A Dead Flower Causing a lot of Trouble

Posted on September 28, 2009 with No Comments

You would never think that weeding out a dead flower could get you in any trouble. But recently, a woman was threatened with arrest for theft and criminal damage after she pulled out a dead flower from a council-owned border.

Angie Summers, 43, was just taking her lunch break when she decided to pull out a withered canna lily in a nearby public square. She felt that the flower was ruining the look of the display — the flower was about 18 inches in height and very dead.

Later, Mrs Summers was shocked to get a phone call from the police at her home – a passer-by had reported seeing her pick the flower to the town council.

The officer threatened to “put her in cells” and made her very aware of the fact that she could be prosecuted for theft and criminal damage. This type of charge can lead to a six-month prison term.

The charge was eventually dropped by the Wiltshire police, when they admitted that she had acted with good intentions…

[Via: Daily Mail]

Get Your Garden Blossoming by Deadheading

Posted on July 26, 2009 with No Comments

Flowers are planted in the garden for their beauty, whether perennial or annual. But once the buds have bloomed, the plant starts to work on producing seeds, and the only way to get your flowers to bloom again is to pick off the dead flower heads.

Deadheading is basically removing dead flowers from their stem, and it is the best way to have your flowers bloom over and over again. If you do not do this, your plants will automatically switch into seed production mode.

This process is not a difficult one, you just need to cut or pinch of a flower that has expired. Pinching just means that you take the flower and pull it off with your hands. However, you need to watch out with plants that have shallow root system, as it is possible to pull the entire plant out.

Flowers need to be deadheaded as soon as the blossom has died, so that the plant is sure to produce flowers and not seeds. It is best to clip off the flowers of perennials, as they can be a bit more temperamental.

[Via: examiner.com]