Are you a 'sitting duck' for some unscrupulous gardener to heist your plants? And if so, what on earth are you going to do about it?

It's not like you can safely secure each plant to the ground with a padlock and key. Nor would your garden look attractive with lengths of barbed wire or electric fence. And while these options border on the extreme, gardeners are now looking for measures to safeguard themselves from garden theft.

Unfortunately it's no longer a rarity to see a recently landscaped garden devoid of plantings that were in place the day before. Once the landscaper has moved on it appears to be open season on plants and those looking for a quick garden makeover move in. Less than 10 minutes later gaping holes appear across the landscape and the offenders are well on their way, possibly saving themselves hundreds of dollars.

For most home gardeners, a heist of this magnitude is quite unlikely. Yet there are gardeners tearing their hair out trying to respond to this growing nuisance - gardeners like Michael Newton. And the result of his dilemma has pushed him into a corner stating, "I have had enough. I will just let the weeds grow now. There is just no point."

Any gardener can understand his frustration as there are few options available to secure ourselves from garden theft. Obviously the area you live in, the type of plants you have recently positioned and whether your garden is obscured to the general public all contribute to the possibility of becoming a victim to plant theft. Yet each of these are not easily overcome.

Sure, you could move but that's never easy and won't guarantee that the area you move into won't change over the years. You could even plant more common, cheaper plants but how boring would that be? Or, you could open your garden up so that 'all-and-sundry' can have a squizz and lose your privacy in the meantime.

Here's a few gardening tips for those not wanting to suffer at the hands of plant theft;

1. Aim sensor lights towards your most recently acquired plants. Sensor lights (aff.) can flood your garden with light the moment an intruder enters the property or heads to your plant.
2. In the same vein, although far less efficient at deterring humans than animals, is the Scarecrow Sprinkler(aff.). While this may annoy the would-be thief it may not be enough to distract them from their intent. Plus, unless you're a light sleeper who wakes the moment your retic turns on, you're probably unlikely to be aroused with the sprinkler than a set of sensor lights.
3. Keep a guard dog. While this is a great option for keeping intruders at bay, having a dog in your prized garden can wreak its own set of problems.
4. Stake your plants. Plants that are positioned and have been tied to a stake, or set of stakes, are less likely to attract the interest of a plant thief - but then again, it all depends on what that plant is.

After a month or two, your plant's roots should have secured it in place and also made it a less likely target. However, if a thief plans to steal one, or more, of your plants there isn't a whole lot you can do about it.

There are no simple answers to this dilemma but it would appear that gardeners are going to have to find some. And sooner rather than later.