Are you a TRUE gardener?

Do you have a napkin or paper wrapped pack of seeds in your purse? “I swear, Officer, I didn’t take these from the restaurant planter…”  Have you noticed a stray succulent stem, hanging down and ready to fall…out of a public planter? Guilty gardeners confess.

Saving seeds in a small packet

Guess what these seeds are wrapped in,…can you see? A big leaf! Dried and brown by the time I fished it out pf my purse AND I have NO idea what seeds these are.

Once I confessed,…

…many, many of our gardeners admitted their seed snitching ‘crimes’ as well:

Ann admits, “Yes, I have done this a couple of times. Once in Kansas City at an amusement park and once at the National Arboretum in Washington DC!”

Erika says,”I do this, but I should write the name on the napkin since I never can remember what the seed was from!

Libby states, “I have a sandwich bag with tissue-wrapped seeds right next to me now! Picked them off some flowers at the airport.”

Maggie says, “I’m laughing because yesterday when I was going out it seemed chilly enough for a jacket and I grabbed one from the closet. Imagine my embarrassment when i got into the store and saw all these little things – marigold seeds – that had worked their way through the fabric of the pocket!! Further investigation unearthed some zinnia seeds, too! I deadhead the planters along the paths of our shopping area because I know they are just going to throw them away, and must have totally forgotten about it!”

Judy confessed,  “I am always snatching seeds..outside restaurants, the library…everywhere I go. I have pulled over to get seeds from wildflowers along the side of the road…kids think I am nuts!

Katrina Always! In my pockets, then in the washer and dryer!

Regina: “Purse, car door, pockets…..always harvesting seeds from some place. Have redbud seeds in my pencil case from when I took my Master Gardener program.”

Jeanne says, “Many years ago, a friend and I would get some exercise walking some of the alleys in our nearby town ~~ of course, the Hollyhock seed heads would just be ‘reaching out’ to be plucked … that’s how I started my Hollyhock garden … the reds, pinks, and whites!”

There’s the premeditated garden snatcher…

Sherry admits, “I carry envelopes and a small pair of clippers in my purse, but I also have a pocket in an emergency. Small plastic bags are in the back of the van. I try to be prepared.”

Sandra says, “I know where all the great hollyhock patches are in my city. I visit them with envelopes at the end of each summer.”

Victoria says,”Did someone look into my purse and rat me out? Good thing they didn’t look in the backseat floor at my extra pair of garden shoes and clippers!”

Mor admits, “Guilty as charged.. I pretend to pick flowers or tie my shoelaces but really just snap the odd seedcase here and there.. my purse is always full of little plastic bags or repurposed tiny mint tins.. won’t leave the house without a packet of tissues, just for the seeds…”

Pam:  No seeds in my purse, but I had flying milk weed seeds in my car once.  I stopped on the side of the road and picked two green pods and forgot about them until they started flying all over inside my car. I know they are considered weeds but I love them.”

Deana confesses, (to her priest??) “Someone brought me 4 o’clock seeds from the Vatican.”

Patti says,”I am always dead heading the plants in the gardens at work.”

The Innocents..

Kelly: “I never thought about doing that! Thanks for the idea!”

Jeanne says,”I wanted to take some seeds from outside the hospital and my hubby wouldn’t let me. They were just going to sweep them away.”

Momi says, Last week I saved one little cherry tomato from the hotel green salad.  I will see if the seeds are viable…

Then there is the problem of Homeland Security…

Kitty confesses, “Guilty-I now have Beach Roses growing because I picked rose hips in Rhode Island years ago and flew them back home in my carry on. I got a few odd looks at the x-ray station but they let me go with I explained I’m a gardener. They did laugh a lot though.”

Becky says,  “I have to share a seed story. Several years ago hubby and I went on a Southern Caribbean cruise and while on one of the islands found the prettiest bush. The seed pods were hanging all over so I grabbed one….. That night at dinner I was telling abut the seeds I found. turns out two of the ladies sitting with us for dinner were customs officers at the Miami terminal and let us know that I could not take the seeds back into the US.  I planted them in the planters all over the ship.”  (A close escape!)

Diane says,”This reminds me of a trip to London’s Kew Gardens. I had a Flax linen dress on with deeppockets that went to “China.” It was September, I believe, and many flowers were going to seed. I will leave the rest up to your imaginations.”  (Yep,…that’s circumstantial, Diane…)

Gail “I embarrass my husband all the time “snitching” seeds from parks, roadways, in front of stores….you name it, and I will take those seeds and fold them into paper and note what they are, and sometimes from where I purloined them.”

Deborah says boldly, “But they couldn’t possibly miss just a ‘pinch’ here and ‘pinch’ there! My friends know not to take me around plants!”

Godwin says, “Seems like we all have the same M.O….!”

Natalie states proudly,  “My grandmother was known as a plant thief. Wherever she went, she’d break off a little piece of a plant or a seed pod. The great thing was, everything she took, grew!”

Teresa: “I have taken seeds from restaurant landscaping…”

Those led astray…

Donna, “Oh my….you just brought back a memory to me of my grandmother…always bringing seeds home or starts of plants. My sister-in-law and I learned from her.” (Now this is right out of ‘Oliver!’)

Alice says, “My grandson is fascinated with seeds right now, so I’m going to take him around to get some Pride of Barbados and see if we can get them started in the garden.”

Katie says, “I thought i was the only one!”

Sharon laughs, “My pockets are full of seeds. It’s like I burst a bag of trail mix in there.”

Mary says, “I used to travel for work and oh my, I was the wild flower queen … I carried bright color tape with me and would mark the plant I liked.  Then next trip in that area when the flower were dried out, I would pick the seed. Did the same with rocks, …my garden path was from 18 counties.  See a flat rock …it’s mine!”

Ann says, “A restaurant I go to know and then has the best tiny grape tomato’s. I now have three little plants growing

Flower Patch Farmhouse: “I have ten Japanese Maples I started from seeds I collected off a restaurant patio, they were thick on the ground and I could not let that treasure trove go to waste. I had more but I gave several away as gifts.”  (Ten?  This could be a felony!)

Ironically…

“The Gardening Angel” sighs, “I am so guilty of this…”

Like some here, I pinched off a stem or two of a few geraniums because the color was so attractive.  They were reaching out on the sidewalk and surely would have been soon trimmed off. I had an accomplice,…my walking partner and she was a pastor’s wife!  Both our porches boasted colorful geraniums that summer.  ~~ Sue

To read more on seed snatching, see this:

I’m a Seed Snatcher   from the GardenWeb site. Hilarious!