Neighbours interfering with my hanging baskets

[BasketCaseBug]

We recently moved house and our new home is set out in a U shape with 6 houses all kind of facing each other. The house next to us is empty, our two houses make up the bottom of the U and there are two houses each side making the vertical sides of the U.

It seems that none of our neighbours work, the two at the ends are much older and retired, they have large front gardens and they look lovely. The other couple on one side have a small garden with some nice plants in pots but said they aren't very good gardeners and the last couple are similar age to us and don't have any plants.

When we moved I bought a hanging basket and a lovely planter full of plants, both of which died in the sun. Seeing a basket of dead flowers wasn't very appealing so I bought another one, however I couldn't reach to put it up so left it by the door to put up later. When I returned the dead basket had been replaced with the new basket.

New basket has since been watered, (hopefully it won't die this time)

Today when I got home both the planter and the old basket have been emptied and stacked neatly.

So one of my neighbours is interfering with my baskets, which they don't actually mind, however AIBU to wonder why they haven't mentioned it at all. I have no idea which neighbour is doing it and I have passed them all either on my way out to work or my way back in. (All of my neighbours seem to spend a bizarre amount of time in their front gardens)

I will ask next time I go out but it's a bit weird that they just keep coming into my garden unannounced. I was in the house when they hung up the new basket.

Sounds like they are being helpful / kind ?

That's bad. What else might they interfere with?

They can see you aren’t good at gardening and are helping out?

my neighbour has zero plants. She has recently gone up for sale and bought two plants for outside her door. They immediately started to die in the heat so everyday I water mine, I water hers. I also dead head and feed too. The pots look great and better than pots of dead plants 🤣

Intrusive twats

Our neighbour mows our lawn for us. I really appreciate it but also find it awkward as i some times feel we are taking advantage and i don’t know how to repay them!

How is being intrusive and interfering 'kind'?

Are all the gardens open to each other or are they actually opening a gate to come into 'your' property?

I'd guess they felt the dead pot/planter were messy and thought they were 'helping'. Personally, I'd find this over stepping. I have pots which look dead, but have lots of spring bulbs underneath and would be very annoyed if someone emptied them. Get a doorbell camera.

Hanging baskets and pots need watering every day in this weather. The neighbours who are good gardeners know that and are trying to help. I'm sure they will talk to you about it as and when. Wish someone would pop over and do mine!

So kind - yet so intrusive!

What a strange world view. Older people trying to help out while the weather is hot, no?

Why do you assume it's other people's views that are strange - do you always think you're right? Opinions divide on matters such as these, neither view is more strange than the other.

I think watering is potentially helpful, but the emptying of pots etc. is intrusive.

I have lots of pots with flowers around my front door. In this weather they need watering twice a day. I’d be delighted if someone helped with that occasionally.

No such luck

personally its kind of them, yes odd but kind

Sweet! What lovely neighbours.

PS dead flowers ain’t a nice view.

I'd be really grateful, but it would also spur me on to look after my own plants more successfully 🌸 🌹🥀 🌷

It’s weird that they haven’t said anything but I would be very happy to have a secret gardener who did my garden. You could leave a note out to say thank you.

I see it as a nice helpful action and maybe they don’t want to think they’ve been doing it for praise which is why they haven’t told you directly they’ve been watering your plants plus it sort of sounds passive aggressive by the way I’ve been watering your plants seeing as your last ones died!

I’d pop a card out to say on your step to say thankyou to whichever neighbour has been helping.

If they started painting your fences then yes I’d find that weird and intrusive but appreciate everyone has different views on these things.

I'd put my old shoes out that need mending. See what happens 😀.

Give over 🙄

one of the older couples is just trying to help. I get an elderly neighbours bins in occasionally and prior to hosepipe ban when I water my front garden I water neighbours front as well. She cannot do it herself snd her gardeners only come fortnightly. I don’t think she even knows I do it.

the nicest neighbours I have ever had were growing veggies in the back garden of a house I rented as a short term rent. The husband used to come in first thing water them all and pick. And they used to pass a home cooked meal over the fence every so often for my DC made with some of the veg. If only all neighbours could be like that, friends not intrusion. I still think of them 30years later.

It’s weird isn’t it? A few times someone has put my bins away - terraced house and the bins are kept in the small front garden and low walls topped by railings and a gate. They’re collected about 7am but I don’t tend to put them away til the end of the day (as do half the street because they are at work). But someone has taken it upon themselves to do it - not regularly but just once in a blue moon. Kinda freaks me out! Neighbours on one side are away 75% of the time and on the other side are new.
I think you’ll just have to ask your neighbours next time you see them.

How do you know it was humans?

id be impressed if Et can hang a hanging basket

My neighbour keeps sneaking plants into my veg garden. I went into it last night and there was a new tomato plant. 🤷‍♀️

ill swap neighbours with you