| Author | Content |
cabrlamo
Alexandria, IN
(Zone 5a)
October 4, 2007
11:36 AM Post #4048055
| I was walking along after a class on a college campus and saw some gorgeous ornamental grass a form of miscanthus sinesis. So I plucked some of the stalk that had gone to seed. I know it will look fantastic in my yard next year. It is a way to grow some great stuff for your landscape without paying the big bucks. But it does pose a slight moral dilemma. The question is- Have you done this and what have you taken?
(I posted a similar message that no one has responded to, so I have changed it a bit.) |
garden6
Lansing, KS
(Zone 5b)
October 4, 2007
12:38 PM Post #4048307
| Cabr~ a seed thief NEVER!... but I am a seed travel agent! I take seeds and jet set them to worlds unknown... in my gardens! ;0) |
paulgrow
Allen Park, MI
(Zone 6a)
October 4, 2007
2:48 PM Post #4048750
| I've been known to notice broken stems on unusual plants and rescue them.
Take them home and start cuttings.
Paul |
kls_01
Champaign, IL
(Zone 5b)
October 5, 2007
1:31 PM Post #4051915
| I haven't gotten the courage to try it...although I've done a great deal of thinking about it...I even considered mildly encouraging my young children to pluck off starts from plants-no one could be angry at a young child for "picking flowers"-but then figured that would be even more immoral. ;)
|
Len123
Adrian, MO
(Zone 6a)
October 5, 2007
9:14 PM Post #4053169
| I think it's fine as long as you don't mind someone coming in your yard picking and plucking. Does this apply only to ornamentals or vegetables and fruits also? |
tucsonjill
Tucson, AZ
(Zone 9a)
October 7, 2007
12:11 AM Post #4056707
| Gotta say, there's a plant on my own community college campus that I covet... I've "liberated" a few cuttings and now some seeds... I would've asked if I had any idea who to ask...
I know, I know... it's a moral dilemma. I guess I feel a little differently about the seeds, because they're just going to fall to the ground and sprout anyway, or birds would scatter them, or whatever. I'm just Mother Nature's little dispersion helper! I felt a little tweakier about taking cuttings, because that is actually damaging the plant, but I did it anyway. |
BrightStar
Chesapeake, VA
October 7, 2007
12:18 AM Post #4056721
| One of the worst things I ever did in this category is that one day I was visiting GreenSprings in northern Virginia, which is sort of a small botanical garden. I noticed a bat-faced cuphrea that had "popped" some of its seedheads all over the concrete walkway. I looked both ways, knelt down, and quickly gathered them up and stuffed them in my pockets.
Then I started feeling guilty. I thought about how it isn't a plant you see every day, and maybe this "plant museum" had plans for those seeds. So...I walked quite a ways and found some officials of the garden, stuttered and sputtered like the guilty person I was that the plant was there, just spilling seeds all over the place, and well, I just wanted them to know! Then I turned and ran out the door.
They looked at me as if I was a nut.
This message was edited Oct 6, 2007 11:23 PM
This message was edited Oct 6, 2007 11:23 PM |
garden6
Lansing, KS
(Zone 5b)
October 7, 2007
4:15 PM Post #4058303
| LOL Brightstar, I can imagine the looks!! |
dmac085
Greensboro, NC
(Zone 7a)
October 7, 2007
4:22 PM Post #4058325
| I harvest seeds anywhere I see em:LOL: I work at a WalMart in sporting goods but have taken home seeds from all sorts of older plants that haven't sold. I also ask for the pots before they throw away those prefilled mixed planters. No sense tossing a good pot, I just make a contribution to Children's Miracle Network for about $5-10 depending on how many pots I take.
I got some native eastern columbine seeds at the NC Zoo and some gorgeous magenta celosia at the drive through at McDonalds:lol: Made it a happy meal for me=) corny but I had to you understand! |
DiamondLady
Lawrenceville, GA
(Zone 7b)
October 8, 2007
10:52 PM Post #4063536
| dmac,
What is a magenta celosia? I tried to find it in the plant files, but couldn't. Is there another name for it?
Thanks,
Dana |
Raggedyann
Lawrenceville, GA
(Zone 7b)
October 8, 2007
11:01 PM Post #4063551
| Ya'll are too funny. I find it best not to try to explain what I was doing if I 'get caught'.
They are just seeds, it's not like we are going to rob the place! LOL
Dmac, I am amazed at the plants at Mc Donald's. Think I'll call and ask who the landscaping company is.
