CF Stole my hedge

[12FreeRangeEggs]

We live in a naice part of London which thinks it’s the countryside but is actually just a green suburb. To the side and front of my property is our hedge. It’s a mix hedge; Holly, Ivy and other trees. Our Holly has been very good this autumn and we have lots of red berries. I make a door wreath for my front door each Christmas, and I usually forage from my own hedge to make my wreath. So far this year I haven’t gotten around to it but was hoping to make my wreath this weekend.

Well, I returned this afternoon and there was a lady stood on my driveway with a large blue IKEA bag in one hand and a pair of pruners in the other, helping herself to my holly.

I politely challenged her, but she didn’t seem to think that she was doing anything wrong helping herself to my Holly in my hedge. Infact when I protested that I was going to make my own wreath with my own Holly she told me she had a business making Christmas wreaths and usually only made 10 a season despite huge demand because she simply doesn’t have the time but was willing to make a professional wreath for me using my own Holly and charge me £85. I, less politely this time, declined her offer for a professional wreath and asked for my Holly back. She refused and accused me of being bitter and uncharitable.

I wonder whether she pays income tax 😁

Hahahaaaaaaaa.

Makes you wonder if she's seen this thread. She did the right thing by giving it back.

I don't think she should lie to the police though.

She may have realised that you could get her for theft and vandalism and trespass... It's not good for her business if it's known she's stealing holly to run it! And anyone making a wreath at her workshop would also be handling stolen goods... Glad you got it back - hopefully in a state you can use it yourself.

It could also be that she spoke to baby- daddy or a friend about how you'd treated her and they'd pointed out she was stealing and rude.

Should threaten with police get the camera out film her and put on you tube! Soon she will be shown she is in fact a thieving Karen! A ring cam would be handy for you also

Oh my goodness. That’s hilarious ( not for you sorry) - Imagine going into someone’s garden in Spring (that you didn’t know) and cutting their flowers for some flowers in your table. It’s no different. She is an absolute loon.

Wtaf, brazen arrogance!

Er, did no one else use to go out and cut down a Christmas tree?
Maybe a countryside thing.
I’d stop short of someone’s driveway, or of taking much, but I’ve been known to take a sprig or two from a hedge every now and again. This woman sounds like a twat though. I would never go in a person’s garden.

I have also been known to yell at the same person who climbs our tree every year to steal the fruit. So yes I’m a hypocrite.

I am acquainted with someone who always has some secateurs in her handbag when she visits National Trust properties. She owes much of her garden to Blenheim Palace.

Bring back hanging, I say.

Re-read your own post.

Look at the first initials of the last two words of it.

You have your answer!

Although calling 999 in response to this situation would clearly be absurd, I'm also puzzled at how many PP say it doesn't matter. Going onto someone's private property and helping yourself to something of theirs without their permission really isn't on, even it's just 'a few sprigs of holly' (though it seems to have been more than a few).

🤦‍♀️ I was also wondering but is quite blatant now you point it out. thank you, feeling a bit silly and pregnant foggy brain

I thought CF meant Close Friend?

I hope no-one has really gone onto this woman's Instagram account and berated her for nicking holly.

The general public is just shite. I work with my best friend. She lives in a castle - not Balmoral admittedly but proper castle built in the 1100s. Her family have been there 800 years +.
We regularly find people wandering around. .. they just want to take photos but don’t consider asking permission. The last lot were sitting in the courtyard on the edge of the fountain eating their sandwiches …

Hang on!! The CF Machine has smoke coming out..........

Not quite the same, but I've had dog walkers in my back garden. Yes, it had a fence and hedge, but the council cut their side of the hedge back a bit too severely and it appears that off leash dogs got through and their owners simply forced their way through the fence.

I spent parts of lockdown using up the pieces of wood in the garage to construct a replacement fence with pointed uprights.

I also found out from one of the neighbours that kiddies from the local primary were using my front lawn for picnics at lunchtime. (I admit that part of me found that quite funny.)

Op yes do this.

And do this as well, just shame her publicly.

I also think that she lives close by to your house and she knew that you have a nice foliage hedge, she probably took clippings from other places too.

I don’t know, she is trespassing and stealing from people gardens to then sell over priced at £85 for each one she makes up. Even had the cheek to say to OP that she will sell her one for £85 that is not ok. You can go about damaging peoples property and helping yourself to what is in someone else’s private property. Then selling on for £85 profit. They do not take a huge amount of time to make as you have to work fast before they dry out and become unbendable (for twigs and small branches) I have made my own from many different things over the years for all year round ones (like Easter and so on) this goes against crafting, she is just stealing. Also the damage to an incorrectly pruned bush could kill it off. People can leave bad reviews, or point out theft. The holly has been returned but OP will not be able to use them now, they will be too dried out to work with and will end up in the bin sadly. And her bushes may not recover from being butchered, OP clearly knows how to look after her garden so she clearly has pride in it, it would be quite devastating if you had spent your time growing and looking after them for someone to come along and destroy your hard work, Holly is hard to work with and only likes heavily pruned at set times of year, they like a light trim from about November to December but not cut back to drastically. A full ikea bag of Holly at this time of year could kill the whole bush and make it more susceptible to infections and fungal disease which could potentially kill it and spread to others. That isn’t fair on OP, is it?

It's holly. Practically zero value. It's not a car. It's not a family heirloom. Nobody is getting hurt. There is no permanent damage to property.

Let's hope you never need to call the police for anything serious, while they're busy blue-lighting it to save a few twigs from someone's hedge.

Yes you're naive.

I hope someone has!

Cheeky fucker.

My parents have a large variegated holly tree in their front garden and it is often raided and stealthily pruned under darkness by commercial wreath makers.
A few do knock and they allow some supervised pruning.
The brazen cheek of some people though does astounds me. What happened to manners and asking politely?

That's brilliant, could have knocked and apologised though.