Re: GWL quotes and rants

**N* S* <s*@earthlink.net>**

Dan,  I agree with you regarding taking unauthorized snips from  
garden centers, botanical gardens  etc. That's just another form of  
stealing. etc. Ditto,  using a patented plant as a 'Mother Plant' to  
propagate for friends and relatives.  But  when you get down to  
splitting hairs regarding passing on divisions or free plants to  
friends etc, my thoughts are these. If a gardener loves a plant he/ 
she will buy more and also sing it's praises  to all his/her  
friends.   Said persons will have also give me feedback as to how it  
grew in their gardens and what they liked or didn't like. As we all  
know, no two gardens are alike and in MIchigan we go from zone 6 to  
zone 4, sand, clay,  and sandy loam, and gravel and pH that ranges  
from 6 to 8 etc.
My sister lives in Marquette Michigan in the Upper Peninsula and I  
value the feedback she gives me as to plant hardiness so I give her  
lots of plants to try.  I've had plants fail in my garden that thrive  
in hers. When that happens I take a second and maybe a third look.    
When I write about a plant it usually sells out metro Detroit area  
garden centers so if you were a grower or a garden center owner/ 
manager, would you get cheezed at me if I gave away one of your  
freebees for someone else to test?   I'm trying to money in the hands  
of these folks not steel from them for God sakes.

This question about pass along plants came up in a discussion with  
Alan Armitage and his sided with the mentality that sharing among  
friends and family was part of the gardening tradition - patent or no  
patent. If we take the joy out of gardening, we will all starve - in  
more ways than lack of money.

Also, most gardeners I know hardly have time to plant much less  
propagate from cuttings or grow from seed so I think the numbers you  
are talking about are miniscule, so I don't think I would stay up at  
night worrying about Auntie Mid running you out of business.

For me,  bottom line is Dan, I have no problem with my ethics and I  
sleep well at night.
Nancy
On Jun 14, 2007, at 9:54 AM, Dan Clost wrote:

> Hi Nancy,
> The difference is your own ethical standards.
> If you come into my place of work and take a cutting, harvest some  
> seeds,
> etc., without my knowledge and with the express purpose of growing  
> a plant-
> to circumvent purchasing one from my employer- then I view that as  
> theft. It
> does not matter how "big" the "guys" are or how many people do  
> this, theft
> is still wrong. You have denied me the opportunity to make money.
> Black & white.
>
> (I say your own ethical standards because there is no way that I  
> can police
> customers' actions short of having enough staff to follow each and  
> every
> one, including the nefarious and notorious Nancy)
>
> If you acquire a plant from my employer's garden centre or other  
> outlet, or
> have received a sample from a grower ( solicited or unsolicited),  
> grown it
> in your home garden and passed on bits and pieces to your friends  
> for their
> own gardens, you are back in the realm of time honoured gardening  
> tradition.
> However, for protected plants, it is still illegal. You are denying  
> the
> producer the opportunity to make money.
> Still black & white.
>
> The greyer shades of reality would suggest that the common gardener  
> will buy
> a plant, grow it, like it and share it with their friends.  They will
> probably never read all of the funny numbers and names on the tag  
> except
> height, sun/shade, bloom time ,etc. If they do read "propagation  
> prohibited"
> it is unlikely that they will understand what the warning means. For
> example, they may grow a hosta, divide it an appropriate time,   
> give some to
> a friend or donate it a hort club for the annual plant sale.
>
> Is ignorance of the law a defensible gambit? (rhetorical)
>
>
> For the grower it comes down to costs- production cost, cost to  
> prosecute,
> cost in negative PR, etc. As wonderful as gardening is and as  
> enthusiastic
> as we might be about it, it is still business. Business is always  
> focussed
> on the bottom line- it has no other purpose.
>
> Ethics, however.......
>
> Dan
>
>
>
>
>> Propagating patented plants for resale is illegal under any
>> circumsatances. But sharing cuttings and seeds is a
>> time honored ritual among gardeners. I have toured gardens and green
>> houses with many of
>> the  "big guys"  and trust me - a clip here, a clip there - seeds
>> happen to fall in
>> the palm or the camera bag. It happens.
>> What's the difference if you give the sample to a friend or give a
>> cutting?
>> Nancy Szerlag
>>
>>
>>
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Nancy Szerlag
Columnist for Detroit News
szerlag@earthlink.net
Check blog at www.gardeneryardener.blogspot.com

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For GWL website and Wiki, go to
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