Ya'll make me look like Mother Theresa! I feel guilty taking seeds from other people's plants :). I actually stopped on the way to work this morning to collect some apaganthus seeds that I've had my eyeballs on for weeks. I'm sure all the people at the intersection were wondering what the nutball in the scrubs was doing to the plant! :0
Michelle

cjsmith: Wanna talk pointless? Last year I snatched spider plant seeds from a local garden centre! >>:) Why? They were there. And, yes, I planted them, and they germinated. They weren't even the variegated variety!

I have gone to my office on Sundays, we have several huge gardens there, and have collected alot of great seeds. When I visit my friends and family I always check their flowers to see if any have gone to seed yet. This is a great way to get new flowers. I was at the garden centre yesterday and there was alot that had gone to seed but I wasn't brave enough to snatch any of those.

My hubby won't go anywhere with me any more! I've grabbed some verbena, petunia, and nicotania in colors I didn't have before. Abutilon (flowering maple), because mine doesn't seem to be setting any seed. All from local nurseries. I've got my eye on some mandevillea at the local gas station, and some pretty pinkish/purplish day lillies a couple blocks away.

My sister-in-law already knows I'll be by to snatch seed from her pink verbena later this summer - she doesn't know I also plan on getting some cuttings from her exotic impatiens.

I'll be watching for more - every where I go!

I have snatched plenty of seed but set my limits at snatching from the box stores. Im sure if they wanted to get nasty thats considered shoplifing.

We just got back from visiting family in SC. Everytime we took a walk I would see some seeds. Nobody would wait for me while I got my goodies. I was always running to catch them, seeds tucks safely in my purse. Embarassing teenagers is almost as much fun as seed snatching

Hi Everyone,
My name is Joyce & I live in zone 4 in Maine. I too have been a seed snatcher for many years. I do only snatch from public places but ask if there is something that I want at a private residence, most gardeners love to share. I deadhead at the malls & other stores. I always kept several #0 coin envelopes & a permanent marker with me, in my purse, in the car & in a lot of pockets :). I came across a new site a few days ago. I think all of you will enjoy it. Free seed packets to print & cut out & glue together. I have added the link, there are cute designs & places to write on the back. Enjoy! Happy hunting & harvesting!!

Here is a link that might be useful: free seed packets

I saw a clump of the most beautiful daylilies towards the end of our dead end raod while my husband and I were out driving around. Someone has planted them at the end of their driveway. So I took bike riding up as an excuse to ride by there every other day to check on the progress of the seed pods. Added bonus to seed snatchin? I'm getting some great exercise while I'm at it!!!!

I have had a wonderful laugh,learned of new places to snatch seeds(yes of course I do it too my husband is ready to kill me. Kids are to young to care) and the link Joyce gave was wonderful. THANKS. Another one for seed envolopes is http://www.blossomswap.com/envelopes.html Have a great day everybody and keep up the good work.

You have made me all so happy! I thought I had an addiction and my husband has to read these posts so he knows I am "normal"!

Kim has shown great love of gardening, putting all embarrassment from her kids aside!! And the seed packet patterns are good to print also.

The only seeds I have taken this year are lime basil and now I have seedlings comming up everywhere in my backyard. I have shared with friends and family and ahh, the salsas I have made with all the basils in my garden. Oh, I forgot I did snatch some hot pink hollyhocks from my friend's house as she confessed to her snatching autumn lollipop from my house. I had many pelargonium and double impatients from cuttings but the heat took them this year. I guess I'll have to try again.

Oh gosh, I thought I was crazy!! Well I know Im not alone! LOL I havnt done any seed snatching yet, but I regularly take cuttings from my mother in laws yard, and most daring to date was a cutting of a beautiful red/white rose at the taco bell!!

I got ALL the orange oriental poppy seedheads from the library! Gonna check out the medical center for their daylily seed next...

