$1000 worth of plants, including a very rare Leucothoe fontanesiana, have been stolen from Gore's Public Gardens.

Gore District Council (GDC) staff had found the theft of 35 plants to be soul-destroying, according to the council's social media page.

A fully grown Leucothoe fontanesiana, also known as a Drooping Leucothoe or Upland Doghobble. A native to USA's south, is a broadleaf evergreen shrub that grows up to 2m tall.

Police have been given a list of the stolen species and quantities.

Anyone who saw any suspicious activity at the gardens or has been offered plants for sale from dubious sources is asked to call the Police.

The public gardens are the venue for the town's annual Gore Rhododendron Festival, which will be held this year on Sunday 29th October.

A GDC spokeperson said the festival would not be affected by the thefts.

Meanwhile Gore's Bannerman Park became home to some of the rarest species of rhododendron in the world, when 40 species of rare and endangered rhododendrons were planted as part of a Pukieti Rhododendron Trust project to protect the plants in May 2022.