Is this stealing?

[Drive43]

AIBU to take spent seed heads from flowers from people's gardens as I walk past?

If they are overhanging public rights of way, pavement etc I'd say it's fine. If you are having to go into or reach onto their property to take them I think you really should knock and ask first.

Yes it's stealing, yes it's rude, yes it's wrong. But 99.9% of the population wouldn't have an issue if you asked them politely. However, clearly from your responses, you think everyone else is in the wrong and being "tight" for thinking you shouldn't take people's stuff without asking so I'm not sure why you bothered asking. Part of me hopes that they do actually make an example of you and prosecute you for this simply because your attitude stinks and it is actually a crime, but realistically, society has bigger fish to fry than Drive the Entitled Seed Stealer.

By your logic, people are being "tight" when they won't let me come into their garden and play with their dogs when they're out or to use their toilet or their TV without asking. Why wouldn't you just ask? Is it because you think they might say no? In which case, that probably tells you something... It's the absolute height of irony that you think you're entitled to just take the seeds because they're of such little value to the owners but that you're also entitled to steal the seeds because they're of such high value to you that you couldn't possibly leave them. Which is it? Are they worth nothing (in which case why do you want them?) or worth a something (in which case you should ask if it's ok to take them?). Or are you just more important than everyone else?

When I lived in my old house a chap used to walk past each day, but on one day, he appeared to be lurking until I had left the house. I walked round the corner and then came back to find him in my front garden, with a pair of secateurs chopping off seed heads. I was livid and told him so, if he had asked I would have collected seeds for him but this was stealing.

I had a huge Rosemary bush and all the neighbours in the road knew they could grab sprigs when they had lamb, so I was not mean with my plants. Not asking and taking equals stealing in eyes.

Stealing is taking something that does not belong to you without the permission of the owner.

So yes, yes it is.

However, I very much doubt you'll go down for it. 😁😁

I remember my mum took my nan to the botanical gardens and my mum was horrified my nan pulled out her scissors to take some cuttings.

I would never take cuttings or seed heads from someone's garden.

YANBU as long as you do not step on the land without permission. I'll often deadhead as I pass by open front gardens. I've collected seeds before that are from plants next to the pavement. I love it when I see people plant outside their houses onto communal areas. Shows a community attitude.
I take secateurs to clip back brambles on public footpaths. I wouldn't take clippings from gardens because this can damage the plant if not done correctly.

This is hilarious 😂

If I saw you doing that, I'd be coming out asking if you wanted cuttings of anything.

I'm wondering how dodgy it would be to steal cutting from a few neighbours. 😂Yes I will just ask...

Ask, you might befriend someone who is interested in plants too. THEN they might offer you cuttings, seedlings etc too.

Of course YABU. You are taking something that isn’t yours - it’s really that simple.

Knock and ask. And if they’re not in, tough shit.

Though from your attitude here I suspect you’re going to just keep doing it anyway.

Me too. I'd be quite pissed off at you stealing my seed heads because I (the owner) use them every year. Get your own flowers and then you get your own seed heads.

I wouldn't do it from someone's garden, but in a public space I would consider it.

My nan used to take seed heads from the flowers in the nearby law court gardens!

Good luck with that, if it's a Mumsnetter they won't answer the door!

Someone asked my friend for seeds from her garden once. She happily gave her some. They had a good chat. Turns out the lady was staying with family in the area. When the lady was next visiting she popped round with a pile of good sized tweed cut offs. She somehow worked with tweed and remembered my friend likes to sew. My friend made me a gift from some of that fabric.

After the consensus I've decided it will be better to buy seeds (apart from the marigolds).

You should ask first, as it is very much stealing if you don't get permission to. It might seem trivial but it's someone else's property, not yours, so you don't get to just take what you want without asking.

If you do the right thing, the benefit is not only getting seeds with a clear conscience, but you also might get to have a chat about gardens/plants and some advice if you haven't grown seeds before. They are not all the same and some plants are F1 hybrids and won't grow from seeds (even if seeds are present they won't be viable) and with cross pollination, the seedlings might not be the same as the parent plant anyway. With your marigold example (assuming you mean pot/English marigold), yellow ones may have been pollinated by orange making the seeds a different shade from either of the parents. It's fun to find out what you've got!

Please don't just take them though, asking is the only right way to go.

I sometime take cuttings of peoples roses when they are overhanging onto the path Lock me up now.

I wouldn’t mind as long as it’s a neighbour I like.

This.

I had a lovely purple poppy sprout near the front wall of my garden, can only assume a seed blew in or was dropped by a bird. The seed heads were taken while they were still green - very annoying and a waste as they were not ready. I have asked for seed heads on several occasions, only refused once by someone who explained they were keeping them for flower arranging.

Taking something is not for sale and doesn't belong to you without asking. Yes definitely stealing

It technically is stealing - it’s their property. Regardless of the value of an item - you’re also trespassing to retrieve the item. It’s beyond cheeky

I can’t believe this is a question. Would you like someone pinching stuff from your garden? The fact you’re planning to sneak over when they’re out proves that you know it’s wrong. Who’s to say they aren’t planning on using the seeds? Absolutely disgusting behaviour.

I never trespass.

I think I'm weird but it wouldn't bother me if someone took seeds from my front garden. I've been thinking about growing strawberries at the front for anyone to take, there are so many.

I remember when someone asked my elderly Dad if they could cut some of his lavender. He said yes. I went up the next day to cut some and they'd stripped it bare!!!