Money in the garden

According to the Association of British Insurers, one in seven gardens were targeted by robbers in 2006. Police statistics reveal that claims of over one million garden thefts a year are not exaggerated.

Some insurance companies are circulating stories of homeowners returning home to find an entire lawn rolled up and taken away.

Metropolitan police in London have gone so far as to list prickly shrubs on their website that are suitable as barrier hedges. They include blue spruce, holly, firethorn and shrub rose.

Think the problem is confined to British soil? Several years ago I strolled about the Memorial University of Newfoundland’s Botanical Gardens with head gardener Carl White talking about thievery.

In the Gardens, rabbits and moose are perennial problems, however the biggest challenge to rare plants arrives on two feet. A colony of Himalayan Blue Poppy was attacked that year. “These are the gardening fanatics. These are people that know that it’s difficult to grow, that it’s rare here and they really, really want it,” said White. “You should see the old ladies in here going around with their purse open and their thumbnails sharpened right up. Nip, nip, nip,” he laughed.

It bothers him but White says that the situation isn’t as bad as it used to be 10 or 15 years ago when they basically needed security guards. “I think that’s one of the things we’ve done is raise the consciousness of people. So that they say, it’s not right to do that, leave it for everyone to see.”

The increasing popularity of landscaping and the concept of the ‘outdoor room’ means that North Americans are spending more money than ever before on plants, pots, furniture, garden tools and other garden items. However many do little or nothing to protect their investment against garden crime, and often leave themselves vulnerable to theft and vandalism.

Ken Myers, the second vice president of the Insurance Brokers Association of Nova Scotia, says most policies do include some sub-limit for landscaping or shrubs but that the amount could vary a great deal amongst carriers. “There's a lot of different insurers in Nova Scotia who underwrite homeowner's insurance policies,” he said. “Some people may have very little coverage. Tell them to talk to their broker,” he advised.