So sad. Someone is picking my daffodils :(

[Plantjungle]

Hello,

i just really needed to vent about this somewhere. I’ve told a couple of friends but really I know people have bigger life problems going on so I don’t want to go on about it… But I thought some like-minded gardeners may understand.

i have been gardening in my block’s communal garden. On the weekend I was out mulching some of the beds and I kept seeing that the patches of daffodils had a cut or broken off stem right at the bottom. I had benefit of doubt at first. Maybe they had broken off in the wind. Or gone over and someone had tidied them up?

On Sunday afternoon there was still one patch in perfect bloom, but by the morning they had also been cut and taken.

I’ve put a little wooden stick with ‘please do not pick’ written on it, and stuck it in final patch of daffs that are just in bud.

I’m so sad, and this morning when I left my flat I felt like I wanted to cry, and then I felt rage! And the thing is I’ve started gardening to benefit my mental health. It’s something that I’m passionate about. I also want to cheer the place up for other residents.

I just really needed to write this out and hopefully get a bit of encouragement to carry on…

It is annoying I agree, they should be left for everyone.

Are you sure it is a human? My crocuses have been eaten by muntjac deer over several nights this year. I had wondered what was happening to them but they were finally caught on camera and piles of deer poo appeared in the morning by my gate.
If you have woodland nearby they will sometimes wander into residential areas if food is scarce.
They ate a few of my neighbour’s daffs too. Strangely, they only like my purple crocuses and leave the white ones alone.

It’s communal so people will see it as fair game.

Oh that's so awful. No advice as people can be so thoughtless and self-centred and don't think about the work that goes in. I would absolutely be ripping about it right there with you. Its a violation so rant away.

I know they are hot property but if you can do put your name for an allotment. Could be years but will be so nice to have your own space.

Aww that’s sad. People often don’t think. What you’re doing for your community is amazing neverthe less. Well done

Wait till you run a community garden, buy £250 worth of plants(out of your own pocket), put them all in, them weeks later a so called 'volunteer group' who have been willing to give a day up to 'help the community' and were told 'don't touch that bed' and you go in to make them all lunch and you come out and they have not only dug the whole lot up, but smashed them to smithereens.

Gardening is unfortunately a game where you don't know the rules and the biggest pest is other people. It is a great builder of resilience when you can make it through all the upset.

It’s never ok to pick flowers that have been planted in beds, whether in parks, communal front gardens etc!

I saw a family putting together a huge bouquet from our lovely local park once. Not ‘fair game’ at all!

Oh wow, that’s amazing that you have deer! I would be much more forgiving of deer.

i think humans… it’s neatly done, no leaves are damaged and no fragments remain.

it possibly could be kids… but they’ve taken so many it’s seems too organised to be kids.

i also has issues a month or so back with someone bagging up their dog poo and leaving it in my bike basket. 😭. When I moved my basket they started hanging it off my handlebars!!

i live on the outskirts of London ( would you believe 😂)

That is terrible. No excuse for anyone to do that. Maybe plant something like a holly bush or rose bush to deter anyone picking.
I would also put another sign up saying something along the lines of ‘Do not touch, but feel free to leave a contribution of bulbs to plant.’

I’m so sorry!!!! Infuriating ☹️

Oh I'm sorry to hear this OP. When we moved to a flat a few years ago it was in a well-kept quiet communal block full of mainly retirees. I really didn't expect the amount of thefts from "my" patch of the shared garden, but I lost some gorgeous plants. I know it sounds ridiculous, but when someone stole my 6 foot tall twisty hazel tree that had come from my last house, I actually put up missing signs I was so upset! We moved to a house with its own garden a year later, but I've never quite got my enthusiasm back for gardening after what happened.

It’s sad OP.

Why are people so entitled and ignorant? Let the flowers cheer up
everyone, don’t take them home.

A bunch of daffodils is cheap to buy.

Oh my goodness, that’s awful!!!!

It’s so confusing to me. People who enjoy plants and beautiful nature but are happy to steal!!!

were your lovely plants in pots or did they actually dig them up?

I see it as taking something that doesn'tbelong to you, so stealing...

Gutting for you Op. some people are just frankly horrible and selfish, I had lots of similar experiences living in London.

Who the heck leaves dog poo bags on someone else’s bike? What foul behaviour.

Communal gardering isn't worth it. Most nice flowet and plants are stolen in no time. Even from parks around here so why should the council spend money on maintaince in parks? I don't know anymore tbh.

Most were in pots e.g. a thornless blackberry as I wouldn't want it to invade, but someone dug up the twisty hazel tree the day after I planted it out. I looked around the whole garden but never found them so I have no idea who took them, why, or what they did with them.

Can you rescue the budding daffodils and put them in a pot on your windowsill before they bloom and get taken? I'm never sure if daffodils can thrive indoors or not.

Daffs are £1 a bunch in supermarkets at the moment. Some people are just entitled wankers x

I feel your pain op, I’ve had plants stolen from my front garden in the past and I also plant daffodils on the public verge on my road and have witnessed parents encouraging their children to ‘pick’ the flowers! However please don’t let it put you off, gardening is so good for you. If I was doing a communal garden I’d look around for what seems to survive that’s been planted by the local council and copy that. Completely understand the desire to plant daffs though- they are so cheering!

Oh OP I absolutely understand the upset. People can be so selfish! Even my 2 year old knows that you don't pick the flowers (unless from our own garden and Mummy says it's ok!).

It absolutely boggles my mind that someone would come into your actual garden and dig plants up?! Wtaf. I would have been absolutely furious.

You really wouldn’t…the bastards eat everything!
Sorry about your Daffs - so thoughtless, they’re only a £1 in the supermarket too…

Oh no that’s awful. They are there for all to enjoy not all to take. What happened to them being look but don’t touch.

perhaps you need a little (cutesy irritating) sign saying something

“please don’t take the flowers, they give the bees superpowers. These are planted for all to enjoy”

obviously “fuck off” is better.

@AlisonDonut i hope you made them pay for replacements!

I agree they are a pound in most supermarkets . Just buy yourself a bunch .