Botanists and volunteers have expressed their disappointment for the entire community after thieves stole about 30 plants from Melton Botanic Garden last week.
A variety of Mediterranean and southern African plants were uprooted from the gardens overnight last Tuesday. It’s the latest in a spate of thefts and vandalism at the gardens in recent months.
Friends of Melton Botanic Garden president John Bentley said the whole community loses out when such incidents occur.
“We’ve had a bit of vandalism whether it be of signage or graffiti … the council does a wonderful job of cleaning it up so that we can just get on with our work,” Mr Bentley said.
“People are really disappointed and especially because it’s been the work of volunteers that has been ruined.
“The difficulty is that when the plants are taken like this, they’re unlikely to survive or they grow very big and out of control in someone’s garden.
“It’s disappointing that someone’s had to stoop to that instead of just going and buying their own plants.”
He encouraged the public to keep a lookout for any suspicious activity around the garden.
“If you see anyone stealing plants from Melton Botanic Garden please let the police, council and the friends group know,” Mr Bentley said.
“We attract visitors and admirers from all over and it’s surprising that we’ve received so much support from those people after the most recent theft.”
Mr Bentley said police were investigating.
Volunteers are always needed and are welcome to help maintain the gardens.
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