A homeowner was horrified to come home one day to the sight of a beloved, decades-old Monstera plant ruthlessly hacked to pieces by their estate gardener.
"I'm fuming," they wrote in a Reddit post, sharing a photo of the destroyed plant.
Commenters immediately jumped in, irate. "What?!?! They just cut it down?? What the hell!" one person wrote. "This is not ok!"
Another advised gathering as many pieces of the remaining plant as possible.
"Propagate even the smallest chunk!" they encouraged. "That thick stem will make for good sized babies that will grow to the original leaf size in like a year or so depending on your care."
Another echoed the sentiment, saying, "It's just amazing how little of a plant you need to grow a plant."
The OP responded that they had gathered as many cuttings as they could salvage. "Hopefully they turn out well," they wrote. "I'm so hurt."
Unfortunately, this is just one of countless examples of wanton destruction on the part of neighbors, HOAs, landlords, and unauthorized gardeners. And while the damage is not always intentional — such as a neighbor's spraying pesticides that blow over on the wind — in this case, the plant was clearly hacked down with a machete, the OP said.
"Machete? I would be choosing absolute violence right now," one commenter said, stunned. "I'd write out a ridiculous list that itemizes every single thing it would cost to fix that spot. Get it quoted by a landscaping company. …. New monstera of exact size, new soil, new fertilizer, with everything it needs to restore to the exact value of the previous addition to your property. Including labor, tools, time away from your job. … Then plop that down on the responsible party's desk and demand it be settled."
🗣️ Should HOAs be able to force homeowners to change their yards?
🔘 Absolutely not 💯
🔘 Yes — it's part of the deal 🤝
🔘 Only in extreme circumstances 🏚️
🔘 We should ban HOAs 🚫
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
This is how disputes of this nature are generally resolved when trees are cut down; while there are specific laws surrounding trees, many states allow the inclusion of vegetation as personal property. And other times, landlords simply want to avoid being sued.
Others emphasized this course of action. "I second this, it IS worth your time to make this right," one said. "Not only to restore your property, but to hold them accountable so this doesn't happen to someone else."
Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
