Came Home Today To a Bad Surprise :(

I have been so busy these past few weeks with coaching my daughters team and work that I havent had a chance to spend much time in the garden or post here. Came home today and stopped by my newest garden to see how my flowers were doing. I was shocked to see that someone had obviously chopped the flowers off of 2 of my phlox and my black eyed susans that were about to bloom. My Rose of sharon had also been chopped away at. have no clue who would do this.. :( I have my suspicion that is could be the next door neighbours sons. Sigh.. Not sure what to do now. First year gardening and the first time this has happened. Grrr!!

This message was edited Aug 16, 2007 5:26 PM

Gee, that's horrible. I'm soo sorry that had to happen to you. I'm a first year gardener too and I would be devastated if something like that happened to me..

That's terrible. I would be very sad and upset too. Could it have been an animal or does it look like somebody cut them? Either way it is very sad for you. Your plants will recover in time, but that doesn't change how awful you feel right now.

I think it's pretty obvious if it's animal or people. People only go for flowers whereas animals also takes out some of the surrounding leaves.. Like my colombines, the deers at all the flowers and some of the leaves too. Not to mention of the the hosta leaves beside it as well..

Not always. Animals often go for the flowers. It is possible that a person can rip the flowers off by hand and it might look like animal damage. Are the cuts sharp or is there some shredding?

In either case, sorry to hear about that. I deal with animal damage all the time and it's infuriating.

Oh my!! I can see how much it upsets you. And I feel so bad that it happened. I would be beside myself.

Well I would hate to thing that someone just chopped off your flowers so I am hoping it was an animal. I would be pretty disappointed too.....especially since I always look forward to see my blooms.

At least with kids you can plot an effective revenge!

It is very obvious that it was a not an animal that did it.. It was just too much of a clean cut on all of them no shredding and nothing was left behind. DH is hooking up his web cam to start watching that side of the house for the next few days . I am not sure they will be back though since they took all of the flowers I had. I was going to mention it to the the kids mother but have been thinking that I may go get a new plant that is in bloom and put it out there this weekend and wait to see what happens. Yeah I know I am crazy never thought I could get so upset over plants lol.

I am trying not to be so upset about it. I guess it is getting to me because I was finally starting to feel like I was getting the hang of being good at something besides hostas.

This message was edited Aug 16, 2007 9:38 PM

This message was edited Aug 16, 2007 9:39 PM

I would be just as upset. I am not the most tolerant when it comes to teen-agers, if they in fact did do it. It's the same as them spraying paint on your house.

Odd thing was that even cut the stems of my black eyed susans which hadnt even bloomed yet.. Why would a kid do that?
I really would rather it have been an animal than her kids and I am not sure how I will keep my cool if I find out that they did it.


This message was edited Aug 16, 2007 9:40 PM

I don't try to put logic to these things.

Sorry mellymass! That must be really unsettling in addition to missing your babies.

Like Victor said - if in fact they did do it. Unfortunately, it's sight unseen. I wouldn't say anything unless you can prove it. I understand your upsetment though. I would be to. I remember the year that all my tulips were cut off. I couldn't understand who would do such a thing. It looked as if someone had come with a pair of scissors and cut the blooms off. Then I happened to catch the squirrel that was doing it.

I have some really neat deer and rabbit visitors--that is, they bite off flower buds very neatly. So probably should keep all options open. Any foot or paw prints in the flower beds?

'Nita, Is upsetment a word or did you just make that up?''''

She was inspired by your 'scattelogical'!

That's what I mean! I'm in charge of new words.

Then I nominate you Forum Minister of babel. Make us proud, Dave!

hmmmm...I seem to remember something about the tower of babel.... As usual, I googled it and did also find this - http://www.geocities.com/ikind_babel/babel/babel.html -

This thread makes me feel like I'm in Babel, must be working correctly. :)

Thank you Victor! I will execrete my duties a seriousity that is becoming to the gravy of my newly bestowed position.

Funny, Dave!

Sorry for your many losses, mellymass. I agree about buying more plants for the area after the camera has been set to film the culprit at work.

