As my husband was outside grilling last night and I was typing away at my desk, a guy down the street came over. He asked us if we had noticed any activity next door. Our neighbors in Land Park often go on extended vacations in the summer. These people travel a lot. Apparently, they asked this guy to water and tend to their gardens.
I peered over the fence. Somebody had gone into my neighbor's back yard with snippers and cut off most of their roses. We're not talking dead-heading, they just chopped them up and threw the flowers on the ground. At first I thought maybe it was raccoons, because we do have raccoons, and possums, too, in Land Park. But this was a deliberate act by a human.
Good thing I cut our gladiolas last week and brought them indoors. Many of the homes in Land Park sport extensive flower gardens. Although we enjoy having a lot of shade trees in this part of Sacramento, we also love to garden, so you will see flowers wherever there is a spot of sunlight.
I wonder if it was kids. I mean, what kind of person trashes somebody else's flower garden? We're off the beaten path here in Land Park. It's not like we have deranged people wandering down the street in this neighborhood. In fact, we rarely see any traffic. This is a very quiet street tucked away in Upper Land Park.
Whoever did this didn't cut all of the flowers. I imagine they'll be back, so I am keeping a closer eye on my neighbor's house this week. If I catch them, I'll take a photo of them and turn it over to the police.
Photo: Elizabeth Weintraub, gladiolas in July in Land Park
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Certified HAFA Specialist
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Elizabeth Weintraub is an author, home buying columnist for The New York Times-owned About.com, a Land Park resident, and a Land Park real estate agent who specializes in older, classic homes in Land Park, Curtis Park, Midtown and East Sacramento. Weintraub is also a Sacramento Short Sale agent who lists and successfully sells short sales throughout the four-county Sacramento area. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate. DRE License # 00697006.
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Elizabeth - I don't if you have ever heard of this (I hadn't until I heard it) but deer are known to bite off the tops of flowers, especially roses. Although I have never personally seen it, I know people who have. Don't know if you have much deer in Land Park but we do down here and seeing whacked off flower heads is not all that unusual. Irritating and annoying but not necessarily an act of vandalism, at least that wouldn't be my first thought. JMHO
It might be interesting to install a webcam and see if you can capture the culprit(s), Elizabeth! So much of crime seems so nonsensical. Just idiots with too much time on their hands. No neighborhood is immune!
Hey Donne: Well, this would be deer that ran in circles then, LOL. I might miss a few things in my neighborhood but I doubt I'd miss a deer sprinting through a yard.
Hi Myrl: I always have my phone on me, even out in the yard. So, you can bet if I spot any movement next door, my camera feature will capture it.
So how do you guys like my gladiolas? Aren't they gorgeous? My husband picked out those colors!!