The well-mannered ladies of the Garden Club of Bermuda are known more for their splendid floral and horticultural designs than for rebel tendencies.

But when one of their prized gardens was found to have been draped in multi-coloured crochet patterns by guerrilla artist Ami Zanders, the girls sprang into action.

Deeming the neon sleeves and bright pink pom-poms added to Smith’s Garden, St George’s, “inappropriate” and “tacky”, the club members responsible for the green space took a pair of scissors, cut the crochet carefully from the branches, and duly returned them to their rightful owner in a trash bag.

It may seem harsh to some, but club member Betsey Mowbray defended the move, pointing out that the land, although accessible to the public, is privately owned. The club has looked after the site for years for owners H A & E Smith. Ms Mowbray told The Royal Gazette: “A couple of the ladies working in the garden phoned me as soon as they got home and said, ‘Have you seen it? It looks ridiculous.’

“There were around three trees and a shrub — the trees had a load of pom-poms and to us it just didn’t look right in a garden — it looked a bit tacky. I guess we are purists.

“We were never asked and this is private property.

“To all of us who work in the garden we just felt it was inappropriate, especially as the garden is in a World Heritage Centre.

“We are trying to keep the garden looking like it might have looked many years ago. We did leave one shrub that was done by the artist.”

Ms Mowbray said she would have left the artwork had she realised it was for the Art Walk in St George’s on Friday night.

“I didn’t know, I am sorry about it,” she said.

Ms Zanders said that had she known the gardens were private, she would never have dreamed of “yarn-bombing” the area, as the practice is known.

The private property sign was not erected at the time.

She said: “I thought it was Corporation [of St George’s] property.

“Had they asked me I would have taken it down for them — after all, there I am invading their space with my graffiti, which is what it is.

“I am vandalising their property and they are vandalising my stuff like some kind of hardcore rebels,” she joked. “I wanted to join the Garden Club at one point and I did get to meet some of the ladies and they are very sweet people. They are looking for younger people to join their group and they have a great group.

“We were just trying to create an atmosphere for the Art Walk and thought it looked really pretty — like a little fairy garden.”

Asked how she felt about her work being branded “tacky”, the artist replied:

“I would say thank you. At least I am getting a reaction, which I enjoy, and it is someone’s opinion, which I love. I love the dialogue.”

This is not the first time Ms Zanders work has been removed.

According to an unnamed St George’s shopkeeper, several of her “yarn bombs” have been removed from St George’s by someone believing them to be “possessed by demons”.