Hey Diamondlady. Nice to see a neighbor here :) I have wheatstraw celosia or birthday candles?? Can't remember and it's too dark to go out and look. |
LouC
Desoto, TX
(Zone 8a)
October 8, 2007
11:05 PM Post #4063562
| Spent the weekend at a B&B in Salado, Texas. Everywhere we went the plants were winding down and producing seed. If there were abundant seed, I took a few. Sometimes the seed is important in keeping the plant going the next year in the same place...sometimes not. |
dmac085
Greensboro, NC
(Zone 7a)
October 8, 2007
11:18 PM Post #4063607
| Dana, it just one of the plume type celosia and the color is a vivid magenta. They were about 12-15 inches tall and I was trying to catch them before the landscapers yanked them out:) I agree about the landscaping at McD's--although I hate to actually see them change the beds:lol:
[HYPERLINK@jardin-mundani.com]
It was almost exactly like this one. One of my favorite celosias is Apricot Brandy which is harder to find than when I first bought seed a few years ago. Now only one place on line sells it. I did find a packet of saved seed from some I planted a couple years ago so I'll get them going in the spring and try to get some more seeds.
This message was edited Oct 8, 2007 11:19 PM
This message was edited Oct 8, 2007 11:23 PM |
Raggedyann
Lawrenceville, GA
(Zone 7b)
October 8, 2007
11:34 PM Post #4063664
| They had those at Home Depot earlier in the summer... |
DeleteriousHam
Los Angeles, CA
October 15, 2007
1:54 PM Post #4085678
| ZOMG! your a seed ninja! don't group with him for gardening quests!!!1one |
cabrlamo
Alexandria, IN
(Zone 5a)
October 16, 2007
5:48 PM Post #4090363
| I am glad to know that I am not the only one! I also liberated seeds from some black fountain grass. I also started thought of having my kids take some. But I thought if someone is going to have a problem then it should be with me!! I agree that for the most part the seed is just going to fly away in the breeze and I should help to spread it! |
LouC
Desoto, TX
(Zone 8a)
October 16, 2007
7:35 PM Post #4090698
| Got seed from the daylilies in front of Chase Bank today. Gettin real good at looking for opportunities.
LouC |
BrightStar
Chesapeake, VA
October 17, 2007
10:48 PM Post #4095588
| The bank near where I live has a candle plant, the type with the yellow "cones" pointing straight upwards. I picture myself sneaking up there in the dark of night, just before a big frost so I won't feel so guilty, and looking up, down, all around, and then whipping out my clippers and whacking off a few good cuttings! Then stuffing them in my jacket and running off with them!
In my daydreams, I'm even wearing a cat burglar outfit sometimes. Dressed in black, ski mask... |
Flowerman1234
Willmar, MN
October 18, 2007
3:20 AM Post #4095999
| 1
This message was edited Oct 18, 2007 1:21 AM |
LouC
Desoto, TX
(Zone 8a)
October 18, 2007
9:59 AM Post #4096612
| Flowerman, try again.
LouC |
goofybulb
El Paso, TX
(Zone 8a)
October 18, 2007
5:46 PM Post #4098253
| My grandmother used to say that the "stolen cuttings root better than the given cuttings" and that "seeds from the street germinate better than from the bag". She used to have a beautiful garden, until the grape-vine turned it too shady for many plants. Most of the annuals in my childhood garden were from seeds taken by my grandmother in her evening walks. If there was anybody to ask, she would. Out from the street, my favorite childhood summer smell: flowering tobacco.
I found out that, many times, asking can be very rewarding. Not just from your friendly neighbours, but from complete strangers. Including a lonesome name-less tag-less bulb found at Home Depot that I was willing to pay for.
I didn't steal seeds, though i can qualify for a thief by thought (many a times I wanted to do it, but something held me back). I have mentally "stolen" cuttings of a gorgeous yellow hibiscus (flowers big as a coffee plate) and of Japanese lanterns, and seeds of plants I don't know by name, but they were pretty.
However, for real fact, I "took" once two cuttings of a red impatiens in front of a bank in Coral Gables, without asking permission (didn't have any person to ask, since it was evening and the bank was closed).
I think a good dinner and a glass of wine released some inhibitions. I felt ashamed right away, but I didn't throw them away. It was too late for repairs.
After they rooted, I was "punished"! They were pink! I took from the wrong bush!!! I had plenty of pinks already, bought from my local HD...
|
WeeNel
Ayrshire Scotland
(United Kingdom)
October 19, 2007
12:22 PM Post #4101007
| OH you naughty but nice gardeners, yes I have been known to help myself to a few seed-heads on my travels, but I have to admit, I draw the line at taking cuttings, unless the plant/shrubs are on derelict ground, I remember an old gardening friend of my late father used to wander around the botanical gardens dressed like the old gentleman with his Sunday best suit on, shoes polished like glass and carried his umbrella, on asking my father why old Mr Muir always had to have an umbrella even in the lovely sunny days when he was out for his walks, my dad told me it was his cutting container, he just snipped off all the cuttings he fancied and dropped them into his closed umbrella and strolled along from shrub to shrub, then one day he was caught, when the skies opened, he was still walking with his closed umbrella, one of the gardeners assumed that he could not get his umbrella opened, the gardener decided to help, opened the umbrella up for him and on doing so, the gardener was showered with greenery, seed-heads etc, Mr Muir was escorted to the gates of the gardens and told in no uncertain terms never to set foot within the parks again as these were planted for everyone enjoyment, education and pleasure.
so I guess there are strict rules for each place. I know when we first planted out areas of our very large gardens (like a 10 acre area) we would find some shrubs dug out and on one occasion, they even took my barrow to carry the spoils away with them, we never did find who did it, but thankfully, it is only the deer who cut back everything in sight unless you get one step ahead of them and place nets or other form of protection around the trees and shrubs till established. there is nothing worse than spending a fortune on trees and shrubs to find that someone has came and dug them up.
