even Halloween pumpkins.

However, the most cowardly, pathetic thefts have been from our garden. Some losses resulted from vandalism by malicious late-night marauders, fueled by alcohol; living down the block from three major sports bars takes its toll, especially at four o'clock on a weekend morning. One spring night, for example, a dozen tulips were cut down and spirited from our parkway. Another summer, a large window box was lifted from its bracket and smashed onto the sidewalk. Garden statuary–including a little stone gopher we named Chucky–have gone missing.

Some thefts were petty and more irritating than ominous. But on occasion the crimes have approached felony proportions. A couple of years ago, we planted a large (and expensive) Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus Syriacus) in a small alcove in front of our house. The next day it was gone, totally gone, leaving behind it just a crater in the ground.

Public gardens get their share of pilfering, too. A couple of summers ago, three large Lobelia Cardinalis were lifted overnight from the large round flower bed in front of Lincoln Park's Café Brauer that is tended by volunteers. Last year, Chicago Master Gardener Erica Seltzer reported that large tropical specimens disappeared from a sidewalk container she had planted as a volunteer on busy Wells Street in Old Town–three separate times in one month. Erica replanted the same container again this summer, this time without any pricey, "showy" plants. But just two weeks ago it was vandalized again as part of a large-scale episode of mayhem: container plantings along three entire blocks of Wells Street were uprooted and left to die on the sidewalk.

How big is the problem?
Although it is difficult to obtain statistics on garden theft in this country, there have been some notoriously bold thefts of expensive plant material in recent years. In 2002, security personnel at Florida's Fakahatchee Strand State Park, which has the nation's largest concentration of wild orchids, caught four men trying to drive off with garbage bags stuffed with plants. Although they apprehended the individuals, nearly all of the ninety-four recovered orchids perished before they could be replanted. In 2004, thieves entered the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, also in Florida, which was temporarily closed and unguarded during Hurricane Frances. They stole thirty rare and endangered cycads, which still have not been found.

The occurrence of theft in public spaces is so prevalent that the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has a "10 Most Endangered National Parks" list. Some of these actually attract professional poachers, such as Mojave National Preserve (barrel cactus), Big Cypress National Preserve (saw palmetto berries) and Great Smoky Mountains National Park (ginseng).

In home gardens, thieves typically target large shrubs and small trees of significant value, such as Japanese maples, hydrangeas, and rhododendrons. Bonsai are in demand, and whole hedges have been known to disappear overnight. Garden furniture and ornaments, lawnmowers, power tools, and barbeque grills are typically the most desirable items of a non-plant nature. But most anything can be a target, from garden gnomes to gazebos.

The problem is, of course, not limited to city gardens, with suburban and rural garden thefts on the rise. Nor is the problem unique to our country. In the garden-centric U.K., a recent British crime survey estimated that there were 18,000 incidents of theft involving garden property in 2005, resulting in insurance claims of more than £430 million(approximately U.S. $814 million). According to the Royal Horticultural Society, that amount is expected to increase dramatically this year, as it has in each of the past few years. The Association of British Insurers predicts that by the end of a typical summer, one in seven British gardens–from small back yards to national properties–will have been targeted by criminals.

Why?

Vandalism can be attributed to mean spirits (both the character flaw and the beverage), adolescent prankishness, or just plain stupidity. But what about the large Cornus kousa that is carefully dug up and carted away–who took it, and where will it go? One theory is that criminals are taking plants on demand, similar to thefts that have been plaguing the art world for years. A British report told of gangs that steal plant material and garden items to order, at the request of disreputable suppliers or landscapers. This also suggests the existence of a black market for plants.

One summer day I was watering the plants on my rooftop deck, which overlooks a typical city alley. Below me were two individuals pushing grocery shopping carts. Each cart was loaded with annuals, stuffed willy-nilly into plastic sandwich bags to contain their root balls. I watched in disbelief as they helped themselves to the contents of a neighbor's windowbox, and continued down the alley. Of course, by the time I reached the phone to call the police, these gentlemen were long gone. I was (and still am) truly puzzled as to where they were headed with their motley inventory–a few petunias here, a couple of marigolds there, an odd geranium. Perhaps they intended to set up shop in a farmers market, or perhaps they would try to unload the carts at a construction site.

What can you do to protect your garden?

An old Wall Street Journal cartoon is taped to my study wall. It is a drawing of a large house surrounded by trees and shrubs, with a sign in front proclaiming: The Bentons–40% stocks, 30% bonds, 30% shrubs. I would have found the cartoon totally silly, if there weren't an awful truth to it. Many of us have a significant investment in our gardens, especially when we factor in the cost of replacing mature trees and specimen plants.

There are a number of defensive moves you can take to protect your garden, some rather simple, others requiring more serious effort.

• First of all, check your insurance coverage. Ascertain if your policy gives your garden adequate coverage–if any coverage at all. Ask your insurer if there are any pre-existing conditions in the event of a claim; perhaps you may be required to keep all equipment inside a locked shed or garage. Policies may cover sheds and greenhouses, but not decks and pergolas. Trees may be covered for damage, but not for theft itself. Perennials may not be covered at all. If at all possible, increase your policy to cover your garden investment.

• Fence it in. Note that a typical 6-foot fence is not always an adequate deterrent to theft. Consider extending the height of existing fences with trellising or horizontal wires stretched from post to post. If installing a new fence, consider topping it with ornamental but uncomfortably pointy design elements. Make sure all gates have locks, and consider using hinges secured with bolts so that gates cannot be lifted off. Hedges can also serve as good barriers, particularly prickly or thorny types like barberry (Berberis), firethorn (Pyracantha), holly (Ilex), or sweet briar rose (Rosa rubiginosa).

• Light it up. Although some brazen theft may occur in broad daylight, darkness is a better cover for thieves. Light up dark corners and areas around especially valuable plantings, preferably with light-sensing fixtures that turn on automatically at dusk. We learned that lesson the hard way after losing the Rose of Sharon in a dark corner of the garden.

• Tie it down. Secure garden furniture, grills, and large pots with steel cables locked to a fence or other immoveable object. Pots can be similarly locked up by running a chain through their drainage holes. Cement free-standing containers in place, or fill the bottoms of containers with heavy items such as bricks to make them harder to move.

• Leave your mark. Engrave tools and other small items with your name or zip code, or paint them with gaudy colors to make them less desirable for re-sale. Photograph items to aid in their identification and recovery.

• Lock it up. This sounds rather elementary, but think about how many times you have left the lawnmower or chipper-shredder out in the yard for "just one night", rather than lock them back up in the garage or garden shed. And if your garage or shed has windows, paint or screen them over so that would-be thieves cannot look inside and inventory their contents.

• Be alarmed. If you have a burglar alarm system in your home, see if the wiring can be extended to cover your garage and any large outbuildings on your property.

Do you have a gardening question? Email the Extension's Electronic Plant Clinic at rwolford@uiuc.edu, and our Master Gardeners will be glad to assist you.