Lots of fun -- Where have you "obtained" seeds from?

What are some of the weird, wild, and strange ways and places you have "obtained" or "borrowed" seeds and starts from?
IF YOU SAY YOU HAVEN'T, YOU EITHER AREN'T HARDCORE OR YOU DON'T TELL THE TRUTH! LOL!!!
We have "broke down" along the side of I-75, US-23, I-96 and other places. And it just so happened there were seeds/starts right where we "broke down" looking for a home.
We "obtained" my 7500 yucaa seeds from an abandoned old car wash gas station.
We "obtained" several seeds from trees growing at a nursery, with a little help from one of the employees.
And I must confess that we drive around all spring thru fall with a short shovel (easier to hide) and a bulb digger in the back of my truck. I have seen a lot of plants that wanted to move to a new home while out and about.
I got 100's of daylilies from an super old abandoned farm, now state land and overgrown into a woods. I also get some from spots where people dump leaves.
One time I was driving a horizon and we "obtained" some rudbeckia herbstonne in the sticks. I had my husband and my 3 year old in the car. The plants were 8-10 feet tall they touched the windshield in the front and back of the car! We had probably 20+ plants the car was full to the roof!
Memorial weekend we saw a guy mowing the grass the grass on a vacant lot in front of a HomeDepot and asked if we could dig up some of the bulbs and other "stuff" he was mowing. He said yes, we gave him $20 for lunch and went to digging and digging. He though we were crazy.
That's SOME of what I have done.

BTW I met a very nice professional lady at a plant swap who went to see someone at a graveyard. Well she saw a perennial that she had been looking for. All I'll say is that she is no longer looking for a start. That's to hardcore for even me!! To me that sounds like the start of a horror movie! I seriously doubt anyone is going to top that one.

Confess now!

Hoo Boy, where do I start?

I've never taken any plants (I haven't found any to take!), so all my stories here are seeds:

1. Nematode marigolds in front of the Blountville, TN courthouse.

2. Morning Glories from everywhere I find them (hit the brakes! I just saw some morning glory seedpods!!)

3. Money Plant seed

4. Cosmos along I-181 TN/GA border

5. Rudbeckia maxima in a multimillion dollar neighborhood, Atlanta, GA.

6. Hundreds of Day Lily seeds from the business parks in Atlanta.

7. Some kind of wierd coneflower that grows around the dump.

8. Actually I stole a sassafras yearling once, out of the forest above my father-in-law's house. I transplanted it to Texas where it lived about a year, then died.

9. I've taken cuttings from a variety of shrubs around town. Crepe Myrtle cuttings are my favorite to take. I've got my eye on a Chrysanthium down the road, but I'm going to ask permission on that one.

10. There's a giant Trumpet Vine on a fence that borders the Chattahoochee River in Atlanta. I watched that vine carefully, and everytime a pod ripened, I helped myself.

11. Cacti. I can't walk past a cactus without feeling the urge to borrow one of the pears to take home and root. Because of this, I now have about 10 different kinds of prickly pear.

And many many more!! This year I'm starting to hunt for perennial flowers and more shrubs. I need to make friends with the local gardeners here. ;-)

Wow, you guys are so much more adventurous than I! I appropriated some seed from a great looking rudbeckia and seed from a huge russian sage plant from the Taco Bell parking lot and some great ornamental grass dumpster diving while dropping off yard waste for composting at the city site. I am such a newbie :) Come to think of it, I saw a book at the library that I haven't checked out yet that goes into detail on where and how to "obtain" seeds for free, lol!

Hi all, Phlox 'Paniculata, State Rte. 125, Southern Ohio.

I once pinched off a piece of a neglected plant in a Pizza Inn. I hate to see houseplants neglected in commercial establishments. It was in a hanging pot in the window and very wilted. I pinched off a piece to find it was a lovely impatiens that flowered for months and months for me indoors in the winter. Come spring I put it outdoors and it died of natural causes when the frost got it in the fall.
My son and I used to find all sorts of houseplants in a dumpster when we lived on base housing. Some were just gorgeous and just left because of a PCS move and no way to take them along.
Last summer I had my eye on a trumpet vine growing on the side of the road. There wasn't anywhere to pull over safely, so I left my husband out and he walked over and cut a cutting off of it with his pocket knife. Then I went back and picked him up!
Seeds are always easier to get to than the whole plant.
I have a woods next to my house that was being chopped into for a housing site. I managed to rescue some wildflowers and some bulbs, before the builders destroyed it all.
It is really amazing how many people waste their seeds after the growing season is over. They just toss the plant seeds and all.