Happy seed gathering, we just need to ask our birds and other creatures to be a bit more selective as to which seeds are required, weeds ain't one of them. WeeNel.
|
amethystsm
New Haven, CT
(Zone 6a)
October 19, 2007
7:50 PM Post #4102427
| outside my doctor's building, there are a lot of daylilies that no one really cares for - i often deadheaded a few as i'd go by cause they made me crazy. A couple of weeks ago, i noticed a scape with a proliferation on it. No one was going to ever do anything with it, so i thought i would!
; )
amy
* |
MzzPool
Pass Christian, MS
(Zone 8b)
October 19, 2007
8:02 PM Post #4102460
| I just returned from a conference in Orlando. Geez...Disney is full of temptation!
~Megin |
cabrlamo
Alexandria, IN
(Zone 5a)
October 19, 2007
11:16 PM Post #4103086
| MzzPool,
My husband also just returned from a conference in Orlando. I wonder if you were at the same one? Did you hear Allen Greenspan speak?
Cabrlamo |
MzzPool
Pass Christian, MS
(Zone 8b)
October 20, 2007
9:26 AM Post #4103850
| No, Greenspan didn't speak at my conference; that would have been pretty cool though. Tons of conferences are set up in Orlando this time of year. The weather is perfect!
~Megin |
ROCINVA
Chesapeake, VA
(Zone 8a)
October 21, 2007
4:44 AM Post #4106485
| me a seed thief...never! Clepto humm maybe. Thanks to this sweet elderly lady at the nursery. Yes this sweet elderly lady taught me the ropes. haha.. I was minding my own business one day walking around a local nursery of course my cart full and this lady approached me and asked if I was buying ALL those plants, Odd I thought but I went along with her and said yes, I loved plants and especially if I found anything unusual. Well, she proceeded to walk with me??? and started pointing out to me ALL these plants that had hidden seeds and explaining how her daughter has saved her thousands of dollars by going to college to become a plant expert. She explained that alot of people did'nt even know that half the plants could be rooted or where the seeds were located . Also that the nursery just cut the flowers back and throws away the seeds bla bla bla .I know she stayed with me a good 30 minutes. Needless to say it will be a nursery experience ontop of learning experience I'll never forget not to mention I still left with a full cart and a few extra seeds to boot and with her help of course. |
garden6
Lansing, KS
(Zone 5b)
October 21, 2007
10:31 AM Post #4106933
| Roc~How cute... you received a great seed saving tutorial!! |
growgirl59
Saint Louis, MO
December 23, 2007
3:32 AM Post #4321350
| You know, if you share the plants that are grown from "liberated cuttings" then it isn't a sin. My yard and home are full of shared plants. My grandma taught me to grow plants from 1" cuttings. Every year I vow that I won't do it anymore, but it doesn't seem to "take". This time I mean it...no more cuttings. I think I can do it. I'll let you know after the Spring plants make their appearance.
|
gladzoe
Winnipeg
(Canada)
January 31, 2008
2:22 PM Post #4478937
| I'm going to hell for sure, as the nearby church had the most beautiful wine coloured hollyhock that was just loaded with seeds. I went back later with my snipers and liberated a few of those seeds. If they bloom this year I'll know if it was meant to be or not. |
BrightStar
Chesapeake, VA
January 31, 2008
2:23 PM Post #4478944
| Double blooms? |
amethystsm
New Haven, CT
(Zone 6a)
February 1, 2008
6:36 PM Post #4483600
| you went in with your snipers to liberate them?!? eek!
"I love the smell of Roundup in the morning..."
i hope the seeds appreciate their freedom...
ok, i am way sleep deprived.
|
BrightStar
Chesapeake, VA
February 2, 2008
6:27 PM Post #4487570
| Is it immoral if you notice a nice plant for sale in a nursery, and you notice a seedhead on the plant...and...and... |
ManicReality
Houston, TX
(Zone 10a)
February 3, 2008
1:16 AM Post #4488988
| I keep snippers in my bag or pocket most of the time... they come in real handy. I also plant fruit trees in my front yard if someone is hungry enough to come in my yard and pick the fruit, then perhaps they need it more than me. I have double blooming and tropical hibiscus's and mallows right by the street in case someone wants to take a snip. I don't think god made these wonderful plants for only one person to enjoy. If Ya know what you are doing, you don't have to seriously damage a plant to help it reproduce. My grandmother was a total plant nut, I think she planted that seed in my heart :D |
tggfisk
Garner, NC
(Zone 7b)
February 9, 2008
10:53 AM Post #4515425
| Manic, that is so cool and realistic to know that others may enjoy your fruits and seeds! We garden right up to the street as well. Sometimes the tomatoes get 'shared', but we always have more than we can use. As long as they are careful not to damage the plants...usually it's the neighborhood children. And who can be upset at them eating tomatoes??
