My neighbor picks flowers off of our trees/plants in the front yard. The first time we caught her doing this, she told us she uses them for prayer and asked if it was OK.
This is becoming a daily routine. We hardly have any flowers left.
Today, I came out to find a whole branch missing off my plumeria tree.
When asked about it she replied, “I picked a flower, and the branch broke off.” Those branches are very sturdy, the flowers need no force when picked, which makes me believe she did it on purpose.
I’m getting fed up but feel uncomfortable saying something since she uses the flowers for prayer.
What do you think I should do? – Free Flowers
Reading this as a homeowner and avid gardener, I would be pissed- but find myself agreeing with Amy’s advice. Perhaps you could take her a potted geranium (their blooms tend to regrow quickly when plucked). Tell her, “Here is a plant for you as a gift from us. Do not take any more blooms from our yard. You do NOT have permission to do this anymore. Do you understand?” There is no need to explain further. Post a small sign near the edge of your yard saying, “Private Property,” as a little visual reminder that every time she wanders in, she is trespassing
How would you handle such a situation?
Real Life of an MSW 
Tell her not to do it.
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Agreed sometimes you just have to be direct with individuals. Thanks for reading.
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She’s selfish and taking advantage of her neighbor. There’s nothing “Godly” about it. A plant is a generous gesture but I agree she needs to be told to stop doing it.
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I agree she is selfish, and lacks boundaries. The spiritual piece was a twist, but at the end of the day the reason doesn’t matter. The point is she needs to understand boundaries, and needs to be informed the behavior is no longer acceptable.
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Wow! What a gesture,I never thought of this solution.
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I too found this a wonderful solution to such a invasive neighbor.
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We had a problem like this once. We told our neighbor she could pick a few but not all the time and just once in a while so everyone could enjoy the plants. We also reminded her to ask first. Some people don’t understand boundaries and so you have to be the one to set them. She began to accept the boundaries we set for her and all was well until she started wanting to borrow things, lol.
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Boundaries are important because they set basic guidelines of how you want to be treated. I really hope you didn’t let her borrow things…lol
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Actually my husband let her use our vacuum cleaner, but that was the end of it, lol.
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Lol
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