Taking lambs ear from roadside to propagate

[Why2why]

Hi

Is it safe to take a small clump of lambs ear from the side of the road to propagate? Will new growth be free of toxins, etc?

it is unlawful to uproot any wild plant without permission from the landowner or occupier, so presumably you need to speak to the local council?

It’s not on anyone’s property. It’s near the roadside, at the side of the pavement.

I would take a small root - it is naturalised but not a native plant in the UK. It orginates from Turkey apparently.
But I wouldn't let anyone see me taking it.

It’s near the roadside

Verges (and the roads) are owned by the local council, unless a major route in which case it's the relevant national highway agency.

There is no land in England and Wales that is not owned by someone - by default it's the crown as it was all seized after the norman conquest.

I’d do this too. I wouldn’t worry too much about it.

If you mean stachys Byzantina it spreads like wildfire so go ahead.

If I wrote to the local council asking permission to take a small part of this; what do you suppose will happen? Do you suppose I’ll ever hear back from them given the mountain of more pressing matters they need to deal with? Should I keep writing and calling them until they respond or label me as a nuisance?

So the Crown owns it, for which I pay taxes?

There are many laws on the books that require common sense application as appropriate. This sounds like one of them.

Thanks both. I’ll give be it a go. It is in such an odd place and there’s just the one small
clump. I’ll need to look around better. I was walking the dog when I observed it (and I’ve walked that route countless times)

Careful what you wish for, your garden will be full of it LOL

It self sows very easily so you could collect seed.

Im not sure why you are being snippy the poster is just answering your question

If you get caught you could get prosecuted for criminal damage

Buying a plant costs about £5

Im not sure i would risk my job and future employment prospects for £5 personally

The law stops ten people all thinking the same thing, digging up the plant until there is nothing left

@jaffacakesareepic I am not being snippy. Ifailed did not answer my question.

Honestly, I would not mind being caught. I’m one of these people who do not mind taking a stance against indiscriminate and wasteful application of laws. I’m sure the law is in place for a good reason but application without common sense should be challenged and I’d be happy to do it.

The council does not even do a good job at the typical things it should be doing. I’d like to see them send the police over to arrest and prosecute me through the justice system.

To answer OP's question, it was made unlawful by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, to stop people stripping the countryside of wild plants, like bluebell, snowdrop etc.

Go ahead if you feel above the law, you won't be alone judging by the antics of our PM and friends.
Or just buy a packet of seed, Amazon will sell you 50 for £11.74.

It isn't a wild plant, at all.

But your application without common sense seems to be based on the fact that you think it shoukd be okay to uproot plants where you want to because you are you.

But if everyone started doing it would you ve okay seeng ghe verges stripped of plants, or is it only. If you do ?

Stopping people uprooting plants whereever they like seems like common sense to me and not wasteful at all

I've noted that many NT properties have taken to quarantining new plants, precisely because of this worry.

I contacted the council about clumps of Japanese knotweed growing on the riverbank but they no longer employ anyone to deal with it - I did try to spray it (when no one was around) but they were metres across and metres high so it had little effect. So the seeds will be spreading far and wide.

It’s not uprooting plants and it is common sense to apply the law within context. I am not above the law. The law consist of the letter of the law and the spirit of the law. In this stance, I’m fairly confident that the situation I am describing; it would be a monumental waste of taxpayers money to pursue me and I fairly confident that I would not be going against the spirit of the law.

And by “safe” in my original question, I meant safe to propagate for eating. Hence my question about toxins (being by the roadside).

What sort of roadside is it - how much pollution, what else is growing there? I would think in most cases it would be safe, plants are pretty good at filtering out toxins on the whole.

Ignore the school prefects and their "what if everyone did it" nonsense. Everyone doesn't, wild plants in public spaces are very poorly managed and nobody is going to miss a bit of something which most people perceive as a weed anyway. I nicked a couple of corncockle seedlings from a massive bank of them outside a church last week. Went by the following day and the council had literally strimmed the whole lot back to soil level - hundreds of beautiful plants, which would have flowered, completely ruined because it's easier to raze the whole area than it is to manage it any other way. At least the ones I pinched will live long enough to set seed.

Gosh, I didn't realise that lamb's ears have so many uses.
Apparently you can get seeds quite cheaply so maybe start your own organic, toxic-free supply?

I would absolutely not risk it if you want to either eat it or use it medicinally. My council regularly goes round spraying the verges.

I would advise asking on a local fb gardening page and I am sure you will find someone willing to give you a root from their garden who can guarantee it's chemical free. If you were local to me I'd offer. It grows so easily it really would be no bother to anyone with an established plant.

Thanks everyone. Asking on local Facebook is a great idea.

It’s about 6 metre’s from the road and there are shrubs separating the road and the path. It is very possible that dogs might wee on these plants that grow on the wall side of the path (as opposed to the shrub side).

I get that I can buy the seeds and plants but I believe in sharing, reusing and making the most of what is out in nature already.

Always buying things that can be easily propagated is much better for the environment (and given current times, helps reduce inflation).