As for the seeds, not too many people around here are quite ready for that. The birds get lots though:-) |
beezy
Charlotte, NC
February 11, 2008
12:29 PM Post #4524050
| I went to a farmer's market about ten years ago and there were broken pieces of wandering jew from hanging baskets all over the floor. I picked it up and still have plants enough for the county every year from the plants from those cuttings. Does this count as being a theif? When you just pick "garbage" up off the floor? |
growgirl59
Saint Louis, MO
February 11, 2008
12:48 PM Post #4524129
| Absolutely not! You just kept those trimmings from going to waste and taking up room in our already over-flowing landfills. You did the community and the country a favor. I applaud your actions.
Actually, I have no idea what the conditions of our landfills are. I only know that I do that exact same thing whenever I can and it makes me feel better if I look at it as a good deed I'm doing. I take my good deed one step further. I share the "aquired" plants with others, making me an even finer person. Think I need therapy??? |
rednyr
Newberry, SC
(Zone 8a)
February 11, 2008
11:29 PM Post #4526746
| I was at an estate sale last summer and this very brazen woman walked over to the deceased womans hanging potted plants and took ALL the sempers out of it...I quickly walked over to her and asked her how could she! didn't her mom teach her how to share and stuck out my hand..ok the last part is not true I didnt ask for any...but I really did think it was brazen of her to just keep plucking them out of the basket...
however, I am known to help the local box stores dead head their inventory when they don't do it...I'm not stealing - I'm tidying up...at least thats how I rationalize it to myself |
guspuppy
Warren, OH
(Zone 5b)
February 12, 2008
12:53 AM Post #4527044
| I keep baggies and a marker in my backpack when we go to the zoo, and collect dead flower heads that I can reach. I have gotten some awesome plants that I didn't even know existed that way.
Kathy |
growingup
Tucson, AZ
March 4, 2008
12:05 PM Post #4621359
| Mexican Bird of Paradise/Pride of Barbados- I've plucked the pods off of a Pride of Barbados but since they are indigenous, people take them for granted around here and the just sit all winter long with thousands of pods all over the place, some on the ground.
Bougainvillea-I've snipped my neighbors bougainvillea when it comes over the wall and hangs in my yard. It is right over my garden and I often run into it and it cuts me in the face or gets caught in my hair. If it is any consolation, I did it between tenants so no one lived there when I did it. I used some as starters in my front and back yard, they never took anyway.
Y'all have me thinking though of all the different possibilities (devious snicker)
|
Tuinkabouter
's-Gravenhage
(Netherlands)
(Zone 8b)
March 4, 2008
12:10 PM Post #4621389
| I never leave home without my "snatching kit". Most people aren't interested in seeds and it would be a pity to let them go to waste. I also 'harvest' in public parcs, nurseries (they don't use the seeds but take cuttings), along the road. Everywhere, actualy.
I'm an addict, I admit! |
ecrane3
Dublin, CA
(Zone 9a)
March 5, 2008
10:43 AM Post #4625248
| Pretty much everywhere I think you're allowed to trim off parts of your neighbors' plants that hang over into your yard (as long as what you do doesn't kill their plant in the process) |
3doxiemom
Elizabethton, TN
(Zone 6b)
March 30, 2008
9:18 AM Post #4729547
| Reading these threads was so much fun! lol ! I, too, am a seed thief (and I thought I was all alone out there!) tee hee! Went to Biltmore House one year - their Black Hollyhocks had seedpods all over them. I coveted them...so I grabbed a couple pods and stuck them in my pocket. They have grown beautifully and I've shared them with many other avid gardeners. That was the only time for me...but these replies have opened up a whole new world of thought! |
Tuinkabouter
's-Gravenhage
(Netherlands)
(Zone 8b)
March 30, 2008
11:09 AM Post #4730019
| I don't consider that a theft, but an act of love! Don't you? |
lavender4ever
(Louise) Otoe, NE
(Zone 5a)
March 30, 2008
11:23 AM Post #4730081
| oh too funny. My sis called me and said her jade plants had babies. I was thinking that probably did not happen then I remembered that when I was there I dropped some mother of thousand babies in her jade plant pots from a walk in the neighborhood! She laughed and potted them up. I also travel with a trowel in the trunk of my car for those abandoned homesteads with the great survivors. I also once got into an ethical discussion with my hubby about taking cutting from the cemetery. He is still horrified. I told him I would be pleased if someone took home cuttings and loved a plant that was growing near me! |
SW_gardener
Southern Ontario
(Canada)
(Zone 5b)
March 30, 2008
1:56 PM Post #4730697
| I collected a few seeds from a local waterwise garden, I don't really see it as stealing, just assisting nature, they're just going to get eaten by birds or blow away and likely not grow wherever they land. And IT WAS A WATERWISE garden so I'm helping to spread the message of water conserveation!
