Plant theft is growing — here's how you can foil the criminals

Times

2 days ago

Britain is facing a plant theft epidemic, with more than two thirds of gardeners falling victim as thieves target prized trees, shrubs and flowers, new research reveals.
A study of 2,000 people in June found 67 per of gardeners have experienced plant theft, with nearly half (47 per cent) believing it's becoming more common in their area.
Londoners are hardest hit, with 76 per cent reporting plant theft, followed by Northern Ireland (70 per cent) and Wales (69 per cent).
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'People have realised plants aren't just a green backdrop. They're valuable,' says James Wong, an ethnobotanist, TV presenter and four-time RHS medal winner at the Chelsea and Hampton Court flower shows. 'It's like stealing art. You need to know what's a Picasso and what's an Ikea print. You need a certain amount of knowledge to know which ones are of high value.'
Fuelled by a post-pandemic gardening boom and steep price hikes, plants have become prized commodities.
Plant prices are expected to increase in the coming months due to a combination of factors from rising production costs, increased demand, and potential shortages. Two thirds of plant growers and garden retailers also plan to raise prices this year, according to HortWeek.
Prices have also soared due to increased demand and supply chain disruption following Brexit. Many of the UK's outdoor plants are imported from various European countries, but doing so now involves extra red tape and costs.
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'Prices have jumped by 20 to 50 per cent in some cases, seen at retail level,' Wong added. 'So the price you would see in garden centres has dramatically increased. That's made them even more attractive to thieves.'
The most commonly targeted plants are those both high in value and easy to lift. Tree ferns can sell for £1,000 each, and even a hanging basket can fetch up to £100 once fully planted or grouped next to others. Japanese maples, citrus trees in pots, olive trees, and designer hydrangeas all have a high resale value, Wong said.
'People who aren't in the industry often don't realise plants have such value. But to get a tree fern or Japanese maple to that stage takes years of growth, significant skill, and a huge amount of money,' he added.
The emotional toll is just as high. More than a third (38 per cent) of Brits say their greenery is among their most prized possessions, and one in four (27 per cent) even confess they like plants more than people.
Sallie Gurney, who has lived in Stourbridge for 33 years, said she was heartbroken when three lavender plants vanished from her front garden.
'They weren't rare or fancy,' she said. 'I think they were just accessible. It's that attitude now — 'I like that, I'll have it' — whether it's a £5,000 Japanese acer or little lavender plants. There's a real disconnect. No empathy, just entitlement.
'The plants were three years old, and they had only just started flowering and looking nice. I'm disabled and I used to be a very keen gardener. I couldn't think why anyone would take them.
'I nearly put up a sign up in my garden saying, 'Why did you take them? Do you feel good about it?''
After posting about the theft on Facebook, Gurney said she was stunned to see the public response, and is now considering installing a Ring doorbell camera.
'The thing that got me more than anything was how much of a response I had on Facebook. It was just a bit of a throwaway thought, but people saw what had happened and were absolutely appalled,' she said.
'I didn't even think people would notice enough to say, actually, that's really horrible what happened. But people told me not to give up, to keep planting.'
Yet despite the risks, 56 per cent of gardeners admit they don't have insurance to protect against garden theft, even though 61 per cent say they'd feel more secure if they knew their plants were covered. In 2024 insurance company Allianz paid out more than £212,000 to customers for garden theft related theft claims.
'People don't often realise garden insurance is a thing, but plants can be worth more than garden furniture,' Wong said.
'Professional landscapers now use tree anchors, steel cable systems attached to the root ball to stop trees falling over. But they also make them harder to steal. They cost far less than the plant itself, so it's worth it for high-value specimens.'
Leroy Logan, a former police officer, says the best defence is to make gardens less appealing to opportunistic thieves. He advises people to keep prized plants in back gardens and shield them with fences, shrubs or trellis screens. Bark chips and gravel paths can also act as natural alarms by crunching underfoot.
Simple deterrents like thorny hedges or using soil-based potting mix, which makes containers heavier and more difficult to steal, can help too. Logan also suggests tagging high-value plants with UV pens or forensic liquid marked with your postcode. It can help create a trackable link to you and the plants, and a log of photos can also help speed up any police investigations.
Enlisting the help of neighbours is also recommended. Garden watch groups or a tip-off to your local garden centre or horticultural society if something rare goes missing can make all the difference.