All over the world ...but I can't tell you how or when cause it's a secret ;)) hee hee hee .

i have pinched seeds from taco bell and chilis this summer.
ummmm i ummmmm pinched plants at a cemetary! i got a lil lilac bush at another cemetary-just a small runner! NO lighting-whew!
I went to get money out of my wallet and seed hulls fell out! ;]
Homedepot,lowes,franks-always pinching seed pods off!
the computer shop had a prickly pear cactus-a piece had broke off and was wilting in the window-on my 3rd trip to the store it was still there-OUCH what a grab. but he has new shoots sprouting up and seems very happy with his adoption-plantnapping!
IM BAD! we were in mejier the other nite and i was telling my hubby to pinch off a varigated spider,i could reach-he said NO! =[ i will be going back to get my film developed-
(evil grin)
dori
im sure theres more times!!!!!!!!!
dori

Notmartha,

I have notified the Wilder road Meijers management and the photo department to be on the look out for you! LOL!!!
BTW I bought a maple tree there about 6 years ago that was only .25 cents on close out! the tree is over 12 or 14 ft and beautiful now.

my mother was baaad. Where ever she went she would pinch little cuttings and wrap in damp tissue. She'd be very secretive and when you'd show up she'd point to this plant and tell you. One time I took her to Costa Rica. I knew she had cuttings in her pocketbook.(if you can imagine this little 4'4" lady with a black handbag clutched to her side)
I told her the customs guy wanted us in his office. Her eyes went wide and I saw her mind looking around to find a place to stash her bag. She'd risk a lot for her "babies"

eiroberts, that's hysterical!! I got a real kick out of your story!

Just a word to the wise.

Picking anything is some locales is a felony. You cannot legally do this, for instance, in National Parks, many National Forests, and in many, many cemetaries.

I'm I telling you not to gather seed or cuttings from these places? Hey, I don't dictate behavior.

Just be careful out there, or some of your potted plants will be sitting on the window of a jail cell.

For example: Messing with Texas Bluebonnets while in the state of TX will bring you heavy consequences from the local police. Texas is extremely serious about this, and they actually enforce this law.

Dave

i have never seen a texas bluebonnet in the flesh. Someone sent me a seed packet once. I threw it into the ground, but i don't think it ever came up. I guess I did not have enough faith. Do you think it is a result of being a New Yorker? Or just too cold? I heard a field of blue bonnets is too beautiful. I am easily impressed. A field of hay bending the same direction in the wind does a lot for my heart.
I have a house plant. A piece was given to me by my 85 yr old uncle(actually his new wife) It orginally came from my aunt(who is dead many yrs) via her sis(my mom) and now i hve it growing. I think of those two(mymon,my aunt) everytime i water it. A connection given to me when I was ready and able to recieve it. As a young girl I was too busy with other things to pay much attention to them. I was not rude just not interested. Thank goodness we are given chances to get things right.

The federal forrest are really strict!
My understanding is that it is Ok to take any plants that are about to be destroyed due to buildings, roads and the like for propagation purposes NOT for just cutting the flowers.
If my government wants to punish me for propagating wild flowers well then I must ask them and a lot of city folks this. Why do you let loggers (I am not anti-logging) cut and bulldoze tens of thousands of acres killing all of the plants that require shade and bulldozing the rest. Why do you let the military (I am very pro military) use live bombs in the woods for military training. Why do you let the military use defoliant in the local woods? Why do you let them run tanks and hummers through the woods? Why do you city folks bring your cats and dog out to the sticks and dump them? Do you know how many birds, rabbits, and deer they kill? Do you know dogs chase deer in the winter just for fun until the deer dies? I have seen it many many times. While I can't/won't tell you how, I have saved many animals. Why do cheap people drive out to the woods to drop off old shingles, fridges, stoves and the like? Two years ago I saw someone doing an oil change in a flooding that was created for ducks. The person was draining their oil not 30 feet from the water. within 150 feet of goose and duck nests. I when 3 miles to a pay phone and I happen to see a department of natural resource officer at the party store. I told her what was going on. She told me that she was out of her patrol "area" that she patroled another "area" and that she would not go down there, I even begged. Understand she like the state police she had 100% of the authority needed to catch the guy. But, hey it's only 5 quarts of oil into prime duck habitat. I guess that all of the trash and other problems I fix in the woods don't count.

I have walked around in the woods and seen many pink lady slippers and thought about taking one but didn't. I have gone back to the same spot the next year only to find that the state has allowed logger to clear-cut and bulldozer ALL of pink ladyslippers. Good thing I didn't dig any up...