This message was edited Mar 30, 2008 12:58 PM |
lavender4ever
(Louise) Otoe, NE
(Zone 5a)
March 30, 2008
2:12 PM Post #4730756
| This may be justification reasoning, but I see seed and cutting collecting as a definite service to the plant world. I will not collect anything that is threatened or protected and I have even tried to assist wild plants by sowing some of their seeds nearby where they are. I try to respect other peoples gardens but sometimes my sticky plant fingers get the best of me. I draw the line at going into peoples yards though, so don't worry lol. If your plants hang over the sidewalks, or fences they are fair game for seed taking! |
Tuinkabouter
's-Gravenhage
(Netherlands)
(Zone 8b)
March 31, 2008
3:43 AM Post #4734106
| Assisting nature, my thought exactly! |
MistyPetals
North Augusta, SC
March 31, 2008
11:54 PM Post #4738685
| On Sunday, my DH and I had an impromptu picnic in the car, the weather was lovely. Anyway, we parked near the sandwich joint, just the two of us, it was so romantic...sigh
Anyway, as I ate my sandwich, I started looking about and right there, in front of my very eyes, by the side of the highway, was a beautiful lavender butterfly bush. It was gorgeous although it had obviously been hit by lightening during a recent tornado/storm.
The poor lil darlin' had volunteers about her skirts.
She was like any mother as she spoke to me urging the Great Plant Adoption (GPA).
She said, and I quote, Lady, forget about me, I'm strong, I'll be OK, but will you be kind enough to take care of my babies, please? Perhaps one can find a home with you and your DH. ya think?
Well, what else could I do? Of course, I obliged, giving into her wish and one of her babies is in front of our home. I hope I don't let her or her baby down for I am committed to doing my part in the GPA.
(there were about a dozen others there, this was not theft, this was an adoption, a release from one loving mom to another)
This message was edited Apr 1, 2008 12:12 AM |
lavender4ever
(Louise) Otoe, NE
(Zone 5a)
April 1, 2008
12:06 AM Post #4738750
| aww...sniff...that is so sweet! I was driving home from work one day and saw a man and woman on the side of the highway digging up a lovely reddish shrub that had volunteered. I was so jealous! |
growgirl59
Saint Louis, MO
April 1, 2008
1:06 AM Post #4738982
| Man, are we plant lovers saints or what? I, too, have "adopted" a number of plants from tragic circumstances - like abandoned gas stations, dumpsters and along the roadways. But I say, why stop there. Shouldn't we consider pruning our neighbors plants when they are on vacation, thinning out overgrown parking lot plantings or stopping to smell (or pick) the roses wherever we encounter them? There will be no end to our good deeds. Thank goodness for people like us!!!
Chris |
MistyPetals
North Augusta, SC
April 1, 2008
2:36 AM Post #4739180
| 'Xactly! Bravo for gardeners! |
Tuinkabouter
's-Gravenhage
(Netherlands)
(Zone 8b)
April 1, 2008
4:50 AM Post #4739255
| Oh, I feel so at home here! Finally people who onderstand... |
SW_gardener
Southern Ontario
(Canada)
(Zone 5b)
April 1, 2008
4:00 PM Post #4741790
| Yes, the GPA is perfect for people like us!
