"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The message
from "Rupert" contains these words:

I doubt it was lifted by a gardener because they don't do that sort of
thing
or do they?

I'm afraid they do; it's become a major hazard in many gardens open
to the public and some people are absolutely shameless about it. I'm
not talking cuttings and seeds, but entire shrubs and plants. You can
even buy anti-thief security-planting underground anchors for rare and
expensive plants , but they have to be installed at planting time afaik.

Janet

The plant anchor thingy works as detailed on the link below. It might be
very effective but I don't think it would work very well with a tree fern.
There is not really any rootball on the plants as supplied so there is no
point using it.
I will dig up one of the larger specimens and see if it has produced a
rootball in the last six years.
http://www.topiaryshop.co.uk/plantanchor.html