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The Christchurch Botanic Gardens have been the victims of a plant craze that spans the entire country.
A variegated monstera, a rare and sought-after plant in New Zealand, was stolen from a safe place in the garden’s orchid house last weekend.
Christchurch resident Bridget Rennie said Stuff she took a friend to visit her “dream plant” on Thursday.
Unable to find the plant, he asked a staff member, who struggled to tell him it had been stolen.
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“She was fighting back tears, it was just horrible.”
Rennie estimated that a plant cut could be worth $ 3,000.
Rennie, a plant lover who has more than 200 plants in her house, encouraged the thief to return them to her. If anyone saw cuttings sold online, they should alert gardens, she said.
“The leaves are like fingerprints, no two are alike. It is a very rare and very slow growing plant. I only know two people who own that plant.
“I’m angry, I’m disappointed, I’m really sad, every emotion you can imagine.”
Beth McSherry / Stuff
The rare monstera that has been stolen from the Christchurch Botanical Gardens.
Wolfgang Bopp, director of the Botanical Gardens, said Stuff the thief had scaled a high wall of safety glass during the day and it would have been “quite athletic” to do so.
He did not want to share more details about the execution of the robbery, as the police were investigating.
The grounds are in the midst of the installation of security cameras, but the cameras were not yet operational.
Monstera are not rare around the world, but they are hard to come by in New Zealand due to strict biosecurity laws.
The “particularly nice” variety of the stolen plant made it unusual and even more attractive to thieves, Bopp said. He had been growing up for three years and was popular with the public.
“What I find sad is because of the selfishness of one or two individuals that we can no longer share this plant with the public. I was there to enjoy it. “
Bopp said gardens had noticed an increase in the collection of plants or cuttings, as interest in houseplants in New Zealand grew. The robbery was very disappointing for staff and volunteers, he said.
“We cannot be everywhere all the time. We do not want to enclose everything, we only ask that people do not damage or remove the plants. We are here to educate the public about plants and it’s a shame we can’t do that anymore. “
The growing interest in indoor plants has led to a rise in prices, as well as online scams. Trade Me recently hit a new record for home plant prices – a mixed low that sold for $ 8,150.
