Picking wild daffodils - AIBU

It's really awful to pick daffodils. They have been planted to give enjoyment to everyone. I live in a town with hundreds of daffodils along main roads, as well as crocuses in grass verges and parks, and they really are a joy to see each spring.

It amused you? Good grief.

I know for a fact some years ago daffodils used to go missing from the village garden beds around Mother's day.
The school kids used to gather bunches of them.
My daughter included.
I'm ashamed to say it amused me.

Nothing in public fields, forest or byways should be picked, not even mushrooms or toad stalls in the forest. They are there for the enjoyment of all.

I think I've posted this before but...

My dad kept his gardens, front and back, beautifully. Full of roses, allysum, lobelia and hydrangea as was the fashion back in the 60s and 70s. My mum came out of the front door one day about 15 years ago to find a young teenage girl snipping roses from the bushes. She was actually IN their front garden. When challenged, she told my mum that her mum had told her that because the house was a council house, it belonged to everyone and therefore she could pick the flowers! Never mind the fact that it wasn't a council house (they owned it), but mum was gobsmacked that anyone would say such a thing!!

What a lovely tribute to your baby girl chocolatepudding.

SpringyChicken

I wish people didn’t plant cultivated daffodils (especially tall daffodils) along verges. Great if they planted our own native species but they don’t. I’m not sure that picking daffodils from cultivated bulbs would be classed as illegal. They are not wild flowers.

I don't think most people know the difference as there are lots of people even on this forum saying they are only 90p on the shops.

You are most definitely not being unreasonable

I was going to say, make it obvious you are taking photos of them picking the flowers but get their car reg no as well, then you can send it off to the Police. Whether they follow it up who knows, but they should as it's illegal.

I reported a family, who were picking daffs by the side of the main road, to the police by giving their car Reg number. The police had words with them. I didn't hear the outcome .
I have also had children picking diffs by the side of my drive. They said-------Its OK. its in the countryside.

On our small street we have a strip of verge between the pavement and road and last autumn residents got together and planted daffodil bulbs in those verges. Interestingly, according to our deeds, although the council cuts the grass on those verges they do belong to the house they are in front of -

I’m sorry for your loss chocolatepudding, what a beautiful idea to plant a permanent living memorial to her.
Zoejory that’s a glorious photograph.

So sorry for your terrible loss chocolatepudding. What love you have poured into a wonderful permanent memorial to your baby.?

We live next to a small river in East Anglia. Over 30 years ago an half acre island upstream from us came up for sale. We bought it and was very overgrown with a public footpath running along one side of the island.
We planted 300 small trees and tidied up the huge willow trees. A few years later I bought 100 snowdrops in the green and planted them in a small square area. I have lifted and replanted the bulbs several times and now we have thousands of snowdrops.
Some people will leave the public footpath and pick the flowers and if I meet them I will politely ask them not to do so. I have found some holes in the ground where bulbs have been dug up.
Why do we do this? All the work we do on the island is done in memory of our baby daughter who died suddenly age 7 months over 40 years ago.

I wish people didn’t plant cultivated daffodils (especially tall daffodils) along verges. Great if they planted our own native species but they don’t. I’m not sure that picking daffodils from cultivated bulbs would be classed as illegal. They are not wild flowers.

I think it's really sad that people would pick flowers and so deprive others of the pleasure of seeing them.
But git me thinking... last year in local website someone asked where they could get wild garlic to cook with. Lots of people suggested places, including a wood nearby that has loads - the smell is amazing.
Then I remembered (in the 1960s) my mum used to go out and cut holly with berries on at Christmas time to decorate indoors!

To pick wild flowers such as the daffodils is illegal. J see people picking them in parks and it really annoys me.

I have no time for children picking flowers. Imagine how sad it would be if those brilliant patches of wild daffodils in the Lakes and elsewhere were picked. My children and grandchildren know to leave them alone so everyone can see their beauty.

www.countryfile.com/go-outdoors/days-out/britains-best-daffodil-walks/

Another time my husband and I were in the garden and heard voices coming from the road (single track country lane) it was an elderly couple picking primroses from our bank. We only wants some for our friend who is in hospital they said.
We left them to it only to return later to find they had swiped the lot, the bank was bare. ?‍♀️

You can pick them for personal use not to sell. However you are not supposed to pull them up by the roots. Which is why it's not allowed.

I consider it sacrilege, yes they only 99p in the shops, in fact the cost shouldn't even come into it, its totally and utterly wrong ...

When we moved to our current house my children asked if they could pick the daffodils in the bank opposite,I told them no as they did not belong to us. next day a hedge cutter came along and cut the lot down ! All were destroyed.
Years later we purchased the field opposite and so the bank belonged to us and I feel guilty picking the daffodils. I do only pick the fallen or broken ones but even so I feel it is a forbidden activity as I was taught not to pick wild flowers.

I could easily plant spring bulbs in the grass outside our front fence but I don’t because I reckon the flowers would be picked - not by the locals but by people passing through. I keep the flowers on my side of the fence.

I hate to see people picking them. I've just bought some in Lidl. They were 85p. I'm sure most people can afford that.

Plant your own! Just been out planting fifty snowdrops along the hedge on the roadside as I have so enjoyed everyone else’s this year!