Brookside Gardens, located at 1800 Glenallan Ave. in Wheaton, MD, is experiencing an ongoing issue with exotic fruit theft, according to one of its recent social media posts.
The conservatory, home to a variety of flowering and fruiting plants, has seen several instances where fruits are removed before reaching full ripeness. For example, the papaya (Carica papaya) plant, which normally develops over five fruits in more than a year, has been left without a single mature fruit. Similarly, the cacao tree (Theobroma cacao), once thriving with abundant fruit, now displays a scarred trunk resulting from the premature ripping off of its produce.
The removal of fruits before reaching maturity not only damages the plants physically by stripping away parts of the bark– thereby increasing their vulnerability to diseases– but also compromises the educational purpose of the garden. Visitors lose the opportunity to see these exotic plants go through their complete life cycle, a process that the horticulturists have painstakingly nurtured over many years.
Brookside Gardens is urging visitors to appreciate the natural beauty and rarity of these plants by reserving their interactions to photography only, in order to preserve the health of the living collection and maintain its educational value for all.
Commenters on the social media post expressed outrage and sadness over the theft and damage to plants at Brookside Gardens, suggesting measures like cameras, motion sensor sprinklers, and fencing to prevent future incidents.
