Lexington plant nursery hopes to recover thousands of dollars in stolen plants
The owner of a local plant nursery is hoping to recover thousands of dollars in rare plants after someone broke into their business and stole the products.
The reported theft happened at Wilson Nurseries on Palumbo Drive over the weekend. Jennifer Wilson, owner of the nursery, said the suspects broke into a greenhouse containing rare and unusual plants. Management noticed the burglary right away Sunday when it was colder than usual in the greenhouse.
Multiple plants from the rare collection were stolen. Wilson estimated the plants that were stolen were valued at approximately $5,000.
Some of the plants stolen were monstera deliciosas, hoyas, monstera adansonii, philodendron, epipremnum pinnatum and syngonium podophyllum.
“It’s a small part of what we do, but they are definitely more valuable plants,” Wilson said.
Lexington police confirmed to the Herald-Leader that they were investigating. They said they received the report Sunday and determined that one or more suspects broke into the business overnight.
Wilson said the detective on the case has made progress. Based on the fact that only rare plants were stolen, Wilson suggested the perpetrator might have been a part of the plant community, or at least knew what they were doing.
“That’s the troubling part,” Wilson said. “We put some trust in the plant community, and that trust seems to be violated, and it isn’t a good feeling.”
Police said they received a report of a burglary at Wilson Nurseries on Palumbo Drive Sunday. Investigators determined a suspect or suspects broke into the business either late Saturday evening or early Sunday morning.
The greenhouse has already undergone temporary repairs to protect the remaining plants inside from cold temperatures. It will take a while to completely fix the greenhouse since they’ll need to order necessary supplies like polycarbonate, Wilson said.
“Especially in this time, you don’t just get that overnight because of supply chain issues and that sort of thing,” Wilson said.
Wilson said they’re evaluating the company’s procedures and protocols and determining whether changes need to be made.
In a Facebook post, Wilson Nurseries asked customers to report any listings of the stolen plants on online marketplaces, such as Facebook Marketplace.
“Keep in mind, there are law abiding plant lovers who do sell these plants, so it’s most suspicious if someone is selling multiple of the following, or a first-time seller,” Wilson Nurseries wrote in the Facebook post.
Police said Wednesday the investigation was still ongoing. Anyone with information about this case can call Lexington police at (859) 258-3600. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Bluegrass Crime Stoppers by calling (859) 253-2020, online at www.bluegrasscrimestoppers.com, or through the P3 Tips app available at www.p3tips.com.
