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Gotta question. If there aren't any signs posted, is it theft to take clippings or cutting from flowers or plants that are in public places?
For instance, say there are pretty flowers planted in the median of a large street or a nice foliage plant collection in the courtyard of the local city hall? What if a restaurant has large planters outside of their restaurant and they have some nice English ivy trailing out.
Is it stealing to take a little snip? Again, there are no signs posted. Of course, one would never take any clippings from private homes.
Go pay a dollar for a "snip" of something on sale at Walmart.
Anything you take that you do not purchase is theft no matter where it is.
Go and take the cuttings and do the world a favor by planting them. People are posting 'what if everyone were to do that'...well, imagine how beautiful it would be if they did just that.
What's the argument here? That the original plant would dwindle down to almost nothing?
Gotta question. If there aren't any signs posted, is it theft to take clippings or cutting from flowers or plants that are in public places?
For instance, say there are pretty flowers planted in the median of a large street or a nice foliage plant collection in the courtyard of the local city hall? What if a restaurant has large planters outside of their restaurant and they have some nice English ivy trailing out.
Is it stealing to take a little snip? Again, there are no signs posted. Of course, one would never take any clippings from private homes.
If there was a police officer standing there, while you were pinching off a cutting,, or picking the flowers, would you be worried about getting into trouble? Your best bet would be to see if you can find someone to get permission from. I've had some experience with people helping themselves to cuttings, seeds and flowers, from my plants, and yeah....it really pi$$es you off when someone starts "harvesting" your plants without your permission.
Other posters have made really good points here, too. What if everyone did it? Yeah, always best to get permission, whenever possible. Sometimes, you also have to ask yourself, "Do I really want that plant? Hmmm...I'll take a picture, then find a nursery that sells them!" Not only will you avoid causing hard feelings, but you'll be more certain of having a live, healthy specimen...which you can then take cuttings from!
P.S. I lost a 10' tall Viburnum....gorgeous, amazing bush. It was on the outside edge of the property. At the "wrong" time of year, someone helped themselves to some branches off of it. Dirty pruners? Contaminated with a fungus, perhaps? Didn't seal the cuts? Whatever it was, started the "death" process for that plant. Nothing....nothing, has been able to save that plant. Again, because this is how passionate I am about my plants...they are my kids. Most avid gardeners are the same way. You get attached and protective over them. When someone starts poking, pulling or cutting your children....sh*t's gonna hit the fan. LOL
Why not ask? It's not stealing if you ask if you can take a clipping.
Asking is what makes all the difference, in my book. I once asked the landscaping dept. at the city hall if I could have some clippings, and although they gave me a raised eyebrow at first, once they determined I was sincere they were very nice about it. When you are willing to make that sort of effort it shows that the clipping is genuinely important to you, that you know how to take a clipping properly, that you are being respectful of someone else's landscaping. They can watch you to make sure that you've taken the clipping carefully and not damaged their landscaping. They might even do it for you. And if it's an annual, they might even tell you when the landscaping is going to be changed so you can have the plants that are being removed. I got some beautiful coleus plants that way from my HOA gym once.
Gotta question. If there aren't any signs posted, is it theft to take clippings or cutting from flowers or plants that are in public places?
For instance, say there are pretty flowers planted in the median of a large street or a nice foliage plant collection in the courtyard of the local city hall? What if a restaurant has large planters outside of their restaurant and they have some nice English ivy trailing out.
Is it stealing to take a little snip? Again, there are no signs posted. Of course, one would never take any clippings from private homes.
Look at it this way, if it looks like someone put effort into making them look nice you should ask for permission before you snip. But if you are out in the woods and it looks like wild flowers then it's probably okay.
I agree with why not ask. If one doesn't ask and yet one questions...well, what does that tell you?
Also, restaurants...and that would lead into hotels and large businesses, etc....are not publicly owned. And don't get into stock owners feeling they have a right to the landscape.
There are many public parks that treasure their plantings. There are some cities that donate the plantings or sell them to the public very inexpensively when they change the display seasonally.
I know a hotel where there were no flowers outside. There was, however, a giant beautiful bowl about 5' wide. At one time there had been plantings it seems but eventually just dirt. The manager was not given money for flowers but felt there should be some and asked a master gardener friend of his, who herself was struggling financially, to do it as cheaply as possible. And he paid for the work. That included good fresh soil. And taking care of the bowl regularly. He took pride in what he had organized. He picked out cigarettes tossed at the edge. He questioned a few flowers that didn't make it and had the gardener take the issue up with where she bought them and she got fresh flowers in exchange. He had no money nor desire to say "oh well, I don't care about this plant". This relationship has now kept up for several years.
In a few other instances I know of owners of small hotels (even chains) and small businesses who are very careful with every penny and/or who enjoy plants and they take note of how their plantings are doing coming and going. These people even went to pick out the pots and urns. Very hands on.
How then can one feel they can go up to urns and bowls and pots and flowers in places that welcome the public but are not publicly owned but are owned and supported by private people and take something without asking.
And I'm back to my first sentence. If there's a question about taking....why not ask?
For many of the newer cultivars of plants it would be illegal to propagate (reproduce) without paying a fee to the owner of the plant patent. It takes time and money to select and test new varieties and they are therefore patented. Not only are you stealing something that another person or business has ownership rights to, but you are ignoring the patent, which is illegal.
Beyond that, there is nothing that entitles you to take even a tiny piece of the plant. It is not yours. In addition, if it is an heirloom type plant it denies the owner the pleasure of sharing a piece with you, if they should so chose.
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