Snowdrop theft

[Hazel Southam]

Hello everyone

My name's Hazel and I'm a freelance national newspaper journalist. I'm writing a piece this week about snowdrop theft, which just sounds such an appalling thing. Has it happened to any of you? I'm looking for someone who's had snowdrops stolen from their own personal garden. If that's you, I am very sorry. But if you'd feel able to chat about it, I would love to talk to you, simply to raise this issue beyond the keen gardening world and out into the general public. I have no doubt people will be shocked and saddened to hear what goes on.
You can reach me at hazel@hazelsoutham.co.uk.

Many thanks indeed

Hazel Southam

[Maggi Young]

Hello Hazel - I suppose the theft of snowdrops is topical at the moment with the recent thefts that have been discussed here in the forum but sadly plant theft is more prevalent than any of  us might care to think- as has also been mentioned here over time.  Orchids and specimen trees and shrubs come to mind as prime "targets". 
Too many greedy people about - in all spheres and for all "commodities", eh? 

[emma T]

No I haven't , but I'm more and more worried about it happening . I made my snowdrop page a closed group so that not just anyone could see the photos we post .

[Alan_b]

I know at least one contributor here who has had snowdrops stolen, but I will leave it to them to come forward if they wish.  I was thinking the other day that the strange thing is not that snowdrops have been stolen, after all they are portable and expensive to buy so they make an obvious target for theft.  But what is strange is that nobody has been caught in the act, at least not to my knowledge.  So either the thief or thieves have just been lucky so far, or they are really quite 'clever'.  The other issue is what to do with your stolen snowdrops.  It would be quite difficult to sell them without drawing attention to yourself, you can only hoard them secretly - a bit like stolen art treasures in a way.     

[Maggi Young]

Little and large theft -  by plant SIZE
http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=11244.msg292053#msg292053

https://twitter.com/VillaggioV/status/430308402296651777/photo/1

[steve owen]

As some people know we have suffered the theft of some valuable snowdrops here. CCTV has now been installed to respond to people for whom gardening is about money instead of enjoyment. Regretfully there will be no Open Day in 2014 whilst other security measures are completed. But snowdrop enthusiasts who are known to me are still welcome to contact me and come to enjoy the snowdrops as indeed some have already done.

I have messaged Hazel separately.

[Diane Whitehead]

Do people come in to a garden with a shovel and dig up established snowdrops,
or just grab some easily-transported potsful?

[RichardW]

Other than someone catching a bus here and digging up nivalis who was caught (our fault for not having any for sale apparently  ) we've had no losses but it is something I'm more concerned about as the collection grows, and the to label or not issue, but with most desirable plants being distinctive I think the presumably knowledgeable thief won't need labels anyway.

Some bulbs aren't kept at work, greenhouses and sheds are permanently locked, others are moved elsewhere until we close, I find it very depressing but would be even more so if things were stolen but suspect it's only a matter of time.

[Alan_b]

My understanding, Diane, is that in most cases they have been taken from the ground.  In the case of the rarer ones, a trowel would probably suffice. 

I wonder if we should all pay greater attention to the provenance of our snowdrops?  I certainly try to do this.  Apart from the issue of stolen snowdrops, and stolen plants in general, there is the issue of fake plants being sold on eBay.  Perhaps Hazel would like to widen her article to deal with this also?  I could give her the name of someone selling cheap snowdrops as expensive ones on eBay a few years ago so perhaps Hazel could interview him?   

[Tim Ingram]

I concur with Alan and to the extent that I always label the snowdrops I plant with their source and keep records because the connections with people are as important as the snowdrops themselves (otherwise there would be no snowdrop book). This will not stop people stealing them who want to - that is simply up to them sadly.

[Brian Ellis]

I have to admit that I have just started labelling with a provenance and date code, the information is stored on the computer and printed in a booklet so I can take it round the garden in case my mind goes blank - again!  I was going to use numbered sheeps ear tags but, since the foot and mouth, now they are micro-chipped and very expensive.

[Anne Repnow]

Reading this, I am starting to be glad to live in a region where people generally don't cherish gardens and certainly have no idea about snowdrops or about their value.

[Brian Ellis]

...and my mind did go blank a couple of times this morning when two visitors arrived.  One a lurker, hello Bernadette, who asked after Kentgardener and Kentishlass as she was missing their postings.

[Jo]

Maybe Kentgardener is drifting towards Cyclamen. I spent a lovely morning with him at the Cycsoc show at Wisley in the Autumn........he went away with lots of goodies and packets of seeds   

[mark smyth]

I'd rather have no mention of snowdrop thefts in the news papers. My garden is wide open at the front with a 3 foot / 1m fence. They back has a five foot wall / 1.5m-ish. Those are nothing for would be thieves. If only they knew ... and assuming no bad boys are lurking  ...