I haven't snatched any seeds anywhere yet but then I haven't seen anything that I really wanted yet, the summer isn't over though! I do have my eye on the most beautiful Coleus in front of Starbucks across the street from where I work, to bad there's no seeds there but I have been thinking about snatching a stem and rooting it but then I'm always afraid someone will see me. I've got my envelopes and baggies ready though, just in case.

Ah, the joy of seed snatching. I must admit, my mom bred it into me. That, and also plant snatching. I won't steal but where we live the county is constantly tearing down the old sections of town. If we're out and see a bulldozer ready for the next days attack on an old forgotten house and overrun garden, we're there! We've actually gotten a load of barenaked ladies this way. Of course, we had to share them with another plant snatcher who arrived a few minutes after us shovel in hand. Imagine her surprize finding out she had competion!

just started seed snatching ...great way to get new plants...got some from Lowe's and Wal- Mart...i'm new at this so i felt a little strange doing it..but it was fun...

Save some plastic baggies for the trip to the Botanical Gardens in September, y'all. The seed snatching motherload awaits!
Also, Busch Gardens...
And, yeah, added bonus is embarassing teenagers .
LU

One thing I never do is snatch seeds from a Botanical Garden, because they often sell seeds from their gardens to supplement the meagre funding they get from the government/university/etc., and they often desperately need the extra cash. So if you like the botanical garden, please don't snatch from them! You could be helping to put them out of business.

sometime in early March I was comming from work and took a differant way home because I stopped at the local KFC. I saw this beautiful plant in someones yard and quickly pulled over almost getting rear ended. I rang the doorbell and knocked and no answer. I came back everyday that week and tried my lunch hour the following week and still no answer. On the last day I was there I decided if this person was never around to enjoy her flowers I would just have to pull one (the devil was in me at that very moment) and make a run for it. I turned to look at it and against my will I asked God for guidance since I had never stolen anything in my life (other than seeds). Well he did guide me all the way back to my van with no plant in hand!
Just yesterday I was driving by the house again and I spotted her going inside and I quickly pulled over and almost ran to tackle her down. She told me the story of her beautiful plant. It was a blood lily that her mother bought almost 40 years ago from a catalog and she has never seen it sold any where but knew the name. I asked if I could purchase seeds or a bulb from her but she told me that since she is 82 years old, she sends the new off spings and seeds to members of her family becasue she does not want her mother's precious flower to die with her. Well I found it on the net and will order next week, but I still feel like I should put hot coals on my tongue for what evil doing I almost committed. I don't know if any of you own or have seen this bulb in flower, but let me tell you it is a huge allium type spere of almost a fire like appearance. And still with all this guilt, I am keeping and eye on some seeds on a blue thunbergia sky vine that is just loaded with green pods. Well happy seed snatching, Flora

I'm also an incurable seed snatcher... just can't help myself! My son is a pretty regular patient at Children's Hospital Boston, and they have a wonderful garden area. Well on a visit last week, I noticed that all the hollyhocks and Cleome and other thngs I can't identify are going to seed... so I just had to get a few of each! I was feeling somewhat guilty over it, but then I discovered that the maintainence crew trims and discards the dying flower stalks. So my guilt has changed to joy, I've "SAVED" seeds from being wasted. That should be my new motto: A SEED IS A TERRIBLE THING TO WASTE
LOL
Valerie
NH

Where do I start? BUT all of these needed "deadheading". I snatched some from a growers outlet, in front of a Cracker Barrell, at the rest area in NC, in front of the place where I work. I have my eye on some at a Sonic drive in. I also have some that I don't know what they are or where I got them - found them in the bottom of my purse. Then my daughter came home and said, "okay, it must be contragious because I brought home some seed pods from some yellow daylilies at school for you." And she doesn't even like gardening! Oh, where does it end? LOL!