Where I live in northern michigan we have a federally endangered bird called the kirtland warbler. It looks like a sparrow. There are about 200 pairs in the world, all in northern michigan. These stupid birds will only nest on the ground in pure jackpine stands of 640 acres or more and only under jackpines that are between 12 and 20 feet tall. They close down ALL area that MIGHT have a kirtland warbler in it for the entire summer. BTW jack pine trees have no value and burn like gasoline.
Time and time again I have watched beautiful forrests full of threaten and or endangered michigan wildflowers get cut down and jack pine planted in their place. Common sense says that a bird that is that picky and requires habitat that specific will never make it. So why kill all of those threatened and endangered wildflowers?
I guess what I am trying to say is that if you are going to take starts or cutting we should do so carefully. After you get the start large why not take a start back out to the woods or give it to someone else that might want a start?

Two years ago, my boyfriend at the time, worked at Wal-Mart. When it was time to rotate stock and such, he would save me seeds that would have otherwise been thrown out. I would end up with dozens of packets of seeds, and usually ended up giving them away. Too bad I broke up with him... I'd love to share with everyone here now! Makes me almost miss him... I said almost... =)

Amanda

Sari, I know only too well what you are saying...I think perhaps the best solution is found in the spirit of the law rather than the law...do what you can to save them. I wonder sometimes how many flower species we've lost due to "development"?
Down here in Texas, there is a well known organization called the "Texas Rose Rustlers". They have a web site here: http://www.texas-rose-rustlers.com/ . They specialize in "rustling" old roses from cemeteries. I've GOT to get that "Titus County Cemetery Rose"!

oh i just love this! my family thinks im crazy!!! now i have to print all these great stories and share with them and maybe now they wont think im crazy, keep spilling the beans.

I routinely take plants that are neglected. Even when they aren't shown the amount of care that I'd give them. I got a huge tree peony which has been divided into about 5 still substantial plants, paperwhite bulbs, roses (got a couple from different cemetaries) and whatever else I can find. We don't have too many woodlands around here, so I haven't had much experience with "helping the wildlife survive".

Mike

My mother and I were garage saleing one day in Helena (our state capital). We drove by the living quarters of the governor and I noticed along the sidewalk right next to the street, all of their flowers were in prime condition for collecting seeds. I told mom to pull over, and I was walking down to collect some of their seeds, I was pondering what kind of trouble I could get into, and if it was worth it. After talking myself into believing they probably weren't even home, and the seeds would just go to waste anyway, I began to carefully collect away. As I was finishing up, I glanced up to find a lady pearing out the window at me. I'm sure I was quite a sight with my eyes like saucers and my mouth dropped open. She smiled and waved, as did I after recomposing myself. I pointed to the seeds and mouthed "Is this OK?" She nodded, still smiling. I promptly left with my treasure, not sure whether to feel good about the experience or not. I have always asked for permission every since. I have never been told "no" and have met some great people.
I now smile when I think of the "happening" at the governors mansion. Not only because I'm sure I was a sight to behold, but also because it taught me a great lesson in life. Honesty.
Heidi

Not only is it against the law to remove native flora in some countries, but also native stones!! When I was in Australia a couple of years ago, went on a trip to the 'Outback' - Ayres Rock and I wanted to bring back one 'tinsy, wienie piece of red stone'. Was told in no uncertain terms by the tour guide that I would end up in jail, as you are not allowed to remove anything from the area, sacred ground as far as the Aborigines are concerned, so beware of picking up stones!

But I smuggled back 2 Jacaranda seedlings from my ex-home country, what was Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, Africa. They were being kept in my basement under lights, and one day a friends son, who was about 13 at the time, saw my 2 little Jacaranda trees and then went home and said to his Mother "Mrs. B is growing marijuana in her basement!"

Another time we were in Hawaii and whilst walking along the road, what did I see but a coconut that was sprouting. Came right through customs back home with my sprouting coconut. I called it 'Daphne' (don't ask me why) and Daphne lived for about 5 years out on my balcony in the summer and indoors in the winter. Unfortunately Daphne died about 3 years ago!

Then 25 years ago, there are the orchids we smuggled through the US border, we took out the back seat of the car and put 4 orchids in the cavity & put the seat back. We arrived home late at night, removed our orchids, put the seat back correctly - so we thought. Next morning, hubby went out to start the car, was winter time, and 5 minutes later the car was on fire!! Was started by some sort of electrical fault in the back seat!! I guess I was being punished for smuggling. God will get you every time!

Has not stopped me at all! Then there was Mexico, then Jamacia, hmmm what about New Zealand.

