That is awful I hope this link will help you, I had some one try a few years ago dig a large Yucca up from my front garden at midnight, I showed him I saw who he was and he soom left quickly up the road, hope you get some that you can get put in in time for winter.

http://www.bonsai4me.com/SpeciesGuide/
AcerPalmatumAdvancedGuide.htm

So sorry to hear that! It seems nothing is sacred these days! I came home from holiday once to find all my fish taken from the pond - not the work of cats or herons, as there was a couple of muddy footprints on the soggy lawn. Not as though they were Koi Carp or anything expensive - just ordinary 2-year-old goldfish. Mindless! Short of concreting plants into the ground there's not a lot that can be done. Hope you find your replacements soon.

Sorry to hear of your theft. Should you be happy that someone saw that you have a lovely garden and wanted it so much that they stole it or should you be angry that someone did it?

Oddly enough I never thought of people stealing from gardens till I read this yesterday:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/8650219/Rose-thief-caught-red-handed-and-shamed-on-internet.html

Check your insurance policy as most now cover gardens. Acers are expensive to buy (not to grow) so I would try the insurance first before shelling out more money.

I'm sorry to hear you've lost such lovely trees. I've also had plants taken out of my garden. "Only" fuchsias in my case, but on three occasions in three different years I've come down to the garden to find a hole where the plant should have been.

It makes you feel gutted, doesn't it? And worried that if you replace them someone (same person / different person?) will do it again. :-(

I'm sorry to hear that. I have suffered thefts and damage on different scales over the course of 2010.

I hope you do not suffer any more thefts or sustain any damage.

Some people are just mindless.

Wow unbeliveable, if its not bolted down eh.
Have you tried the local garden centres or market to see if anyone has been offered them for sale.
I would report it to the police if you haven't just so its logged.

Could be local, someone who walks by your place or someone stealing to order and coming into the area by car.

make sure to mark your replacements so you can recognise identify them

How would you mark the new trees Stevie? Any marking that wouldn't damage the plants could be removed by the thieves I think.

Well maybe a bit of thin clear tape out of sight on one of the stems, or maybe a bit of string round one of the larger roots or a small dot of paint out of sight.
I wonder if a UV pen marking would be weather proof?

A peice of cotton tied under the foilage when it would nt be noticable, the same colour as the tree or plant which would nt stand out.

What a shock to find your trees missing...
One of my hydrangeas was stolen a few years ago ... and a couple of weeks later the thief came back and dug up the other one which was planted nearby... so beware the return of the criminals... can you put up security lights ?

We found security lights didn't deter criminals. They can just see what they're up to better, I reckon. :-(

Lol. Beattie ... CCTV cameras ?
Then the criminals could attempt to win a BAFTA for a good on-screen performance ;o)

BAFTA =

Bagging A Free Tree Again ....

Or you could try my way from vietnam, push small sharpened bamboo canes into the ground with sharp end up, about 4 to 6 inch high, the police said they loved it and told me to sharpen them more hehe.

would you have the pit as well SP? or maybe the one where the tripwire triggers a huge weight and powers a door of spikes to swing round and leaves the thief hanging there. leaving that there would then surely deter anyone else!

Yes or the pit where the bamboo is carved with spikes and one placed at each side across the pit and rotates , once in no getting out and the spikes dig in deeper and rip them apart each time they moved an inch, how clever was Ho Chi Minh