Thieves hit Tom Spencer's former garden
When “Central Texas Gardener” host Tom Spencer sold his well-known garden (and home) recently, many Austinites mourned its passing and the chance to see it again. Tom had generously shared Possumhaw Hollow with the public over the years through garden tours and his beautiful photos at Soul of the Garden (one of the early garden blogs that inspired me to begin blogging myself).
Tom was lucky enough to find buyers for his mid-century ranch, a couple who treasured the garden too. Unfortunately, the new owners’ luck ran out the day after Christmas, when someone entered the back garden and stole “a number of garden items, including garden benches, garden art, landscape lighting, and planters,” according to Statesman garden writer Renee Studebaker at Renee’s Roots, confirmed in a post by Tom at Soul of the Garden (scroll down to December 30).
This makes my blood boil. According to Renee’s post, the new owners believe the thief knew the garden and what it contained, and Tom also suspects the thief had previously toured the garden. Or maybe someone simply “cased” the garden through Tom’s blog or the many published pictures of it over the years.
It disturbs me to think that someone who loves gardens enough to tour them and/or read about them online would violate someone’s garden like this. Tom had many unique pieces of garden sculpture and nice garden benches. I don’t know exactly which items were stolen. We gardeners need to watch out for each other. Surely someone in the neighborhood saw something that day: a truck parked outside Tom’s former house, someone wheeling a dolly with potted plants or carrying a garden bench. Or maybe in days to come you’ll see one or more of these items in someone’s garden, a “Christmas present” recently acquired.
Renee writes that the new owners, Jason and Aria Kilpatrick, are “offering a reward for information that leads to the return of the stolen items.”
Following are more images of Possumhaw Hollow taken during a tour of Tom Spencer’s garden in May 2008.
A hideaway nook, created with a semi-circle of possumhaw hollies, gave the garden its name, Possumhaw Hollow. It anchors one end of the transverse axis of the garden.
Just outside the hollow, this pyramidal boxwood parterre and the bald cypress allee behind it exert a magnetic pull from the elevated vista of the patio. Explore me, cries this path.
Obligingly, we strolled down the allee as I explained to my DH, like a tour guide, that Tom planted the double line of bald cypresses to evoke the beauty of the cypress-lined Hill Country rivers he fell in love with when he moved here. We marveled over how much the trees had grown since we’d last seen the garden a couple of years ago.
In a circular node at the end of the allee, this vignette begs you to pause for a moment to observe.
One of the garden’s beautiful collection of religious statuary.
Tucked among lush native palms, a Buddha head contributes to a tropical feel along the south fence.
‘Santa Rita’ prickly pear
Another sculpture in the labyrinth
Emerging from the labyrinth through an arched trellis, the path draws you toward a long, rectangular pond, centered along the same axis.
Water lilies were blooming.
Dwarf papyrus added its pretty chartreuse green and pincushiony texture.
Another meditative sculpture
Working our way back to the center of the garden, we found the conversation room, as Tom calls it. This beautiful agave backed by pink-blooming salvia grew nearby.
The conversation room and a sharkskin agave
A miniature Zen garden amid the southwestern natives. Contemplative spaces and vignettes abound in Tom’s garden.
All material © 2006-2009 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Oh no! That is terrible. I hope they catch the person/people responsible.
I hope the universe kicks some serious karmic boo-tay. Evil!
How terrible. I wonder what chance there is of catching the culprits. I never managed a visit to his garden so enjoyed seeing the photos you took on the tour.
I wouldn’t say there is much doubt about the thieves having been there before. But surely lots of people were around on a Saturday?
What a horrible shock for the poor owners.
Wooow… that’s really really horrible. It had to have been more than 1 person. I imagine it would be hard to carry one of those benches solo. Theft never makes sense especially when it’s meaningful personal items.
What kind of person would do something like that?
Things like this make me so mad! I hope they get caught and dealt with Texas-style. The photos were gorgeous and Mr. Spencer had obviously made a beautiful and special space. Too bad some crooks couldn’t keep their hands off!
Christine in Alaska
Beautiful photos…..it always amazes me what people think they can just take! They just can’t be fellow gardeners….gardeners do not have criminal minds….I hope….
Some people in this world make me so angry. It is horrible that someone would want to hurt what is obviously a gorgeous garden like that. Very disappointing to hear about and I hope they do get some leads.