Ok,
It's nice to meet people as crazy as I am. My husband lives in fear wondering what I'm going to drag home next, and from where.
I don't know anyone else in Utah as intense as we are about this. I have never seen or corresponded with anyone else from my own State. Thank heaven for the internet so that all of us garden-junkies can support each other. ;)
People are amazed when I tell them my stories, but many people benefit from my excursions.
Keep up the good work, someday they'll catch up with us maybe. LOL
Birdie

When I lived in town I used to routinely walk through the neighborhood and eye the neighbors flowers. I would strike up conversation whenever possible, especially when there were seeds to be had. It got to the point that I never left home without a baggie or two stuffed in my pockets. Often I even came home with produce from vegetable gardens.

Now that I live in the country I am always perusing the roadsides for wildflowers. I often make my husband stop so that I can harvest seeds from things like mullein, queen anne's lace, veronica, alliums, monarda, wild salvia. I will use just about anything to hold my seeds. My daughter always gives me those little plastic capsules that vending toys come in, she even brings them home from her grandma's. She understands my obsession; in fact, she's a great helper and can tell the difference between a healthy seed and one that isn't.

I'm also not above pinching seeds and starts from places like Lowe's and Wal-Mart. Just a few weeks ago I got some starts off of some almost dead cacti.

I kept up with this thread for several days (merely lurking, because my conquests paled in comparison to your stories! LOL) And then today I came across the Rose Rustler's site. Even though the thread has languished a bit, I thought it might be nice to add the "professional plant rustling" perspective! (Sorry if it doesn't appear as a hotlink; apparently I'm still web-challenged.)

http://www.texas-rose-rustlers.com/

the thread may have languished-but i have been pinching when i can. I got a nice succulent start from wendys on a wrestling road trip down south, varigated jade leaf n a very pretty crossbred wondering jew from a green house!
sari i got a varigated spider plant at meijer!!! they have weeping pussywillow trees there now!!!! Some one call the plantaholic clinic =]

The other night we went to a lovely restaurant that had beautiful plants everywhere. I pinched off a baby spider from the mother plant and have it growing in a pot in the kitchen...I felt they owned it to me as I had fallen and hurt my pride and myself doing a half gainer with a twist off a step I forgot that was there. lol :)

What familiar stories. I travel a lot for my job - to the south, east coast and the far east. and while in the south I brought mack many seeds, from the east coast I brought back saplings that have grown into trees, from thailand I brought several types of bamboo (worked myself into a frenzy the entire flight home, and was a nervous wreck by the time I landed I was ready to just throw them at the customs inspectors cause they caused me such worry on the flight) after the first time, it was a lot easier bringing plants back - but I laugh at the agony I went thru the first time. I was just so sure that I was going to get caught and be disgraced...
I'm going back to Turkey this summer to visit family and am hoping to bring back some seeds and plants...
There are some things that we shouldnt bring into this country though, look at what happend when kudzu was introduced to this country.....

If you visit cow Hampshire, There is a terrestrial orchid aka pink lady slipper, An attempt to transplant is a $1,000 fine per plant.

Sari - I can tell how passionate you are about the land, animals etc., and you are a person after my own heart. You are also a responsible person who won't dig up everything in site, but there are people who do just that. There are many injustices in our country and in the world and it never makes sense. I become very emotional about our wild animals and the countryside and the way in which a blind eye is turned when it suits. All we can do is to help nature along and hopefully try and make others understand.
-:) -:)

Louisa- For the record I am not a "enviromental wacko". I just beleive in common sense and personal responsibility in all areas of life. I love everything outdoors I hunt, fish, garden and go for long woods walks. Here are a couple of cases where there is no common sense used.
1) In large metro ares they are having problems with the canadian geese. We are exchanging the real eggs for plastic ones to keep the population down. That is just stupid. Why not let the geese do what comes natural and then in the fall harvest some of them and feed them to the hungry? Same thing for suburban deer.
2) In many states mine included we have expressways the have huge areas of grass beside and in the middle of them. Why not plant fruit trees or something like that in some of those areas and donate the food to people that really need it like low income seniors?
3) Why do we have people in government that really haven't a clue about wildlife and wild areas passing laws. Pretty much the only influence they get are from people that believe we should have a free for all in the woods or people that think animals have "rights" and are equal to humans. I would bet that none of the three groups could tell a pinetree from a pine martin. They think a pink lady slipper is something you buy at Hudsons.
4) I agree that we can't go digging up wildflowers willie nillie but a $1000 for transplanting a pink lady slipper seems a bit much. What happens to the property owner that puts in a driveway or house overtop 20 lady slippers? Or the road that destroys 1000 lady slippers? Would it not make sense to allow folks to transplant those lady slippers? I have transplanted 5 lady slippers 3 were in the center of a foot path 2 were already damaged and 2 in an area were cars park in the woods. All lived. BTW I love to see both pink and yellow lady slippers in the natural woods that's were they look the best :) I actually have been looking into starting a group that rescues wildflowers from construction areas (news roads, logging areas and the like). That all I can or will say about it for now.

