By Michael Morton
Hydrangeas, which can come in pink, purple, blue and white fist-sized balls, begin blooming around July 4 and continue to do so all summer long. The blossom burglars appear to be careful not to damage the plants, as they often come back to the same spot for future illicit harvests.
“These guys are good,” said DeFranceschi's husband, Bruno, president of the North Bellerose Civic Association. “They're not ruining anything, just cutting the flowers.”
Nevertheless, the DeFranceschis and other victims around northeast Queens are annoyed at the loss of their blossoms, which provide a touch of color and beauty to area homes.
The Bellerose couple said the hydrangeas, which last longer than other flowers when cut and dry well for preservation, have been taken from area yards for the last 10 years, although they are not sure why the thefts began. Lucy DeFranceschi recalled seeing a man back then stop near a neighbor's house and put clipped hydrangeas into a pool of water in the back of his pickup truck, which had Massachusetts license plates.
At Hillside Nursery & Garden Center, co-owner Rich Scordo of New Hyde Park said reports of flower thieves had become an annual constant and were for some reason concentrated in northeast Queens communities.
“It's like a mystery of Glen Oaks,” Scordo said, adding that a hydrangea blossom could be sold for $1 to $3 apiece wholesale.
“They are expensive,” he said. The flowers last four to six weeks in arrangements and are popular at weddings and communions, leading to high demand. They are also often dried and featured in Thanksgiving settings, Scordo said.
But while hydrangea thefts are more common, the horticulture purveyor had an expensive, brand-new bush ripped out of his yard.
“I'm a victim as well.” Scordo said.
The garden thefts were brought up at a community meeting with the 105th Precinct June 30, but police said there was not much they could do.
“This has been going on for years,” said Pete Dwyer, a community affairs officer, noting that the thefts occurred from Brooklyn to the tip of Montauk. “We don't have the resources to put a cop in front of every bush.” If caught, the thieves would at the most face trespassing or petty larceny charges, he said.
To guard their flowers, some people have put bells on the plants, Scordo, the store owner, said.
“You hear all sorts of crazy things,” he said.
In the DeFranceschis' neighborhood, one woman put rose thorns in her hydrangeas to deter thieves without much luck, the couple said.
“We might have to stand guard next year,” Bruno DeFranceschi joked.
Reach reporter Michael Morton by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by calling 718-229-0300, Ext. 154.
