Is It Theft?? (flowers, irrigation, landscape, crabgrass)
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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.
Legally, probably. Ethically probably not. Why not ask the manager (email the city, state) or better yet the gardner (when they are there) if you can have a clipping? Otherwise, i wouldn't worry much about it.
1) Someone paid for the construction of that landscape including design, hardscape, irrigation, dirt, ammendments, plants and trees. Not to mention insurance, permits, wages, taxes etc....
2) Someone is also paying for the continual maintenance of that landscape.
3) Would you like it if lots of people took clippings from your plants for free without asking? Are there signs posted in front of your home saying dont take or damage my property?
Don't do it. What if someone saw you and decided they should do it too. What if a child saw you and decided all things public are fair game?
DON'T TAKE THINGS WHICH DON't BELONG TO YOU.
and what is "a little snip"? most public places pay a crew to maintain these planting areas and their job might be compromised because you took "a little snip".
Yikes! My mom is a world class criminal then. She's a world traveler and often takes an interesting leaf right off the plant. Her rule "if it's something that will fall off, like a leaf or a seed, AND you can take it without damaging the plant physically or aestheticly, go ahead." Obviously if there's someone to ask...like it's at a restaurant or business, she asks. But public areas, like traffic medians? No one to ask. And she collected specimens from medians in all sorts of places.
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.
For publicly funded places, I say no. If it is a part of the plant that will fall off, like a seed or a leaf, then again I don't see a problem, but if it is a private establishment, then I think you should ask first.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pitt Chick
If it is not yours, you should not take it... unless you get permission.
If it's a taxpayer funded area, then you kinda are already paying for it.
Now, I don't just walk all over the place and take blooms, seeds, cuttings, etc... from whatever and wherever I want; but 2 yrs ago the public park in my town had the most beautiful (and super stinky!) marigolds planted near a gazebo, and I waited till they deadheaded, and yes I did pluck a seed head, and grew them as a garden barrier last year.
I've also asked neighbors when I see them splitting bulbs, how much they would charge for a few bulbs, and 99% of the time, they just give them to me. Or if they have a cool plant if I could pay for a cutting, etc...
And as far as the English Ivy goes; that stuff is practically impossible to kill, lol! I chop it all to crap every year, and in Spring, it's back again, more annoying than crabgrass or kudzu!
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