I agree stealling flowers and plants from peoples gardens is wrong.
Many years ago I heard of someone prosecuted for collecting coal from the railway line I think it was called 'theft by finding' apparently if reasonable steps aren't taken to find out who owns something it is stealling but what would reasonable steps be? Would knocking on a farmers door to find they are not in, be reasonasble steps before foraging on their land or if a farmer said yes and you mistakenly went onto the neighbouring farmers land.
How many of us were encouraged to pick wild flowers as children whilst out in the country, were we unwitingly being encouraged by our parents to steal
Re taking seeds and cuttings in gardens open to the public - I spent a season many years ago as a volunteer in a local garden opened primarily for the water gardens and azalea / rhodie displays. I was often on 'escort' duty for group visits and we were asked to ensure that people did not damage the plants. The advice was to especially watch out for 'little old ladies with nail scissors taking cuttings'.
The thought was - if one person takes a cutting properly it will do no harm. If a thousand people visit over the course of a few days and they all take a cutting from the same plant & some do it badly - the plant will suffer. Much the same with gathering seeds really - especially annoying if it is a garden which relies on propagation and nursery sales for part of it's income.
I have always found that if you approach a gardener and ask if they would mind you taking a cutting or seed head - they will say yes. Gardeners are generally the most generous group of people I know
Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
Hi Everyone, I'm Jeanne and live in France, this subject is close to my heart! I do believe that the folk around here think I grow stuff for their consumption. I have had Stipa Gigantica which I split and planted round the edge of the garden dug up. Bunches of daffs cut down. One day I was working in the greenhouse which is next to an abri covered in Kiwi fruit, I heard voices close by, looked out to find four elderly people standing in the beds below helping themselves to kiwi's! I wouldn't have minded if they had been ripe but to destroy fruit when you cannot eat it? When the fruit is ripe we have so much we always leave a huge box on the side of the road telling people to help themselves which they do. I feel sorry for the farmers, as they grow crops of sunflowers, every person that passes thinks they should help themselves.
Down here the council give permission / licence to forage on there land if you ask and its limited each year. There are notices explaining this in all the parks etc. and if you are caught without a licence the items are confiscated by the warden and you can be prosecuted for theft.
The only place you can forage for free around here is between high and low tide lines and a lot of people collect the seaweed for there gardens.
If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.
Removing anything from gardens without permission is simply not acceptable. Foraging for food is somewhat different but I would still check with landowners first. The one area I don't see a problem with is picking blackberries or similar if you are on a public right of way.
Hi Pansyface, I think foraging in its true sense is the norm here. It is common for the French to go out for early dandelions leaves (pis-en-lit) which is fried with lardons and is very nice. They hunt for wild asparagus, which again is very tasty. But going on to fields and into gardens I think is a no no but they just shrug their shoulders and say 'c'est normal'. I even saw a a couple of French ladies go right up someone's drive and help themselves to cuttings from a pot in front of the house. But it is not a 'French' thing, I have seen cuttings being tucked into the hoods of anoraks worn by children by some very British folk, a nice clump of tête et tête disappeared from outside our home in a village in Gloucestershire. A very human frailty called greed!
I think there would be a common-sense interpretation of the law for most people. If theres a bramble bush for example clearly growing in an overgrown field, I doubt anyone would have a problem with "foraging". Theres a difference with a field full of clearly managed fruit bushes.
A patch of snowdrops or daffodils in the middle of nowhere at the side of the road is likely dumped garden waste, take the spade to them and lift *some* of the bulbs. If they are growing near someones house or driveway, probably planted. LIkewise parks. Collect some seed, leave most.
Many years ago, before wild flowers became as protected as they are now, my father transplanted wild primroses into his borders and they just grew and grew.
Some time later the council decided to widen the trackway from where he had collected them and simply bulldozed the verge and hedge, heaped everything up and burned it, leaving not one wild primrose.
In this instance the 'theft' payed off as the border flowers gradually spread themselves back into the wild for others to enjoy.
That said, I disapprove of those who treat the countryside as a free garden centre.
In our local area one of the villages ask it they could plant daffodils on the verge as you came into the village the council agreed and last autumn the whole village spent one weekend planting the verges only for the council to come along the next week dig them up and put in a new bus stop.
As you can understand the villagers were not very happy
If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.
Posts
I agree stealling flowers and plants from peoples gardens is wrong.