Really sinking to a new low here... On college visit, saw beautiful plantings everywhere. Ornamental grasses, coleus, shrub roses, all kinds of things. So while other parents are touring campus, I'm taking my daughter around pointing out what I want her to "collect" for me later in the season. I'm so... ashamed? NO, tickled! For the price of tuition, I get free seeds!! Smile...
LU

This is so much fun. There used to be a member name here of 'seedbandito'; haven't heard from them in a while. That's a great name! Anyway, I drag my kids (all three of them) out on walks with me just to steal seeds. My ten year old daughter actually helped me kidnap a cardoon (growing amongst overgrown junipers in a seen-better-days apartment complex; pretty sure it was a volunteer!) even though she vehemently hates gardening because it takes time away from her (yeah, poor baby! She's only the most spoiled kid on the earth!!!) She really got into it, though, maybe because I promised her we'd stop at am/pm for a candy bar on the way back? Hmmm...
Anyway, I snatch seeds from plants I don't even like. That's totally ridiculous. I hate pretty much all ornamental grasses, but people here in CA grow them everywhere. And they're so prolific. And petunias. I don't even like them. But I have seeds! It's like I cannot force myself to pass by a mature seed pod, ever. I've snatched the following from shopping centers: iceland poppies, pink sea thrift, daylily, foxglove, violas, abutilon, and tons of society garlic (don't like that either!) You name it. Not to mention the cutting of dark blood red and black bicolor regal geranium from the bank; I had no chance winning the battle against that one! Part of why I bring the baby with me on walks on the weekend is so that I have a place (basket under the stroller is huge!) to put all my baggies and saved credit card application envelopes full of goodies! Somebody here once asked 'when do you know you have a problem?'
My response: 'when you see that gardenweb has a forum called 'enabling', and you see no difference between that and the 'seed exchange' forum'!!!
Keep 'em coming! We need the laughs!

I must be SLOW LOL I never thought of seed snatching!!! I have really enjoyed reading all of your postings :) Thanks for the laughs.

I am new to seed saving and had come this site to learn more about it - I got so much more :)

No doubt my children would be embarrassed too, but they will just have to humor me LOL

Nana

You know you're addicted when you get excited when you hear someone mention that there's an "enabling" forum. :) I was kinda disappointed when I found out what it was really meant for, but still... ;)

And I do know what you mean by having seeds for plants you don't even want. I don't really care for yellow perennial alyssums or yellow geums (yellow's not my favourite colour), but I pinch them anyway when I see them. :) My usual technique is to sit or crouch down and look and touch at the plants like I'm admiring them, then, the next thing you know, it's missing a few seed heads... Heh heh.

Is there an etiquette to this? I don't have any, that's why I ask. Was at a public garden and went to town!! I have no idea what I have seeds for but they were all such pretty plants. I do take care not to upset the plant in anyway and make sure the seeds are ripe. Hope that's enough for etiquette. See you at the Name That Plant forum.

I would say, as long as you're not making an unholy wreck of the plants you get the seeds from (that is, not destroying the beauty of the plant or arrangement), and the place you're collecting from doesn't rely on the seeds for funding or propagation of their stock (eg. many botanical gardens and seed supply sources), everything else is fair game. Besides, when the seeds are calling out to you, how can it be your fault, right?

Okay I am getting excited! I always admire plants and flowers in public places, wishing I had them. Now I know I can!! I'll have to keep a log of where I have seen them and check for the ripe pods. Will seeds ripen if you pick them green? I am assuming not. I am also assuming that ripe is brown? Maybe I need to make a trip to the library and read up on seed saving, so I don't have to ask so many questions!

Nana

Well this is technically not seed snatchin' but I think it qualifies as a nasty deed.

www.plantzafrica.com/plantab/barlerrepens.htm

it's beautiful so I took a clipping and came home and did a search for it and the sight said was easily propagated from cuttings. woohoo! flora

Flora: Wow! Nice.

Nana: It depends. Some pods/seeds/seedheads stay green (eg. Lysichiton, helleborus, hymenocallis), and some turn other colours other than brown (usually fruits - eg. arisaema fruit - usually orange, maianthemum - tan w. red spots, oenotheras are almost black, linum is straw-yellow). And sometimes a cut green pod may still mature (usually if it's cut in a late stage of developement). Generally, though, you've got the right idea. And don't be afraid to ask lots of questions about seeds here, even ones that seem rather mundane. That's what this forum is for. :) The rest is mostly experience.

