Dear Geeky, On my daily walk, I often take clippings from other people’s front yards. Not too many, mind. Just the odd healthy looking specimen poking through the front fence.

But this week, I spied a rare plant just out of arm’s reach next to a neighbour’s front door. So, I tiptoed into her front yard, snipped off a piece of stalk and high-tailed it out of there before anyone saw me.

I’ve been feeling guilty all week. Was this stealing or just a bit of horticultural love?

Geeky says, Where would our gardens be without a few clippings taken from the neighbours’ yards? Empty, that’s what. But there’s a line you’ve crossed. It’s called the gate. Technically, anything behind the gate is private, forbidden, trespassing. Naughty, naughty boy.

But there is one thing you can do to redeem yourself. The next time you walk past the crime scene, leave her a little present. A clipping. Of something equally rare.

Better still, graft something onto her fruit tree, anything. Let it be a surprise.