Many years ago I heard of someone prosecuted for collecting coal from the railway line I think it was called 'theft by finding' apparently if reasonable steps aren't taken to find out who owns something it is stealling but what would reasonable steps be? Would knocking on a farmers door to find they are not in, be reasonasble steps before foraging on their land or if a farmer said yes and you mistakenly went onto the neighbouring farmers land.
How many of us were encouraged to pick wild flowers as children whilst out in the country, were we unwitingly being encouraged by our parents to steal
Knocking on a farmer's door and asking would be fine - but if he's not at home then you don't go on the land unless there's a Public Right of Way.
I expect that picking a few blackberries from alongside a Public Footpath or Bridleway would be tolerated but it would be polite to ask.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Re taking seeds and cuttings in gardens open to the public - I spent a season many years ago as a volunteer in a local garden opened primarily for the water gardens and azalea / rhodie displays. I was often on 'escort' duty for group visits and we were asked to ensure that people did not damage the plants. The advice was to especially watch out for 'little old ladies with nail scissors taking cuttings'.
The thought was - if one person takes a cutting properly it will do no harm. If a thousand people visit over the course of a few days and they all take a cutting from the same plant & some do it badly - the plant will suffer. Much the same with gathering seeds really - especially annoying if it is a garden which relies on propagation and nursery sales for part of it's income.
I have always found that if you approach a gardener and ask if they would mind you taking a cutting or seed head - they will say yes. Gardeners are generally the most generous group of people I know
Hi Everyone, I'm Jeanne and live in France, this subject is close to my heart! I do believe that the folk around here think I grow stuff for their consumption. I have had Stipa Gigantica which I split and planted round the edge of the garden dug up. Bunches of daffs cut down. One day I was working in the greenhouse which is next to an abri covered in Kiwi fruit, I heard voices close by, looked out to find four elderly people standing in the beds below helping themselves to kiwi's! I wouldn't have minded if they had been ripe but to destroy fruit when you cannot eat it? When the fruit is ripe we have so much we always leave a huge box on the side of the road telling people to help themselves which they do. I feel sorry for the farmers, as they grow crops of sunflowers, every person that passes thinks they should help themselves.
Down here the council give permission / licence to forage on there land if you ask and its limited each year. There are notices explaining this in all the parks etc. and if you are caught without a licence the items are confiscated by the warden and you can be prosecuted for theft.
The only place you can forage for free around here is between high and low tide lines and a lot of people collect the seaweed for there gardens.
Removing anything from gardens without permission is simply not acceptable. Foraging for food is somewhat different but I would still check with landowners first. The one area I don't see a problem with is picking blackberries or similar if you are on a public right of way.
Hi Pansyface, I think foraging in its true sense is the norm here. It is common for the French to go out for early dandelions leaves (pis-en-lit) which is fried with lardons and is very nice. They hunt for wild asparagus, which again is very tasty. But going on to fields and into gardens I think is a no no but they just shrug their shoulders and say 'c'est normal'. I even saw a a couple of French ladies go right up someone's drive and help themselves to cuttings from a pot in front of the house. But it is not a 'French' thing, I have seen cuttings being tucked into the hoods of anoraks worn by children by some very British folk, a nice clump of tête et tête disappeared from outside our home in a village in Gloucestershire. A very human frailty called greed!
I think there would be a common-sense interpretation of the law for most people. If theres a bramble bush for example clearly growing in an overgrown field, I doubt anyone would have a problem with "foraging". Theres a difference with a field full of clearly managed fruit bushes.
A patch of snowdrops or daffodils in the middle of nowhere at the side of the road is likely dumped garden waste, take the spade to them and lift *some* of the bulbs. If they are growing near someones house or driveway, probably planted. LIkewise parks. Collect some seed, leave most.
Saying that, it's all probably still illegal.
Many years ago, before wild flowers became as protected as they are now, my father transplanted wild primroses into his borders and they just grew and grew.
Some time later the council decided to widen the trackway from where he had collected them and simply bulldozed the verge and hedge, heaped everything up and burned it, leaving not one wild primrose.
In this instance the 'theft' payed off as the border flowers gradually spread themselves back into the wild for others to enjoy.
That said, I disapprove of those who treat the countryside as a free garden centre.
In our local area one of the villages ask it they could plant daffodils on the verge as you came into the village the council agreed and last autumn the whole village spent one weekend planting the verges only for the council to come along the next week dig them up and put in a new bus stop.
As you can understand the villagers were not very happy