Don't give up on those plants yet! Fortunately, the plants that were either vandalized or eaten by local wildlife should re-bloom this season. Phlox should always be pruned back below the spent flowering heads to force a second (sometimes third) blooming. Black Eyed Susans will continue to set flower buds, as long as the fading flowers are "dead-headed." In a sense, that's what happened to your plants. So, you should soon see new buds being put forth. And, it's almost impossible to keep Rose of Sharon from blooming, as they are "blooming wonders." This impromptu shearing of your much anticipated flowers must be a heartache for you, but I don't think you've seen the last of those flowers for this season, so don't give up on them just yet...I think they'll surprise you.

Mellymass the same thing happened to my neighbour and it was kids/teens. He had oodles of beautiful tulips that opened this spring and no sooner than they were all in bloom and I had just commented to dh how beautiful they all looked - the next day they were chopped down :(. I spoke with our neighbour and he was so angry....Every single tulip was cut.....not a very nice thing to do.

This is terrible - please don't let it discourage you from pursuing the creation of beauty in your gardens. Remember, we are a very supportive group, so please hang in there, Mellymass, we're in your corner :-)

Yeah and we'll find those kids and......Michaela will give them a sociology lecture.

I came home from vacation one time to find the neighbor kids had picked or pulled up everything in my vegetable garden. Every pepper and green tomato, every little carrot and beet, every squash and pumpkin and ear of corn. I found everything carefully packed in cardboard boxes hidden in the woods. I knew immediately who the culprits were. An older couple had moved in next door and soon their daughter and 5 kids (with 4 different last names) had moved in with them. I called her over to survey the damage and she started bawling and telling me how hard it was to be a single mother. I was plenty upset and almost told her she should stop getting knocked up by every loser she picked up in the bars and she wouldn't have that problem--but I'm a nice guy so I bit my tongue. In retrospect, they really weren't bad kids. The 3 year old girl used to stand in their driveway and give my wife the finger. They liked to stand by the road and chuck stones at passing cars. They liked to torment my dog. The neighbors were painting the black trim on their house and left the paint and supplies on the front porch while they were away. The kids got into the paint and painted the white aluminum siding for them. The oldest boy pulled a knife on my son down at the bus stop. Typical kid stuff. They moved to Oklahoma once. My wife was elated. I just shook my head and said it wasn't far enough away. They'll be back. Sure enough they were. I could write a book.........

early_bloomer

This message was edited Aug 21, 2007 10:49 PM

Wow early bloomer. sorry about your neighbor.. guess you need something to separate and keep them away..

EB:

Don't you just love parents who supervise their children? They make living in a neighborhood happy and safe. (Sarcasm here)

I've known a lot of the type of parent who wants their kids to be their friend. For crying out loud! Friend??? You are a parent!!! There is a huge difference!

Candyce - I agree with you.

Early_Bloomer - I guess you can only hope the folks next door move. What an awful situation.

You bet I will give them a sociological lecture - on deviance using neo-Marxist theory (with feminist overtones!) Take that, you brats!

See melly, it could be worse!! Wow, you have my sympathy EB.

Many parents these days seem to be under the misguided impression that when in a public place everyone else should take care of their kids. They seem to have lost that ancient art that has been passed down through the generations from mother to daughter....you all know it I'm sure.... it made you stop dead in your tracks...know that impending doom would follow if you didn't cease all activity...no words ever spoken....only...The Look !

My grown daughters often comment about 'The Look', and still cringe when they see it given to one or more of my grands. "Oh, no, mom! Not that Look!!"

Yep - we knew it well. The look alone (from my dad) would make my sister cry.

We used to say "pellegro" (sp) which apparently is Spanish for danger. Almost nobody speaks Spanish in BC, so most people wouldn't understand - unless, like us, they watched Sesame Street. Anyway, in our family it could be roughly translated as : Do you love your fingers? lol.

All we had to say was pellegro, and we had instant attention from our kids.

My sister-in-law had a more difficult problem. Her son NEVER misbehaved in front of her - but acted out with others. I much preferred our kids losing it a bit at home, but behaving in public.

Even now, both girls are regularly complemented on their exempliary manners; why, they even still write thank-you notes for presents.

Now, that's very impressive!

Yes - I am pleased with them - though they could be little *&&^%R* at home lol

That is impressive.. Manners are hard to find nowadays...