Green Flower Pot with Evergreen and Pansies STOLEN! - PhillyBlog

JenniferL · #1 (**permalink**) 05-05-2008, 10:03 PM

Hey there,

If anyone sees a "new" large green sidewalk size pot show up outside their neighbor's house that has a small pine tree and pansies (purple and white/blue) in it, can you shoot me an e-mail? One was stolen from the side of my house today, but they left the other two.

BAH! I feel like I just paid for someone's Mother's Day present!

In angst over the theft of my flowers,
Jenn Lawson

BigMel · #2 (**permalink**) 05-05-2008, 10:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JenniferL

Hey there,

If anyone sees a "new" large green sidewalk size pot show up outside their neighbor's house that has a small pine tree and pansies (purple and white/blue) in it, can you shoot me an e-mail? One was stolen from the side of my house today, but they left the other two.

BAH! I feel like I just paid for someone's Mother's Day present!

In angst over the theft of my flowers,
Jenn Lawson

The Balls on some people! can you get crack with a plant????

lbphilly · #3 (**permalink**) 05-05-2008, 10:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigMel

The Balls on some people! can you get crack with a plant????

No, but you can get points with a woman in your life.

It's really a shame when this happens. I've lost a pot or two. I just put out a recycled Larry The Tree Man planter with some recycled community garden plants on our Webster Street and I'm hoping they don't tempt anyone.

If you want to have nice planters, it's a good idea to secure them to your property. Our neighbor at the corner of 21st and Christian has used a combination of cement and huge metal bolts to secure those magnificent urns on his steps.

dr_gingivitis · #4 (**permalink**) 05-05-2008, 10:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigMel

The Balls on some people! can you get crack with a plant????

It's more like "happy mother's day, look what I stole for ya ma!"
I was warned about planting before mother's day, in the burbs it's because it might get too cold, in the city it's because it might become a gift.

Construction adhesive or masonry screws are great inconspicuous things for keeping planters from walking.

brian614 · #5 (**permalink**) 05-06-2008, 09:30 AM

Perhaps a bit of poison ivy to fill out the pot next time?

As if they could identify it.

lbphilly · #6 (**permalink**) 05-06-2008, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brian614

Perhaps a bit of poison ivy to fill out the pot next time?

As if they could identify it.

While wholeheartedly endorsing the sentiment, may I add that one of the many drawbacks of our warmer weather has been a significant increase in potency of the toxins in poison ivy?

Think of this not as a criticism of Brian's suggestion, which I know was offered as a joke, but as a serendipitous public service announcement spurred by the mention of the dreaded weed. Folks who were immune to the more benign poison ivy of the past may find themselves susceptible to Super Poison Ivy, and those who are not immune may get worse cases. I've even read dark hints that the toxic oils may become airborne.

(My Inner Snark is tickled at the idea of the malefactors running foul of Super Poison, but pity the poor mother or girlfriend!)

brian614 · #7 (**permalink**) 05-06-2008, 10:13 AM

I once had a terrible encounter with the stuff when I was young (think hairy vines).

Learned my lesson!

lbphilly · #8 (**permalink**) 05-06-2008, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brian614

I once had a terrible encounter with the stuff when I was young (think hairy vines).

Learned my lesson!

My father used to tell the story of the time he was set the task of burning weeds on his grandfather's farm -- the smoke carries the toxin, too, and he had poison ivy *everywhere.* To hear him tell it, it almost killed him.

To wrench this thread back on topic, I think the strategies for avoiding being a victim of plant larceny include:

* Make the container hard to move
* Choose an unattractive container
* Don't plant eye-candy plants until after Mother's Day

If your container is bolted to your cellar window grates or cemented into the ground, you can plant eye-candy plants if you are willing to buy a few extra to replace any stolen ones. If your container is kind of ugly AND really heavy, you may only have to worry about pansy larceny.

I had a half-barrel out in front of my Webster Street house some years ago. Someone upended it and took the barrel, leaving me a layer cake of bricks, potting soil, and pressed impatiens. I replaced it with one of those garish tubs with rope handles that you can buy at the Pathmark for $7. It lasted till the plastic got brittle -- about five years.

JenniferL · #9 (**permalink**) 05-06-2008, 10:50 AM

I'm thinking of a plate of water under the planter and some electo-charges.

I'm more heated about this than just about anything that I have seen or heard since moving here. The Ghetto mentality of "it's here so it should be mine" just makes me want to hit someone sometimes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lbphilly

My father used to tell the story of the time he was set the task of burning weeds on his grandfather's farm -- the smoke carries the toxin, too, and he had poison ivy *everywhere.* To hear him tell it, it almost killed him.

To wrench this thread back on topic, I think the strategies for avoiding being a victim of plant larceny include:

* Make the container hard to move
* Choose an unattractive container
* Don't plant eye-candy plants until after Mother's Day

If your container is bolted to your cellar window grates or cemented into the ground, you can plant eye-candy plants if you are willing to buy a few extra to replace any stolen ones. If your container is kind of ugly AND really heavy, you may only have to worry about pansy larceny.

I had a half-barrel out in front of my Webster Street house some years ago. Someone upended it and took the barrel, leaving me a layer cake of bricks, potting soil, and pressed impatiens. I replaced it with one of those garish tubs with rope handles that you can buy at the Pathmark for $7. It lasted till the plastic got brittle -- about five years.

JenniferL · #10 (**permalink**) 05-06-2008, 10:52 AM

BTW - God Help the person whose house I find it sitting outside...I don't care if it is a 90 year old woman, I will rip my damn plants from her crying arms and run over her child with my weelchair - I want my pansies back!

(My Inner Snark is tickled at the idea of the malefactors running foul of Super Poison, but pity the poor mother or girlfriend!)[/quote]