Are you a sniptomaniac and what did you snip?

[Jeannine]

Following from another topic that brought up helping oneself to cuttings and seeds along lifes way, I told the story of my Mum who kept scissors etc in her bag for just the opportunity.We came up with a  name  for those of us who do this , it is Sniptomaniac. So are you,and what did you snip. Come on own up.I dare you XXX Jeannine

[Jeannine]

[norfolklass]

when those walking onions accidentally walked into my pocket, I was with a friend who should only be allowed access to public gardens in a straitjacket!

we went to the beautiful East Ruston Old Vicarage garden and she not only helped herself to at least 20 seed heads, she was picking and eating all sorts of fruit from the fruit garden. obviously, she was egging me on to have a go so I tried to discreetly grab an acanthus seed head but to my mortification I was caught red-handed :-[ :-[ :-[ thankfully not by the owners but by another visitor. they thought it was hilarious but I was SO embarrassed!!! (I was always the one who got caught talking in lessons ::) ;D)

[Jeannine]

Can't write for laughing XX Jeannine

[ACE]

No I don't do that. But once when I went to Wisley I saw the gardener nipping all the seed heads off the stuff they were trialing. They de-seed to stop people helping theirselves. He put them all in his wheelbarrow then left the barrow and went for a teabreak.

I was in like Flynn and got some delphinium seed.  Slugs got most of the seedlings but I managed to get one to flower and it came up yellow. It did not come true fom seed again though.

I used to know a Rabbi that carried a pair of scissors around with him.


TAXI. 

[manicscousers]

ray's mum found a piece of a shrub with a  'heel' at the garden centre, she made me put it in my bag as hers wasn't big enough!!  ;D

[cocopops]

This reminds me of my now departed nana and grandad.

They used to walk their dog in the beautiful local Victorian park, and became friendly with the park keepers.  My nana would get really upset when they were re-planting and throwing away the previous seasons flowers.  My nana was a passionate gardener and could not understand throwing away flowers "that still had some life in them".  She used to carry carrier bags, for the doggy poo, in her handbag.  When the park keepers were not looking she would fill a bag with the plants.  Eventually they must have cottoned on, and let her help herself.  Many of the plants turned out to be annuals (right word?) so both their garden, and my parent's were well stocked.  Even the ones that did not last long added colour for at least a small while  :)

[Gillysdad]

Jeannine , If I get time for this will you make me a cake with a file in it....

  When visiting Floors Castle in the Scottish Borders my wife declared that we didn't have any mint to go with our roast beef dinner. I found some in their gardens and took a few sprigs. My wife was panicking big time, you'd think I was stealing the crown jewels. Anyway the mint was great and the story still makes us laugh. ;D ;D

[carolinej]

Nothing so daring for me :( I was walking the dog, and found a piece of red dogwood on the floor from where someone had just trimmed a hedge. I took it home, stuck it in a pot in the propagator, and it has nice little leaves on it now.

I never was very exciting :-\

cj :)

[honeybee]

Not a snipper myself but thats probably because as ive relayed before, my Mum would  crack on snipping, regardless of the embarrassment i recall feeling even as a tiny child, due to her antics with the scissors. ::)

She had this black handbag that was like a bottomless pit and could fit anything in it  ::)
And just perfect for cuttings  ;D

Mums grandparents worked for many years at Chatsworth house in Derbyshire
http://www.chatsworth.org/
Her Grandma was a maid and her Grandfather was Gamekeeper and consequently it was a favourite place of Mums and we often visited the house and gardens on family trips(long after her grandparents had passed on) when we were young which Mum adored to do....but believe me, there were many plants in her garden that originated from that historical place  :-X

[Robert_Brenchley]

I remember half the people we knew in Oxford seemed to have plants that originated from the Botanical Gardens, and I don't mean Oxford Ragwort! Everyone had that.

[Jill]

My dear mum  used to live with a pair of scissors and a plastic bag in her handbag wherever we went.  We used to walk away, seriously embarrassed every time she took a cutting, no matter where.  She's long gone, but only recently have I fully understood why and good on her, I say!

