Do not pluck flowers in gardens!

The earth laughs in flowers, said American writer Ralph Waldo Emerson. Flowers are nature’s gift and look more beautiful when they are on the plants! But very often what happens is when we see them in abundance in our parks or any other public places, we tend to pick them to brighten up our homes or, in some cases, very unwittingly some people just pluck them and crush.

The capital city of Muscat is dotted with beautifully landscaped parks and gardens, some of them with large water features and others with children’s play areas and equipment.

In Oman, parks are popular for picnics, and the lush green lawns are ideal to chill out on after a day in the city. They tend to come alive in the early evening as the sun and temperature drops, an ideal time for a stroll.

But where do we stand legally when we pluck a flower in any of the parks in Muscat? Beware! The Muscat Municipality will be watching the offenders through camera eyes.

However, the Municipality faces many challenges that hinder the progress made in the protection of its properties and maintenance of parks and gardens.

Article three of civic law that deals with public property says that flowers in public places are there for everybody to enjoy but not to be plucked.

“It is prohibited to pick flowers, climb trees or cut their branches, or walk in wet green landscapes, or make fires or damage plants, or tamper with irrigation systems or drive motorbikes and cars on to the public parks or on the beaches”, says the civic edict.

In spite of warnings in the garden, visitors tend to pluck those beautiful flowers.

“I had seen many people even though educated and know the warnings clearly mentioned in the gardens “not to pluck any flowers’’, they do indulge in cheap act of plucking them”, said Faisal al Lawati, a banker who was at the Riyam Park Muttrah with his family.

It is the fact that flowers when bloomed in their full size give a beauty to the garden and by plucking them, will reduce that importance, he said.

“There are enough laws in place but people blissfully forget them. We really need to have a notice somewhere to tell people, this park is for everybody’s enjoyment —don’t pick things, he said.

According to Article four of the civic law, visitors to public gardens, public parks or playgrounds are prohibited from doing any action that annoy others and spoils the beauty of the places.

“Visitor should abstain from turning the volume of musical devices high and loud, or should not engage in indecent act that will amount to disturbing others”, the law says.

Although the laws are not clear about what kind of punitive measures will be taken against the violators, another law prohibits any person from bringing animals to the parks and fields and public parks.