That is such a nice story Misty, I've had many a plant call out to me for help... |
cabrlamo
Alexandria, IN
(Zone 5a)
April 4, 2008
7:45 AM Post #4755324
| I never thought when I posted this thread in October that I would get so many wonderful stories. I guess I have officially hit the "crazy old gardener" stage at the tender age of 29! My father in law has been known to take cuttings when walking through Lowe's or Menard's. He even gave me some to me one time. Aren't people funny when it comes to plants? I hope everyone enjoys their new babies this spring and fall! |
SpringChicken
Woodville, AL
April 5, 2008
1:03 AM Post #4759714
| You people are too much! I had to change my britches I was laughing so hard! Thanks for all the great ideas! My seed snatching days have only yet begun... |
chefmike92
Clermont, FL
April 5, 2008
1:20 AM Post #4759758
| I work at Disney World ...enough said!!!!! |
tggfisk
Garner, NC
(Zone 7b)
April 5, 2008
1:23 AM Post #4759767
| Watch it mike...We'll all get jealous and expect you to hook us up, LOL! Do those ear-shaped things need cold stratification??;-> |
lavender4ever
(Louise) Otoe, NE
(Zone 5a)
April 5, 2008
2:32 AM Post #4760048
| LOL...Lucky you to work at Disney World. Oh my...that would be like having a diamond thief work at a jewelry store if it was me! |
chefmike92
Clermont, FL
April 5, 2008
12:58 PM Post #4761652
| Lets put it this way I have a great variety of plants on my property. amazing what they dig up and compost also when they change the planting beds...Flower and garden festival at Epcot now OH>>>MY>>
goto go to work ...lets see baggies knife ok see ya...lol |
tggfisk
Garner, NC
(Zone 7b)
April 5, 2008
2:17 PM Post #4761904
| Daggone it, mike! There you go again!!! ouch! I'm going to tell myself that none of it would be hardy here, lol! |
SW_gardener
Southern Ontario
(Canada)
(Zone 5b)
April 5, 2008
6:13 PM Post #4762626
| I have to tell myself the same thing...that "it's not hardy" "it's not hardy" "it's not hardy" ...It must be amazing to get all those plants and seeds!!! Hope you're having fun at work Mike! |
MistyPetals
North Augusta, SC
April 5, 2008
7:09 PM Post #4762874
| How To Visit Disney
While everyone is running about with their cameras trying their level best to get a picture with Mickey and Minnie Mouse, you, yes, you, Dear Reader, search for a different thrill. You, the DG'er make it your business to introduce yourself, with a hearty handshake to the hardworking Tenders of the Tilth.
Say something friendly to melt the ice, after all you want the Tenders of the Tilth to grasp one concept quickly and benignly, (is that a word?) The concept? Disney = Sharing.
Introduce yourself and say, "Hi, I'm a flower lover too, I cannot believe the amount of money I've put into landscaping my humble abode." Put your hand to your forehead and feign a sigh. "If I didn't love plants so, I believe I could have gotten here (style a dramatic wave about the Park) that much sooner..."
There, now you've got them eating out of your green little hand, go a step further. Ask a question demonstrating your interest, for example, "Does Disney recycle plants?" or "I've never seen that cultivar or species before, how do I acquire one? Does Disney have plants in any of its stores?"
Aha, now you've got their attention, you've shown an interest in their work and you've used a real garden term (cultivar or species. Impressive.)
Suddenly, what was just another mundane day at work is exciting because YOU care about plants. You've turned them on, you rock!
As a further bonding mechanism, say, "You all must work soooo hard to keep the plants flourishing as they do." (Emphasis on the word so)
After raking in all of your well intentioned, complimentary remarks, perhaps said employee will suggest you take home a cutting or handful of seeds courtesy of Disney, of course.
If not, what the heck, you gave it the old college try.
And look, Mickey is free, go snap that shot.
Be careful not to drop the cutting. ;)
LOL,
Misty
This message was edited Apr 5, 2008 7:16 PM |
cabrlamo
Alexandria, IN
(Zone 5a)
April 5, 2008
9:27 PM Post #4763500
| Fantastic, MistyPetals!!!!
I almost fell out of my seat! Too bad I hadn't thought of that last year when my sister went with her family or when my husband was down there for a business trip...the scheming is endless :) |
SW_gardener
Southern Ontario
(Canada)
(Zone 5b)
April 5, 2008
10:11 PM Post #4763787
| I've never been to Disney Land :( But now I know it has double the fun! Amusements plus FREE seeds/plants! What more could we ask for?
Great story Misty! "Disney = Sharing" HAHAHAHAHHA
Steven |
MistyPetals
North Augusta, SC
April 6, 2008
12:26 AM Post #4764442
| I'm glad you liked the story, thanks for your remarks, My imagination is vivid, to say the least. (LOL)
A Tender of Residential Tilth (my own) Who Likes to Spin Stories
|
lavender4ever
(Louise) Otoe, NE
(Zone 5a)
April 6, 2008
8:06 AM Post #4765124
| I am pretty sure my Disney ticket said...Good for one admission and discreet taking of plant cuttings. Must have been the deluxe ticket... |
BrightStar
Chesapeake, VA
April 6, 2008
7:01 PM Post #4767771
| If anyone goes to Universal Studios, go on the Behind the Seeds Tour.
Here is some info I copied from a website:
"Behind the Seeds: Take a walking tour of the "Living with the Land" attractions. Explore various areas within the greenhouse and techniques used for raising crops. You'll take part in a herb/spice sensory challenge, veggie taste test, fish feeding, lady bug release and don't forget the alligators! You'll be give a seed to sprout in your pocket. Who knows, by using the gardening tips you'll get, it may grow into one of those gigantic specimens you'll see on this tour.
All ages are welcome with strollers provided for little ones. ECV users must transfers to a manual wheelchair. Cameras and videotaping are welcome."
I went to Universal Studios and went on this tour - it was great fun! Although...that seed sprouting in my pocket tickled a bit...darn, the whole thing grew a foot by the end of the day...and most people just use potting soil...