You say you are not an environmentalist - but you are not far from being that -:) You are doing everything in your power to perpetuate nature as it should be. I too feel strongly about some of our leaders who know nothing about this beautiful land of ours. It would be great to fight for something we believe in. I contacted the forestry department to ask why new housing developers were allowed to decimate the land but the answers I got just didn't make sense to me. The bottom line was the $. I think the laws have to be much tougher and in the long run it is the person in the street who has to speak up. Perhaps you might start a new movement and we could all walk with you to Washington. :-)

Sari,
I would love to see a rescue group formed for plants being demolished by construction. Several years ago an old house across the street from me was being torn down to make way for an office building. I made a mistake and called the owner of the property to ask permission to take cuttings, dig up plants, etc. that were being bulldozed. He said no! I just couldn't understand why someone would rather see those gorgeous heirloom roses and lilies of the valley and tons of other flowers that had been around forever just covered over with asphalt. I refuse to patronize that business now. I'm sure my one little family makes no difference to them but at least it makes me feel better.
go_vols, you live in the same town as I do. Want to start taking walks through the many new subdivisions being built??????? ;)

Susan, sounds like a plan to me! We can make it a regular event - good exercise for us and good for plants. Elena, want to come down and walk with us?????

Barrykooda is another newer DG member, and bona fide plant rescuer. He sent me some crinums recently from one of his rescue operations. If you run across him on here, tell him hi for me!

Susan, I thought I taught you better than to go around confiscating someone else's flowers and seeds. But just in case you have found some good ones, remember, I need new ones for my pond and shade gardens. JeepieD

ROFLOL My motherinlaw bless her heart would take sprigs,seeds and roots where they were. Fast food parking lots,banks etc. If it was pretty and she could get she would grow it. Learn alot from KatieLee. I look at the ground alot in wal-mart and such places find lots of useless stuff to them, but to you it is like finding a treasure.

Gee, mom. Maybe I SHOULDN'T have told you about this list. Now I can't hide anything!!
I've been scavaging today along with buying some new stuff. Now I just need to get everything planted and hope it comes up.
I found the pink coreopsis I've been wanting. It's got lots of tiny buds so I can't wait for it to start blooming. While I was in Lowe's getting that, I happened to pick up some African daisy blooms.
Elena and go_vols, I'm out in the country in Barfield and there are several new subdivisions going up close by. There's also lots of wildflowers on the side of the road. I found some black-eyed susans today but didn't stop. I'll go back tomorrow when I have some zip-lock baggies with me. Maybe I just need to start keeping them in the car along with a sharpie! Susan

That "environmental wacko" comment really bothers me. I could probably be classified as such and am wondering when the Mindset changed the idea of conservation into a "radical" ideaology. Risking here, being an aging "hippie" I have spent many years being criticized for my life choices. I decided to spend my life seeking what I want rather than what the mass media tells me I should want. Some questions to Mindset: war is a GOOD idea? Consuming the most makes you a successful person? Trying to save the earth for future generations is immoral and socially contemptible? Poor=Bad (and what about Christ?)?
I'll never forget that news shot of the women who had handcuffed themselves together in a circle in some government officials office out on the West coast to protest the cutting of the redwoods. The police were arresting them, holding their eyes open and spraying mace point blank at them. This was conservative good sense and morally correct?
Who is making the rules here?
Sorry to rant and rave so this beautiful Saturday morning but just sometimes I have to vent against the forces that shape our lives.

I have been ROFLOL at some of these posts! Is there a thread on here somewhere that tells how to find seeds. I've looked at some of my flowers and can't see any seeds. I'm so new at this, (can't you tell) that I have know idea what you look for, where, or when. I have a million bells petunia that I would love to have some seeds from, but don't know how to do it.

Iluvhummers, here's a link to collecting seed from wave petunias; same concept, I bet. If not, Calalily or someone will set us straight!

http://davesgarden.com/showthread/39683.html

Thanks go_vols! Going there now to read up. :o)

Just a quick note...most states have a system where you can get a permit to remove endangered plants from an area that is undergoing development...Check with your state environmental office about local regulations. They usually appreciate your interest. Best seed steal I ever made was for a very ordinary french marigold that I swiped from the gardens of Versaille in France..Nothing special, but the memories are great!!