Killed Flowers

[plumtreeblossom]

Somebody tore the head off my Sunflower, then took it up the driveway and trampled it to shreds.

They also trampled some of my Black-Eyed Susans. Given that this street gets hardly any foot traffic except those who live here, I can only guess that it was the snot-nosed brat students who recently moved in downstairs. I also considered the busybody old man next door, but he's very face-to-face caustic and is not a cowardly vandal, and if he'd had a beef he would have banged on the door and yelled at me. I'm pretty sure it was the students.

There's no point in telling my landlord, because he submissively kow tows to whoever is living in that 1st floor apartment. He would just say "PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't confront them!!!!!!! It might make them ANGRY!!!!!!"

If this keeps up, I am tearing every living thing out of that yard, taking away the fence, and it will be the dirt and dry weeds atrocity that it always was before I started gardening it this year. I'll just grow wildflowers in pots on my balcony.

Even if it wasn't the students, it feels completely pointless to create beauty for hateful people to destroy.

EDIT: mud_puppy suggests that maybe it was squirrels, since she lives in this neighborhood and squirrels have eaten her sunflowers for the seeds. That would make sense, and makes me considerably less angry. An animal looking for food is a far cry from vandalism, and has no ill intent. I hope that's what happened, in which case I can just choose flowers other than sunflowers next year.

Comments

[beowabbit]

Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry!

If this keeps up, I am tearing every living thing out of that yard, taking away the fence, and it will be the dirt and dry weeds atrocity that it always was before I started gardening it this year. I'll just grow wildflowers in pots on my balcony.

Even if it wasn't the students, it feels completely pointless to create beauty for hateful people to destroy.

Darling love, I’ve enjoyed those flowers every single time I’ve been over to your house since they started blooming. No way it was a waste!

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Thank you, love, and I'm so glad you enjoy my flowers as much as I enjoy yours. *kiss*

[chienne-folle.livejournal.com]

That's awful! I'm so sorry!

*hug*

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Thanks much. After I calmed down, I decided I shouldn't let the terrorists win.

[mud-puppy.livejournal.com]

Perhaps it wasn't your downstairs neighbors at all? It could've been a squirrel. They'll happily eat the seeds of a sunflower given the opportunity, and they are certainly opportunists :)

I had a problem with squirrels eating my sunflowers when I had a garden at my old place. I would come out to find the flower heads removed and on the ground half-way across the driveway.

That said, even if it was someone walking by, is it worth removing the beauty from your life because they don't appreciate it? I think life would be pretty miserable if we all just stopped creating beauty because other people are idiots. *shrug* Just my two cents.

Sorry this happened to you. I know how disappointing it feels to put so much work and love into something and then have it trampled. *hug*

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Wow, the squirrel thing never even occured to me! Well, we certainly have lots of squirrels around here, and bold ones at that. Jay and I shared our breakfast muffins with one on my balcony not long ago. If a squirre did it, I'm not so upset, since a hungry animal looking for food isn't "vandalism" per se. There's a brand new sunflower about to open on the other side of the lawn. We'll see if the same thing happens!

[dietrich.livejournal.com]

I was going to suggest this too - sounds like the doing of some animal.

[joyeous.livejournal.com]

I would say something to the neighbors. I wouldn't say it in an accusatory way, because it might not have been them. But if you say something like "Did you see what happened to our flowers? I can't believe somebody would do that!" Stress the word "our"because it is their yard too and maybe that will give them something to think about. See how they react. They may be shocked and upset too if it wasn't them. You'll be able to tell if they're lying. And if they look at each other and laugh, well that's pretty damning evidence. And then you have every right to go off on them and threaten to report them to the police if it happens again.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

mud_puppy suggested it might actually have been a squirrel, which never occured to me. They ate her sunflowers for the seeds. I hope now that I jumped the gun and was too quick to blame the neighbors...

[ron_newman]

Is this something that a carelessly unleashed dog could do? Or a cat?

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Yep, my thinking now is that maybe it was squirrels wanting the seeds. That would make perfect sense, and I can't really fault the squirrel for looking for food, I guess.

[beowabbit]

That makes me feel a lot better now! I was also wondering whether it might have been accidental -- maybe they cut it a little too close pulling into the driveway and it was clipped by the car or something.

[oneagain.livejournal.com]

My bet's with the squirrel.

Are you familiar with Buddhist sandpaintings? They make these beautiful pictures out of sand, only to see them destroyed as an exercise...