Sorry. I'm an English major, in case no one guessed. And I couldn't resist commenting on that "seed sprouting in the pocket" phrase.
|
BrightStar
Chesapeake, VA
April 6, 2008
7:03 PM Post #4767776
| And, you know that one seed isn't enough. I begged a few more from the tour guide. Coffee, cotton, etc. seeds.
As many as my pockets could handle. |
Tuinkabouter
's-Gravenhage
(Netherlands)
(Zone 8b)
April 7, 2008
2:59 AM Post #4769687
| No doubt they were HUGE pockets! |
lavender4ever
(Louise) Otoe, NE
(Zone 5a)
April 7, 2008
7:37 AM Post #4769862
| LOL |
reenygarden
Jacksonville, FL
(Zone 9a)
April 11, 2008
3:34 PM Post #4793330
| As a newbie to the forum I would like to say, "Finally, people who get it!" I work for a major corporation with a beautiful garden. Security cameras et al, I take the risk and dead head rudbekia, coneflower, etc. and pocket my prizes. I tell my co-workers I am helping the plants become healthier and more vibrant. Seriously, think how "green" we are being, folks. Seeds and plants require packaging. The Great Plant and Seed Adoption Method uses no plastics, no paper, no staples. Nothing goes to the landfill! I feel better already... but, I wonder how my mug shot will turn out if they ever look over the security tapes. |
LouC
Desoto, TX
(Zone 8a)
April 11, 2008
4:21 PM Post #4793588
| Probably they are gardeners too and would understand perfectly.
LouC |
SW_gardener
Southern Ontario
(Canada)
(Zone 5b)
April 11, 2008
6:30 PM Post #4794342
| Or they just see us as crazy people and look the other way :) And thats fine with me! |
amethystsm
New Haven, CT
(Zone 6a)
April 11, 2008
6:49 PM Post #4794421
| The proliferation i swiped from a daylily outside my doctor's office in the fall is putting up tiny green leaves! i am so excited. |
lavender4ever
(Louise) Otoe, NE
(Zone 5a)
April 11, 2008
9:03 PM Post #4795009
| I asked my Boss at work if I could trim and take cuttings and she lets me. I have gotten quite a few things from her lovely landscaping. |
SW_gardener
Southern Ontario
(Canada)
(Zone 5b)
April 11, 2008
9:47 PM Post #4795277
| Nice boss! I want to work in a garden centre so I can help 'clean up' |
MistyPetals
North Augusta, SC
April 11, 2008
10:24 PM Post #4795488
| Me 2. Garden Center, yummy. They could sign me up as a volunteer.
|
SW_gardener
Southern Ontario
(Canada)
(Zone 5b)
April 11, 2008
11:47 PM Post #4795866
| We could volunteer for local Parks and Rec! They always have tons of exotic plants, we could help trim and dead-head!!! |
reenygarden
Jacksonville, FL
(Zone 9a)
April 14, 2008
12:09 PM Post #4807186
| I definitely need to learn some tips from all you experts! |
MistyPetals
North Augusta, SC
April 14, 2008
3:21 PM Post #4807988
| I'm GOL, (giggling out loud) as that trim and dead head sounds like two rock bands.
Picture this if you will, Ladies and Germ-man, for your listening pleasure tonight we're featuring The Trim and the newest group to cluster on the pay dirt, THE DEADHEADS!!!
The Elephant Ears will not play this set, they'll be featured next week along with The Climbin' Clematis, Country Coleus, and Salvia in Song! The Performing Pansies and Petunias are playin' Paris and will not perform here until later this year. They will share billing with the Fading Flower Perennials for a little while.
The UBERS, of course will post their review on the Newbie News.
|
SW_gardener
Southern Ontario
(Canada)
(Zone 5b)
April 15, 2008
11:43 AM Post #4812496
| HAHAHHAAHA |
MistyPetals
North Augusta, SC
April 15, 2008
11:08 PM Post #4815477
| I only wish I could find a weed thief. they can take all of them. I'll look the other way, I promise. (LOL) |
Tuinkabouter
's-Gravenhage
(Netherlands)
(Zone 8b)
April 16, 2008
2:20 AM Post #4815962
| If you find him, can I borrow him to get rid of the mare tails and stinging nettles? They're a pain in the, ehhh, you know where! |
lavender4ever
(Louise) Otoe, NE
(Zone 5a)
April 16, 2008
5:47 AM Post #4816050
| LOL and send him here for the dandelions and thistles... |
tggfisk
Garner, NC
(Zone 7b)
April 16, 2008
7:44 AM Post #4816217
| chickweed and centipede grass! Signing up for weed-thievery:-) |
amethystsm
New Haven, CT
(Zone 6a)
April 16, 2008
11:21 AM Post #4817035
| galinsoga.
