The former curator of a large park here in Vancouver tells me that when they
put out new Rhododendrons they had gardeners strip all of the blooms for the
first few years, until they got big enough to be a bit hard to steal, otherwise
they would have gone home in someone's trunk.

I figure plant theft, at least from your garden, should be punishable by
burying the miscreant up to his chin in a dung heap on a hot day!