You know that it takes a lot of time and effort to grow beautiful flowers. You don’t want someone to steal your hard work in front of you, especially without asking.
Reddit users shared a gardener’s encounter with a woman who pulled up with gardening gloves to her home and proceeded to steal a clipping from her yard. “I am new to gardening but this is not okay, right?” “It was from a plant similar to ivy that grows in abundance in my front lawn, but I don’t believe that should matter,” wrote the couple. I confronted the woman, and she was shocked but immediately left. “I would assume that the best thing to do is to knock on her door and ask for clarification first?”
The gardener used Reddit to find out what other people thought of the situation.
Redditors shared their opinions in the comments section of the article, expressing how they felt about the proper way to take clippings out of someone else’s yard. One person wrote: “This is something I would be happy to do if someone asked me and angry if I saw them doing it without permission.” The gardener replied: “Exactly !…I’m kind of morally confused.” It would have been fine if she had asked.
Some users have shared similar experiences with their neighbours or strangers who stole clippings for propagation. The same thing happened to me. “Someone drove up with scissors and clipped our plants,” wrote one person. We confronted the woman immediately to let her know that we were watching her and we preferred she ask so as to ensure it didn’t damage our plants. She was shocked and seemed to feel entitled. “A super weird interaction.”
It is good gardening etiquette, whether it’s a neighbour or stranger, to ask permission before taking flowers from another garden. If it is a patented flower, you may be breaking the law.