Though i haven't seen any yet this year. |
SW_gardener
Southern Ontario
(Canada)
(Zone 5b)
April 16, 2008
1:41 PM Post #4817671
| I'll sign up too, the crab grass invades EVERY year. |
Plantgaliris
Peabody, MA
April 17, 2008
7:13 AM Post #4821269
| Hey, I AM a weed thief! A lot of those "weeds"--chickweed, dandelions, nettles, horsetail, more--are terrific food and medicine. I sometimes ask people if I can have the weeds in their yards, provided they haven't used chemicals.
I'm an herbalist, and we're talking some of my favorite herb plants here.
Needless to say, some "weeds' are a prominent feature in places in my gardens.
As far as taking seeds and cuttings. I have no qualms about that, never have, except for occasionally at a special garden or someplace like that.
I don't see what harm it can do to take a few seeds or a small cutting. I've even dug up small suckers on one or two occasions. But I would never take a whole plant. That is so rude and selfish!
If I want a bit of something I see if I can get it without harming the plant or the place.
I think you can see a few weeds in this pic. It's a garden I care for, with the owner's happy inclusion of a moderate amount of "good" weeds.
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
Tuinkabouter
's-Gravenhage
(Netherlands)
(Zone 8b)
April 17, 2008
7:22 AM Post #4821279
| What a pity there's so much water in between us! |
Plantgaliris
Peabody, MA
April 17, 2008
7:25 AM Post #4821288
| I know, Tuinkabouter! I saw your nettles and thought too bad you're so far away, I'd come get 'em! |
rosewood513
Lanoka Harbor, NJ
April 17, 2008
8:43 AM Post #4821531
| Absolutely! I have dead headed many a flower plant in my days, after all dead heading is doing the flower a favor isn't it? :)
I have made clippings of odd bushes etc. with some positve results, I now have lovely Forsythia in my back and numberous flowers from the seeds. I am now on a quest to rescue wildflowers, but I will not disturb the plants I will only collect the seeds.
The only ones I might dig up are the Lambs ear that will be burned off by the fire department as part of their weed and bug control behind my home. |
lavender4ever
(Louise) Otoe, NE
(Zone 5a)
April 17, 2008
9:24 AM Post #4821724
| I have some very lovely native asters that volunteered here last year and I left them alone. They were so pretty and very drought tolerant. I also keep a large "nursery" pot on my patio all year for odd cuttings that I root. |
rosewood513
Lanoka Harbor, NJ
April 18, 2008
4:35 PM Post #4828193
| Plant gal iris,
I am called the medicine woman around here, I am not very experienced but I too go around looking for weeds. Today I had a lovely salad with dandelions and wild onions, I couldn't find anything else wild to put in. Spring is just now springing up here and i am sure to find many more goodies in the woods behind my house. I am afraid to try the mushrooms here, I like living.
|
nanniepb
(Phyl)Cumberland Mtn, TN
(Zone 6b)
April 18, 2008
11:09 PM Post #4829893
| Instead of stealing, I call it 'liberating' them. They like a change of scenery also, eh? |
tggfisk
Garner, NC
(Zone 7b)
April 19, 2008
7:36 AM Post #4830779
| Y'all are merely propagating the species so they don't go extinct, lol! |
dale_a_gardener
Tampa, FL
(Zone 10a)
April 24, 2008
8:27 PM Post #4859816
| I am, I was and I will be... 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
VFC
Kings Mountain, NC
April 30, 2008
11:57 PM Post #4890332
| If you are able to obtain seeds from others plants there is nothing wrong in that Obviously they were not going to plant them or the would not be available, BUT, taking snippers for cuttings is a slightly different story, that is not right. Also na na nana, my brother is the head Horticulist at Disney in Orlando and he has just returned from Hong Kong where Disney is opening another site, and he was there for a year determining which bugs eat the others to keep the nasty pesticide application down. He has been employed with Disney since 1984, and my sister worked the grounds at Disney for 7 years until the old back gave out. |
MistyPetals
North Augusta, SC
May 1, 2008
12:58 AM Post #4890484
| So your brother, the Disney horticulturalist, is he married or what? (LOL)
My husband would not like to see this question on the web, good thing he's only a relunctant gardener, he'll never look here.
So, this brother of yours, the one who travels for pleasure and disguises it as biz, doesn't he need a Pen Pal? Better yet, is he a seed thief? Does he share?
And if he is a seed thief, and he shares, does that make you a seed thief once removed? (LOL)
I sure hope he's writing articles for DG, he's got tons of knowledge.
|
dale_a_gardener
Tampa, FL
(Zone 10a)
May 1, 2008
4:57 PM Post #4893063
| I like Epcot, but, there stuff never has seeds... 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
lavender4ever
(Louise) Otoe, NE
(Zone 5a)
May 1, 2008
7:29 PM Post #4893635
| yeah but you have to admire the 6ft plus tall eggplant trees they have there lol |
