My hanging basket was stolen...

I weave fencing wire through the chains, wind around the bracket leaving no room to get sidecutters at them and twist ends tightly with pliers, leaving enough of it visible so it's obviously going to be a lot more trouble to remove than any of the neighbours' baskets, plus I have the brackets mounted fairly high up so the tethering wires can't be reached without standing on something.

 

I did look into anti-theft measures when I put them up (it was the first year I'd done them, as we only reinstated the front-garden last year - I wouldn't have dreamed of putting them up without the wall in place). I naively thought they were too heavy, and too high up for opportunistic theft.

Unfortunately, while my garden is secure (gate, fence, wall), next door's is not. They went into next door's garden, lifted one of their paving slabs to prop against the fence to stand on, and got it that way.

Right now I don't know if I will replace it. They left the one that is further into my garden (and not as nice - I am almost insulted that they only took the nicest). The one at the back is safe. But the house looks less welcoming. Every time I drive up, it reminds me of its loss. If I replace it, it will remind me also, because it won't be the same.

I just feel so disappointed in people. It wasn't just for my own enjoyment, or to 'show off,' it was enjoyed by other people, who would often comment when passing. I feel so gutted that someone just helped themselves and it will probably die in their hands.

Plus, I feel a little bit paranoid, like the house is being watched. We have a very distinctive car which is usually parked in front of our house. I was away working in the other car, it was one of the rare occasions both cars were out for just a few hours (mid afternoon, broad daylight on a Saturday). The previous week, we'd actually been on holiday, but left the car behind, and returned to hanging-baskets in tact. Was this a local who knew that the absence of both cars meant we were all out? Were they watching the house? They also managed to find a time when the neighbours on both sides were out - another rarity.

I'm sure I'm overreacting, and I should just get over it. It was my first attempt and I was proud of growing it by hand. It feels like a pet has been run-over at the minute.

 

Pity we cannot wire hanging baskets up to the mains......just a little jolt

 

What about a video camera to catch the perpetrators red handed? Mind you, trying to get the police to do anything about it might be another problem ... they are much too busy nowadays investigating sex claims against dead people whose estates might have loads of money ......

 

TurnedThespian - I am so sorry to read of what lengths they went to in order to steal your hanging basket and I totally understand how you feel about the reminder when you see where it was. I am in a similar situation with a disturbed (obsessed) anti-social neighbour who spray bleached my front garden lovely rose bush and killed it. It is no longer there now. (She also spray bleached next door's hedge which blackened and died). Since you and I are gardeners we feel these things more than someone who is not.

Is your neighbourhood part of a Neighbour's Watch scheme I wonder? Or do you have good neighbours that might be more vigilant in these current, worrying times?

 

One of my anti theft devices was triggered last night



I may have over done it a bit

 

Good grief, @rosebay, what on earth is wrong with people? Sorry to hear you have a vacant spot, too.

@WeeTam That at least made me laugh!

I have replaced the hanging basket with something just as attractive, that requires much less maintenance.


Totally ineffective, but there's nothing like a bit of passive-aggression to cleanse the soul.*
If I ever meet these m*r*ns face to face, I'm so going to punctuate the heck out of their ar*&s.
They'll be laughing out the other side of their colon.
*(Also, humour as a defence mechanism).

 

I wire mine to the basket holder too, after my neighbours, that I had done, were stolen last year, it won`t stop a determined thief, but it will cause them to struggle.

 

No one wants to steal my baskets

 

The only practical thing you can do is what has already been suggested i.e. wind wire around the basket and the bracket, thieves do not want to hang about taking something, they want/need it to be fast so make it as bloody difficult as you can to remove the baskets. Barbed wire could be useful!