I do a lot of work in many of the big office buildings around town and they all have large flower beds. I'm always on the lookout for some interesting seeds to collect. I got some today from a small yellow daylilly.

I can't believe I had the nerve to snatch seeds at the post office.Last yr. they planted cotton plants and someone stole the plants and there was a big write up about stealing from FEDERAL property and all.Well,they also grow the tall white variety of nicotiana.I went 2 times last week just to get seeds from those plants,then I sent my friend to walk by and grab a handful.If I appear on the 6 o'clock news,well it was the devil that made me do it....

Oh My!! I guess we need to make sure that we are only snatching and NOT stealing :) I too have admired beautiful plants at my post office. Last year I asked permission to take a few cuttings of the hydrangea there because I wanted to dry them. I never thought of the fact that I could have saved the seeds!!!! Any plant that flowers has seeds, right?

Thanks guys, this new hobby is a Hoot!

Nana

Another silly question. Is there a special process to saving seeds? Or is it simply to place them in a paper container and wait until next year? How long are they good for?

I found some lily green baseball shaped seed pod this morning. The seeds inside are green, is that okay?

Nana

Sure have! There were some gorgeous cosmos seeds at my MIL's while we were on vacation! Hahaha! Yeah, I could easily have asked her! My DD did ask grandma for some ziplocks because the poppies had gone to seed. A good daughter of her mothers, hey? As a result we ended up with LOADS of seeds! I can't wait for next spring now.

There are things along the back alleys here that would be fair game too! Hahaha, I'll just plop some seeds along MY back alley section. "Wild" stuff but still pretty.

The birds seem to bring me lots of things though! I've got lots of petunias -- GORGEOUS purples too yet. A climatis seedling is growing that I never planted, some pretty forget-me-nots, and sweet williams that are such a pretty purple/pink.

I'm trying to get the courage [don't want them thinking I'm nuts] to ask to take a clipping from a BEAUTIFUL Crepe Myrtle - but it is growing over the fence by the sidewalk and would be so easy to walk by and take a quick cutting....

valerie424...to make yourself feel better, since your son frequents that hospital, what about giving them some of the seedlings you've grown??? A donation from the heart.

Nana -- unfortunately not all plants set seeds, or grow well from seeds. Some hybrids, often the prettiest, are sterile. Some other hybrids won't come true from seeds; that is, the plants you get will look like the plants parents rather than the plant you snatched from.

While green pods may produce viable seeds, green seeds rarely germinate. But... you never know! My general policy is to study up once I acqure the seeds, or spot a plant I want to watch for seeds. In addition to this forum, there are lots of great sites for info about seeds; I just found the site below a few days ago. Very helpful pictures!

As for storing seeds, the key is cool, dry and dark. I store mine in paper envelopes in a cupboard, but as long as you have those three qualities, anything goes!

Here is a link that might be useful: The Seedsite

Picked some seeds from a Carmencita castor plant, double coreopsis, purple echinacea and some super fragrant pinks on my morning walks this weekend. This "exercise" thing is really paying off! I clip on my pedometer, slip a few coin envelopes and a stubby pencil in my pocket, head out the door and -- improve my garden!

After reading this post I snatched my first seeds today!! Found some Echinacea 'white swan' still with seeds. Best part was, the plants still had plastic plant tags in the ground by the plants!

Lee

Hello, I have been saving seeds from my own garden and have "borrowed" a few from public parks.
Does anyone have ideas on how to get seeds from Lisianthus??
I have also had fun starting seeds from different parts of the country........
My house is full of unusual plants!!! Can anyone suggest something really different that I can start from seed???

Anitabryk2, the best time to take cuttings of the crepe myrtle is right before they get ready to bloom. Before they have set buds, but certainly before they bloom. You can always try to root them now, and you could have some good luck. I am just saying optimum time.

