Stealing Flowers: Angering the Gardeners Will Cost You

I admit it, stealing flowers from people's yards isn't exactly the most heinous crime in the world. I mean, compare a few missing lilacs and daffodils to serial killers and terrorist bombers, and you get a bit of perspective.

But still, I can see how Washington DC gardeners are infuriated by a persistent flower thief in their midst. 

My garden in St. Albans, Vermont begins to
grow last week. Hands off, please.  

As an avid gardener who fortunately lives in a place where it is somewhat impractical to steal too many flowers and plants, I can see how people would be livid if the plants they nurtured were vandalized or stolen.

The psychological point of gardening is to labor in the dirt and the mess and to look ugly doing it so you end up with something beautiful.

So when someone steals your reward, namely the flower that is there because of your work, you get livid.

The New York Times article says the thief is elusive, and may be trying to resell his loot at flower shops. My guess is some flower shops might be a little unethical and don't ask questions about where this guy gets his flowers.

Police say they can't make arrests unless the thief is caught red handed. There's nothing illegal with walking down the street holding a flower, and if there's no obvious evidence the flower was stolen, there's not much you can do.

A daffodil in my garden says hi.  

I suppose it's possible somebody will come on my property and steal flowers, but it's in an impractical place to steal, so I'll just have to contend with the insects and the little varmint animals that occasionally damage my plants. And my dog Jackson, who recently decided some of my daffodils weren't yellow enough, so he peed on some of them.

I also must credit New York Times writer Jennifer Steinhauer with her way with words in her report on the flower thievery in Washington. You can't beat her references to thief's "ill gotten begonias" and "one-man flower power grab."

Anyway, I hope they catch the Washington DC flower thief and stop him before somebody drives a garden spade through his heart.