Picking Flowers Etiquette

[crosses]

Is there an etiquette for picking wild flowers? There is an open field near my house with tons of beautiful flowers, but I'm not sure if I'm allowed to pick them or not. What do you think?

[PrincessPerky]

If it is honestly open feild no ones house definatly go for it, if it is a yard you could ask, but I am terrible we never ask about dandilions or anything, I know all my neighbors try to kill them anyway, so I can get some fun first. (well my kids do) less there is any reason to believe it was 'planted on purpose' a couple flowers wont hurt.

The only thing if it is dangerous at all, like around construction (where I live) you may find the feild cleared in response, I did .

[robex]

I think that it's okay to pick wildflowers...better than flowers from your neighbour's garden...that one was hard to explain to the kids...even harder to explain to the neighbours why their flower beds looked bare and I had wilted flowers sticking out of dry dirt in my yard!

I once met someone who did lots of dried floral arrangements (sold them, in fact) and she told me that she got her flowers from the garbage heap in the cemetary. She would walk over early in the morning and pick through what the gardeners had cleaned up the night before!

[PrincessPerky]

'planted on purpose' Thats what I say to the kids about garden flowers, So long as they ask first they can pick.

Genereally if it grows in neat rows or has a border around it they don't touch.

[frugalfarmwife]

Even vacant land belongs to someone so it's better to find the owners and ask. We own a lot of frontage and our house/barns are way back from the road. If someone asks about picking flowers on my property I have no problem, if they don't ask there's a problem, you're on my land without permission. (and I have to listen to my husband complain about it!)

It's just safer in todays world to get permission beforehand rather than having to explain/defend yourself after the fact, and besides, you never know you might make a new friend.

KJ

[Fern]

Just leave some for others to enjoy.