Garden plant theft, is your garden safe?

Research has been conducted by leading insurance firm More Than into the increasing issue of garden theft. The research found that overall more UK residents are becoming victims of plant theft from their gardens and it seems to be increasing every year.

Garden plants are now a target for theft

The average garden thief can take away £72.21 worth of trees, plants and shrubs from your garden, which will have taken you a lot of time and effort to grow and nurture. The research has shown that the majority of these thefts occur in the front garden, with plant pots and hanging baskets being swiped from outside front doors.

Results found that the top 10 most stolen garden plants were:

1. Hanging baskets
2. Bay trees
3. Rose Standards
4. Olive trees
5. Rare lilies
6. Bonsais
7. Miniature palm trees
8. Magnolia trees
9. Daphne Shrubs
10. Conifers

These stolen items are usually sold at car boot sales or take up place in the thieves own garden.

You may think that there is no way of protecting the plants in your garden, but there are a few things that can be done to help prevent the theft of your plants and provide some garden security.

Use thorny plants to protect your garden

Mark it – Mark your plant pots, containers and vases with your postcode, using an indelible marker pen.

Secure it – Hanging baskets are an easy target for thieves, so make sure these are secure. Make them difficult to undo by using wire or a small chain and lock.

Go large – the bigger and heavier your plants are, the harder it will be for thieves to steal them. Choose heavy bulky pots that are difficult to move.

Get thorny – add some thorny plants to your garden around access points and fences, to deter thieves.

Statistics provided by More Than Home Insurance.