I would say that I am an absolute fanatic seed saver. But I NEVER snatch seeds at a plant nursery. I have a friend who owns and operates a nice nursery, and people steal his seed pods and even dig up plants from the flower beds out front! He sometimes depends on his plants making seed so that he can propagate them for plants to sell next year. It is hard for the 'little' nursery to compete with the box stores, and we are going to sorely miss them when they are gone. All that knowledge! All that advice!

Sorry, didn't mean to rain on the parade.

On the other hand, public gardens, post office offerings, whatever, are all fair game, as far as I know. Just take the time to research the plant you are sneaking up on so you know when the best time to snatch the seeds, and know also that some seeds are sterile, and will not germinate for love nor money!

When I take a cutting, I try to get one that has just bloomed. That way, I can truley say that I am deadheading.....

Janie

I am the opposite of a seed snatcher. I have an end unit townhouse with a deck. My neighbor has no deck, and a very neglected yard. So, when I'm picking seeds off of my plants on the deck - I sometimes "accidentally" drop some onto his yard. I'd rather see flowers than weeds!! Guilty Christy

Believe it or not my local grocery store had Zowie Zinnias....I was "deadheading" the outside plants....oh and I "deadheaded" a few select plants at my local Wal-Mart.

Went to visit the local library, for a book and to check on all those beautiful cosmos sonata. Got me half a sandwich size ziploc bag full of those beautiful seeds. Then went to the post office and have some marigold dwarf seeds too.
So much fun to find goodies while doing errands.

Does anyone know how to save seeds from the New Guinea Impatiens???? they are so hard to find around here.......would love to try growing some from seed.

I had to chuckle when I read pollywog's post! Years ago when I was young and driving in the country with my MIL, we spotted loads of ditch lilies and they were so beautiful I had to have some. The only thing she had in her car that I could dig with was a SPOON, but I did it! I got one little piece of plant and every time I look at my large clumps of ditch lilies, I remember that day and have to smile! However, my other plant experience with her wasn't as pleasant!. MIL is NOT a gardener, but one time she gave me some seedlings of what she thought was a plant with "pretty blue flowers". The leaves actually looked like Chrisanthemum. Well, being young and inexperienced with gardening I planted them, and have been battling the worst weed I have ever encountered, ever since. I now have large clumps of Echinacea, but the yellow goldfinches always beat me to the seed. They love them!

HaHa! I have been snatching seeds all year round! Ornamental kale, veggies, flowers, odd sunflowers, and other questionables.

I had to call my husband and read a few, so he knows I am not alone. Once while in an incredibly swanky part of town, I made him do a U-y to go back and pick some seeds. The day we were married we met a lady at the hotel (we honeymooned down the street from our house) who was packing up her deceased mother's house. She asked us to come over and see if there was anything we wanted. AND THERE WAS! You see, sneaky mom had been stealing rare and unusual cactus cuttings for 50 years and had developed a garden that would rival the botanical gardens. (this is illegal in some states, if the cactus is protected) She also had over 150 established rose plants of all sorts of pedigree. Unfortunately, the mom's son threw a tempertantrum that we were there, and they sold the house before we could do what we call a "Stealth Mission". The new owners bulldozed everthing, and all was lost.

Lesson learned: SEED SNATCH BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!

I am a cutting-snatcher! I salivate whenever I am anywhere that has beautiful plants that have a high clippability rating! I have to sit on my hands in nice restaurants. My favorite naughty habit is to pluck leaves off unusual african violets. shame, shame! ;>)

I stopped at a rest area in Kentucky last week and after going in and talking with an employee there left with 13 daylily proliferations.
Jim

I stopped in front of a large old home today and snatched some Red hardy Hibiscus seeds today.
I've been watching this plant for about 2 years now and it produces the deepest red flowers I've seen.
Well, wouldn't you know it, I got caught.
I ran right up to the plant and didn't notice the owner sitting on his porch until I looked up and saw his "What the hell?" look.
I said, "Uhhhhhh, is it ok if I take some seeds?"
He said sure, take as many as you want.
Sometimes being a fool will help people like you.