Black Iron Fence

Thieves with green thumbs steal plants from park's Cottage Garden

With its hundreds of flowering plants surrounded by a decorative wrought iron fence, the Cottage Garden in Mark Luther King Park is an inner- city oasis.

Lumon Ross visits the garden on a regular basis, as do many residents who live in the Fillmore-Best area. They sit on tree-shaded benches, watching monarch butterflies and admiring the colorful flora.

But as they entered the garden Friday, they saw dozens of holes in garden beds. For the fourth time this summer, bandits had removed many of the plants, taking special care to preserve the root systems. The latest heist occurred Wednesday.

Ross, who heads the Western New York Black Chamber of Commerce, joined officials from the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy in urging residents to be on the lookout.

“This is a people’s park, and it’s up to all of our residents and organizations to be aware and vigilant,” Ross said.

Masten District resident Florentina Dozier said her family frequently visits the picturesque park.

“I think it’s awful,” she said.

The fact that thieves would target such a “gorgeous” community asset is sad, Dozier said.

“This is our neighborhood. We want to keep it nice,” she said.

Richard A. Cummings would like to see the city expand its video surveillance system in the park.

A surveillance camera installed near the Buffalo Museum of Science may have provided some important evidence in the latest plant theft. The camera captured an image of a white pickup with a red canopy, said Otis N. Glover, the conservancy’s strategic initiatives and external affairs officer.

The flower bandits knew exactly what they were doing. They carefully extracted many of the unique plants, which the conservancy grows in greenhouses. The thieves took everything from red eye geraniums and coleus, to different types of hosta plants.

“They were selective,” Glover said. “They knew what they wanted. They were knowledgeable gardeners.”

Conservancy officials and Masten Council Member Demone A. Smith implored residents to immediately contact police if they see suspicious vehicles, noting that vehicles owned by the conservancy are clearly marked.

“We’re really upset about yet another attack on our beautiful historic landscapes,” said Thomas Herrera- Mishler, the conservancy’s president and chief executive officer.

email: bmeyer@buffnews.com Where are the CCTV cameras for crime prevention? Stealing flowers is not the only crime which occurs in parks. It is obvious the thief was a knowledgeable landscaper or gardener and I would not be surprised if he resold the plants. Perhaps the City could ask its trash collection people to watch out what is being dumped into the garbage, as the thief did not only steal one or two plants and their survival is questionable. This however should be another lesson to our City leadership. It does not matter what you try to do in some neighborhoods, it is not meant to be, like the ice skating ring. The local vandals and hoodlums will not permit it. The homeowner who recently had a landscaper plant a large quantity of plants should really do the right thing and drop a dime. He or she knows who they are. In time to come, so will the public. When and if caught, I hope the judge does not reward the thief with jail time, but with public service, to replace and maintain the plants he had stolen, for at least several seasons, revoke his contractor license and make him put up a sign at the park with his name, picture and the crime he had committed. The homeowner who accepted the stolen plants should also have to face the music, if he or she does not come forward and identify the landscaper who sold them the stolen plants. With the news surrounding this theft, no homeowner can act so ignorant, as to claim they were unaware of the theft. I hope these few words will motivate the homeowner to step forward and report their suspicions.