Hey! What are you doing snatching seeds from the botanic garden?? Those are a special preserve of plants intended only to be...MY snatching-grounds! Hands off, lady! :)

I hate it when I snatch seeds (from anywhere) and I don't have a way to label them. I always tell myself I'll remember what they were, and then I just set them aside when I get home. Weeks later, I come across them, and they're mystery seeds. If I have my camera with me, I at least take a picture and use the voice record function, so I can record the info that way.

I'd love to grow some anemones, but the seeds I tried last spring didn't sprout. I hope yours do better!

hee!

Those seeds are teeny, arent they? Hopefully Ill be able to find them in the spring.

:)

I don't mean to be a snitch or the bad guy here, but we shouldn't snatch seeds from botanical garden no matter how abundant they may seem. some gardens sell the seeds to help keep the place running, and it can be illegal and be passed as theft

I concur, if they say something's going to be for the need, they there shouldn't be rotting produce on the ground. Now that you mention scattering them around, that's ok i think. What's the harm in helping them reseed? It definately works out in the end. Some will, some won't, eventually, when those who do get seed from the seeds from the gardens, they'll have to more to share, eventually anyone who wants some will be able to get some

Wow, you guys are not doing anyone any good by saying bad things about the Botanic Garden. I used to volunteer there and they do a lot for other people. Most of the rotten fruit on the ground is not because they are lazy, but because they can't get the volunteers like they used to.

If you continue to take the seeds, then you may be spreading the "wealth" around, but you may also be spreading the problems that come with that seed. Some of the plants may be diseased and maybe you should think about the problems that will cause your neighbors when it gets out of hand.

As for only a few people taking seeds, that's not entirely true. If some one sees it happening, then maybe they will try it, too! You may never get caught, but that doesn't mean that some day people won't try deadheading the flowers. Then no one will ever get the enjoyment of seeing those special flowers.

I'd hate to go somewhere and pay $10.00 to see a display of deadheaded flowers! How about you? What happens if everyone takes just one rose from a rose bush as they pass by? Will there be any left for the 1000s of people who didn't get there until the next day?

as pookie says,
These places rely on volunteers to help keep up the grounds,pick the fruit,etc. but so few people volunteer any more.If you want seeds,why not ask someone that works there if they sell seeds. If they do,it's a win-win for both parties. You get the seeds you want and they get money that goes toward keeping gardens open for public veiwing.

A lot of these places have plant sells once or twice a year so ask about plants sales too.

Better yet....become a volunteer!!!I do volunteer gardening and donate plants to my local city park,senior citzen center and computer skills school.

PP

It is hard getting volunteer, I understand that. Sorry for starting this dividing, but all in all, support the botanical garden by volunteering, or by helping out. Ask before you take...that's the best poicy

It is hard getting volunteer, I understand that. Sorry for starting this dividing, but all in all, support the botanical garden by volunteering, or by helping out. Ask before you take...that's the best poicy

Im sorry I said that. I wasnt meaning to start a fight/debate about picking seeds there. Ill will say a few things. I do understand that some of you guys think its wrong no matter what and I respect that. Ill try not to mention it again. I wont change what I do tho.

I might understand why people have a hard time wanting to volunteer there. Its in a wealthy neighborhood (Highland Park) surrounded by women who WANT to volunteer there.

They do not present themselves as a charitable/non-profit organization. There is BIG MONEY changing hands in this place. They've got huge displays listing the hundreds of dollars in donations received from major corporations, big family trusts and "annonymous sources. Everything is premium, the plants, the landscaping, the annual construction projects. The prices in the cafe are outrageous. Would you volunteer at Target or Walmart?

They've got a shredder/mulcher thing that is big as my house and probably costs twice as much. I live closeby and for about two years I went on a daily basis to walk. Ive seen alot. Acres and Acres of greenhouses. They do sell seeds in the giftshop, but they arent harvested there, they're brought in from an outside vendor.

Ive picked seeds out of the wheelbarrows left around by the people doing the deadheading, which they are compulsive about. You dont find that many seed heads on the actual plants. :) All that stuff goes right into the compost pile, I dont think a handful of seedheads left out of the compost pile means anything on a large scale basis. They certainly arent going to use the open-polinated seeds harvested off of their primarily hybrid plants. They develop coneflowers there that dont even set viable seeds. Those $25 coneflower plants you guys are buying is paying them bookoo bucks in royalties!

And Ill take a minute to defend myself (which I said I wasnt going to do). I pick the seeds out of the wheelbarrows that have already been deadheaded by the paid employees. If they're in the process of deadheading stuff, I dont think they mind "help" with a few of the heads they're going to cut anyway. I NEVER take cuttings off anything and would never think of doing anything that harms the display. I love this place!

ps, I mean hundreds of THOUSANDS of dollars above, not hundreds of dollars.
:)

I think we all share diffrent opions about this subject.

I live in a small town that doesn't have even "hundreds of dollars" to spend on projects such as your wonderful botanical gardens. I've volunteered for several projects,donated hundreds of dollars worth of plants,mine and my huband's time,equpiment and gas( and allowed some of our renters to work on projects to work off back rent,money out of our pocket) only to come back and find what I've done wrecked by irrigation installers( plants pulled out of the ground tossed aside...or plain "GONE"),trash from the people that use the walking paths for their daily exercise, community service people that came in and hack down to the ground dozen and dozens of large shrubs and small trees (to feed wildlife),that I marked with dayglo orange surviors ribbons, and have had flowering perennials totaly de-nuded of all blooms by people wanting a fresh bouquets for their home.

I even spent a month of my garden clubs time and donation for a giant gardeners gift basket raffle to raise money for planters at our city's new museum only to have them stolen right off off the corner of Main St. and a busy hwy. so sometimes I get a little over-zealous on the subject.

PP

I understand Peggy, that's a completely different situation. Ive been to smaller gardens in Wisconsin which were obviously fueled by sweat equity and wouldnt think of picking anything.

CBG is lucky to be lavishly funded by lots of corporate donations. I wish you could come visit, you'd love this place!!