Honesty

[Nyboy]

Have you ever taken a cutting from someones yard with out asking first? What about a public park or along a rode? If a house is going to be torn down for a parking lot , is it ok to remove plantings?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Do you have anything against asking easy questions? Youre straining my ethics.

Have you ever taken a cutting from someones yard with out asking first?

Ive always known my close neighbors so Id ask first. If something is overhanging or intruding on my yard, Id have no qualms about taking cuttings. If its someone I dont know, I wouldnt take a cutting unless its overhanging a sidewalk or something like that. Thats still probably illegal but darn it, they need help trimming it back to keep the sidewalks clear.

What about a public park or along a rode?

Thats bound to be illegal with a risk of getting in trouble, especially in parks. Im not real comfortable doing something like that though Ill admit to taking a few tree seeds once. Dogwood. Darn things did not sprout.

If a house is going to be torn down for a parking lot , is it ok to remove plantings?

Thats a really hard one. That would depend on the circumstances and who owned it. Id go to some trouble to ask first. Its always possible someone who lived there would want some plantings, but if I saw them being torn out and going to be trashed, Id get over and talk to someone. Id have to look at the specific circumstances to decide on that one. I can easily see me taking cuttings, but digging up plantings is a whole nother level.

 

[digitS']

Probably not . . .

I have heard property owners complain about folks showing up as soon as they think that no one wants something and just taking it. The homesite to parking lot - might there not be some plans for the church group to show up and dig the bulbs? I don't know but the owner own what is there until the crack of doom . . . or, whatever it takes with hard cash to pry them off of it!

Take cuttings from a park??! Perish the thought! Why, there are people there to take care of that plant! We are allowed to show up whenever we want and enjoy it. Why take on the burden of its care?

You know Nyboy! If you don't mind - I'd like to post something about a product called Honest Tea. No, no - it is really labeled that way. I came across a little thing about it the other day and IT IS JUST FOR FUN. Really. But, I won't say anymore about the product if you'd prefer this to not drift off-topic but to just stay with cuttings and such.

Steve

 

[TheSeedObsesser]

Well, I guess I have been involved in illegal activity before!

I have taken Mimosa seeds and various tree nuts from a park before. The Mimosa seeds did great! No luck with the nuts, that could be because of the squirrels. I have taken Tiger Lily bulbils from an apparently abandoned house before. I had those sprouting before my dad compromised the entire mission by taking the plastic cover off.

 

[canesisters]

If it is someone's home, etc - I ask if they will give me a piece.
If it is obviously an abandoned place (like the little falling down 'house' here at the landfill) I have no qualms about 'rescuing' plants.
Or if it is a place, like the house-to-parking lot, I would think that the growing things there are without value to the owners - BUT if I couldn't contact the owners I would have to pass... The place is obviously 'owned' by someone who is aware of it and using it and I wouldn't want to tresspass or something.
If it is a public garden, I freely take pictures as a reference for what I want to purchase for my own garden.
If it is a road side with no apparent ownership...... hummm... haven't had that come up - what would you do?

 

[Nyboy]

Steve feel free to post about your tea. I never really had luck with cuttings, while I would not enter someones yard, I think growing over sidewalk is fair game. I have found most gardeners if you ask about a plant would be happy to share. I want the wild forum of Joe pyeweed it grows much larger then the one for sale at nurserys. Every summer I see it growing along the highway here. I am tempted to stop and dig some up, but the thought of getting caught and then having it put in the local paper stops me.

 

[canesisters]

I'll be doing fence clearing in the next couple of weekends ( whenever it dries up enough to not suck my boots off). There is something growing out there that looks just like the pictures when I googled it. I'll send you a bit - lets hope it's not something you'll be cussing me over in the spring.......

 

[digitS']

Local Paper?!

Wow! I hope no one would show up at your front door with pitch forks & torches at sundown!

Okay. I hope this is fun .

There are lots of "tests" on the internet. I pay zero attention to most and you don't need to take the test - it is for fun as the Honest Tea people say. Couldn't get much further from a scientific test of honesty. To test honesty, a social scientist would have to do something to control variables right down to measuring distance between the cracks in the sidewalk, or something. But, I mean, they set up their little tea kiosks in all 50 states!!

Scroll all the way down to near the bottom of the page and see what the Honest Tea "researchers" found. They probably had quite a bit of fun with it too. And . . . they didn't lose many bottles of unpaid-for tea :

http://thenationalhonestyindex.com

Steve

 

[journey11]

Great topic for conversation there!

I've never taken anything from someone's yard without their knowledge. My neighbors are always offering me starts off of things. A lot of people will gladly hook you up if you just ask.

But I did take a small piece of a pretty red coleus from a public place once. I didn't think it was really stealing, until my 6 year old told me I stole it and I really couldn't come up with a good reply that would hold water! She has brought it up several times..."oh, that's the plant you stole, isn't it Mommy"...cringe, shake my head and slink away. LOL

Now on the third one...OH SO TEMPTING. I would like to know the collective moral opinion on that one as well! There is an empty lot behind my dentist's office that used to be a nursery and there are several very sad-looking, root-bound, abandoned trees and bushes...like poor little stray kittens...just begging me to take them home. The lot is not fenced or posted. They've been there maybe two years! And still they persevere. I don't know but what it would be almost wrong NOT to take them home.

ETA: On the roadside...well, yep...several times. It is very rural here, with long stretches of woodland or pasture, lots of curvy little country backroads. I've been known to pick berries or flowers from along the road if I can find a good spot to pull over. These are always wild plants, not anything anyone has cultivated or anything most people would consider to have any real value. When we were little, one of my mom's favorite pasttimes was driving backroads and making us kids jump out of the car to dig wild roses, flag lilies and other plants for her. To some limit, the state road owns the rightaway through there anyway. Not technically "right", but certainly leaves a lot of gray area...

 

[digitS']

Well Journey,

"Collective" you say so I can throw my 2 in again. If this dentist office is in West Virginia, the honesty index suggests that you can trust your own judgement.

I mean, you are also female. Any chance you are a blonde??

Steve