[Jeannine]

It seems it is popular hobby, I have to admit to nicking seedpods of a neighbours sweet peas and she had a huge passion flower which covered our adjoining fence, I don't know what she did on her side but on mine I ate all her passion fruit, it really is good by the way if no-one has tried it. XX Jeannine

[Lillypad]

My gran could never resist pinching a few sprigs from any lavender bush she passed - not for growing on, but simply to enjoy the smell.

I'm afraid I've inherited the habit!

Lillypad

[OliveOil]

My nana used to pinch poppy heads but that was all I think... However, My nana and Mum cannot resist taking souvenirs from hotel rooms - milk jugs, teaspoons, even tea pots, oh and not forgetting towels.  I have a cupboard full of Hilton Living Well Bath towels... I would never dare, I would get caught and charged LOL

[Rohaise]

Hallo Jeanie .  :) Oh! I LOVE THIS TOPIC !   Guilty    ::)     ...well you see , me Lud ,we had bought this brand new house  and the brand new house had a garden with nothing in it at all . So every evening I would walk my dog around the town  (Truro is only a  small town)    ......well I am sorry to say that there are alot of Truro folk who dont look after their front gardens like they should .. beautiful shrubs once neatly planted ...now forgotten about it seems ..all overgrown and blocking their own windows and overhanging the public pathways !  In short ... they needed pruning ...I was doing them a favour  ,honest .     ;D     Rohaise     (I have now moved away    ::)  )

[Deb P]

I leared my craft from an expert...my nan (who is still going strong aged 93) :o.

I remember as a child having to shield her in our local gas showroom whilst she 'borrowed' a bit of an interesting plant in a pot there, and sneaked it into her capacious handbag! A few weeks later she had a potful growing in her little leanto she used as a propogating area.

I blame the genes you know! ;D

[Heldi]

Funny I was thinking about this subject this very morning. On the walk to school I sometimes cut through an estate. Theres a row of house with little picket fenced gardens. They should be lovely but unfortunately think mattresses, sofas and dog poo. Absolutely foul.

In one garden there is a fuchsia which I have admired for ages. Tiny pink little flowers.  It would look great next to the fairy door on my tree stump in my garden methinks.  I've tried pinching a piece but it's a tough thing and I can't quite pull enough off as I walk past...I wouldn't hang around there lol!  I was thinking this morning I need some scissors in my pocket lol!  I saw the "lady" of the house hacking at it one day,I was so shocked at her ill treatment of this poor little plant! I chickened out of asking her for some cuttings...she frightened me to death and was holding shears lol!

In the garden next door to that one there is a lovely herbacious plant. Name escapes me right now.  I look at it choked with grass and have visions of sneaking over in the dead of night, liberating it and taking it home where it will be loved.

There's an aster in a neglected garden in the next street from me which I'd quite fancy digging up and taking home too.

I used to be one of those persons digging up and chucking out seasonal plants from borders in the park. We were told we weren't allowed to give the plants away. I have stood and taken a barrage of abuse from Joe Public because I couldn't let them help themselves. I was only a wee girl of 17 anorl. Was glad when I moved to the cemetaries..atleast the folks there let you get on with your work!

[newbies]

Fantastic thread, I must tell you about my Aunty Elsie.  I'm not sure about plants, but she used to love swapping the prices on market stalls to get a better deal, and also loved weddings.  she would go into the church and watch, having never married herself.  I'm quite sure that she appeared on the photos of many a bemused family, so I see no reason to doubt her taking the odd cutting.
Is it because the English make very good eccentrics, do you think?

[Rohaise]

   I am so glad you three have come on with your confessions ...to bury mine   :D   !!!
                                           
                                                   Rohaise   

[froglets]

Gillysdad, if there was anything you wished you'd grabbed from Floors but missed..... I have several tubs with ill gotten seeds from their garden.  OH aquired about a dozen seed pods & stuffed them in my handbag last autumn.  I felt so guilty I put several quid into the donations box.