picking flowers in park

Anniebach - cowslips are also on the protected list - there are some growing in the grounds of the hospital where I work , and the gardeners have to go round them when they cut the grass

I was reading a thread on a Leeds facebook page that I'm on and apparently it's illegal to pick flowers from a public place. People were picking armfuls of Daffs in Leeds. I used to pick Bluebells from my local wood when I was a child too.

As a child in rural Wales I remember picking primroses for my mum-enough to fill a large old fashioned brown mixing bowl The (wonderful)smell is with me as I type.They grew in great profusion along the hedgerows and in the fields on my dad's farm (so technically ours anyway) we only ever took a few from each clump .But to pick flowers which have been planted in a public park is quite different

But would never pick bluebells they die so quickly .And never look as good in vases as they do growing in great blue swathes of colour

I agree with Harrys parents seem to find it hard to say 'no' to their children and don't look at the bigger picture. I often wonder what a child allowed to chase pigeons thinks about chasing other animals. We all know pigeons are a menace but isn't it teaching children that animals don't matter?

Annie - Lady's slipper is a kind of orchid. The one I pick is lady's smock, or cuckoo flower.
There can't be many parents who know about different wild flowers and how they grow. Do children learn about this at school now? Remember the flower fairy books?

I learned about wildlfowers from my parents and from books, not at school. Still learning.

Most daffodils in parks and verges are planted ones, not the native wild ones. Just saying.

We used to pick armfuls of bluebells and take them home to mum. Not sure how pleased she really was because they did seem to wilt so quickly . The wild flowers that always disappointed me when I was young were red poppies - I so wanted to have a vase full of them but they wilted and died almost as soon as they were picked! I soon learnt to leave them where they were.

I thought in the New Forest there were some bye laws against picking flower and greenery. Especially holly and fir trees at Christmas.

Perennial wild plants replace their flowers, though it may be not be until next year, but people who dig up the roots have removed a plant permanently from that position.

I was in the Lost Gardens of Heligan on Tuesday and there's a huge stand of ancient rhododendrons about 10' high and signs saying please don't climb. A group of small boys were busy ripping branches off ignored by their parents.

I do hope you pointed out the signs, anya!

We visited Enys Gardens a couple of years ago to see the bluebells - they have undoubtedly one of the finest shows of bluebells anywhere, really breathtaking. It is roped off with signs at intervals along the path surrounding the field politely asking people to please not walk among the bluebells. There is always someone, isn't there? Someone who thinks they have some sort of special exemption. Fortunately the wardens didn't agree and gave this fellow short shrift!

I did better than that Elegran I set a warden on them! I'm fed up with telling kids off or trying to point it out to parents who don't give a damn.

Perhaps this thread should be linked to 'Things that should be free' ?

It's funny that this topic has surfaced as seeing all the daffodils over the last few weeks reminds me of when I was quite young and my mum took me for a walk one day. We walked along a fairly new dual carriage way road and daffodils had been planted around some young saplings and me and my mum walked along picking the daffodils to take home. Now, I cringe just thinking about it and feel so embarrassed that it is a memory of mine. It's some thing I wouldn't dream of doing now and my children were never encouraged to do it and now my grand daughter will be told the same.

I'm not sure if this has anything to do with the memory but now I much prefer being given a plant rather than cut flowers, even though I love all flowers

Flowers are much better in situ, if possible.

We used to live near a dual carriage way where the council planted daffodils all along the central reservation and they looked really lovely. But they all disappeared in the run up to Mothers Day, as the local kids had picked every one of them. Did their mothers realize where the daffodils had come from I wonder??

For the last 3 years of her life, mum was in a residential home. One day the chef came in with a bunch of daffodils for the residents lounge. He arranged them and everyone was smiling and talking about the bluebell and daffodil woods of their childhood,

I knew that he was on minimum wage, so offered to give him something toward the cost.

He told me that they were a present from the council and that the residents had more than paid for them in their council taxes over their long lives.

Couldn't argue with that!

Years ago when we lived in Cornwall, I remember a young man being arrested for picking daffodils that grew along the side of a main road.I remember thinking that was a bit harsh at the time.

Flowers in public parks should never be picked.