Jake
Perhaps they bumped into the Sharkskin Agave or maybe Santa Rita reached out and touched them and painful, life threatening infections will result.
Tom’s blog is one of the first blogs I ever read. I hate that someone broke into the garden and stole items. The new owners must be devastated.
What a shame.
Unconscionable! Thanks for the images though. This is a beautiful garden.
I do hope the criminals are caught! Theft of any kind is terrible, but the taking of garden furniture is so specialized that I would think the thieves had something in mind for those items. As such, I hope they reveal a trail back to the items and are caught.
This is one of those incidents that makes us all weary about revealing too much about ourselves and where we live. It is one of the reasons why I don’t say when “I’m on vacation” in my blog until I return. I even schedule posts for the days that I’m gone to make it look like I’m still around.
Cameron
What a shame that there are that kind of people. Karma needs to pay them a visit.
Pam, that is horrible news. With any luck someone will find the items and catch the thieves. The items are pretty unique so everyone local should take a look at the website as it might be possible to see the items around town. What Janet said, “Karma needs to pay them a visit”.
That is so sad. I can’t imagine what kind of person could do that, but if people can steal flowers from graves I guess they are capable of doing just about anything.
People are amazing sometimes…but I truly believe karma will have it’s way with those types of people and that thought gives me some sort of comfort…thank you for the beautiful tour – I love his ‘Conversation garden’…I wish I could sit there right now with a steaming hot cup of coffee! Gorgeous photos!
That makes me ill. I wonder if the thieves were people who visit houses that are for sale & look for things inside & outside to steal to sell, rather than gardeners, or people on garden tours.
Unbelievable! I’m glad this theft is getting wide coverage in the media. I’m sure this isn’t the first time that a garden has been targeted by thieves, but it’s a situation (and opportunity) that I don’t think most folks recognize. Another reason to know your neighbors and create a true community to live in.
Thanks for the lovely photos! A refreshing escape from my cold, snow-covered landscape.
How totally awful! I hope they do recover them. It sounds like the person(s) knew exactly what they were looking for.
Inspiring photos-esp as my new garden will be going in in a few weeks!
What a shame.
It does seem they were pretty specific about the things they took. How could they walk out with two large benches, with nobody seeing them? I hope they catch them.
What a tragedy. It is such a beautiful garden.
That is just so sad! There are certainly cold, heartless, and evil people in our midst. This sort of thing has occurred to me as a possible draw back to garden blogging. But we can’t live in fear can we? Please keep us updated on any news of the thieves being caught.
I am so very sorry for Tom. He’s such a nice man, and what an amazing garden he has. I will head over to offer my condolences.
That second Mary makes me want one like it. Very Hispanic. Very beautiful, and your photo captured it perfectly.~~Dee
Somebody shares their garden with the public and then somebody else thanks them by stealing some of it. That sucks. I’d hate to think that any of us who share our garden worlds, either on a blog or in a garden tour, might have to think about microchipping our plants and accessories.
Sadly theft is fuelled by people in search of a bargain. It fell off a truck (after they attacked the driver). And these receivers of stolen goods will be deprived of the true pleasure of telling their friends ‘This bench came from Tom Spencer’s garden’ They will have to insist it just looks as if it is stolen!
The irony is that those cedar benches are found in gardens all over Austin. For many years a local nursery sold them, as well as matching chairs and tables, and I think they can still be found at the Antique Rose Emporium. So unfortunately it would be very hard to identify the stolen benches as being from Tom’s former garden. —Pam
That is just crummy. I’ve never visited Tom’s garden, but I’ve visited his web site for years.
The sad thing is, thieves could care less that an item may have significant sentimental value and can never be replaced.
I purchased a book about the placement of garden ornaments to create perspective, and even the book makes mention that heavy items have and are stolen by thieves.
Let’s face it though, how can you “tie down” a sculpture or a pot? Furthermore, you shouldn’t have to!
Even the uniqueness of an item doesn’t guarantee it will be identified. What a pity for the new owners.
I hope my stuff is too ulgy for anyone to take. 😉
Really hard to believe noone saw anything! There must have been at least 2 people, and a truck to fit it all in. It’s hard to imagine someone thinking he could even get away with something so outrageous.
Lovely pictures. Its amazing the neck of some people. I can understand (but not condone ofcourse)some one who steels a loaf of bread as it is means of survive, but garden ornaments!!!!