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  • From: becky watkins <beckywatkins2002 AT yahoo.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Perennial/Annual sales
  • Date: Thu, 17 Jul 2003 16:31:37 -0700 (PDT)

This was very informative to me. I am hoping that this
winter I can start growing plants to sell in the
spring time and all is new to me. These ideas on
plants were wonderful. I'm not even sure how to get
started on all this, but it would be a good way for me
to add to the small income that I receive from the
military because of the death of my husband upon
retiring. Any advice, suggestions, ideas would be
greatly considered and appreciated. Where do you begin
and how? Thank you for the ideas now going through my
mind. Sincerely, Becky
--- Del Williams <delannw AT dlogue.net> wrote:
> I just love this part of the business. Annuals
> aren't cheap and perennials
> offer long term benefits at a similar cost.
>
> I has been so interesting. The 10" annual hanging
> baskets sell at minimum
> for $15. The 12" for up to $32. Still, we sold
> about 3,000 hanging
> baskets this year. I can tell you, it was hell
> unloading them, hell hanging
> them and hell watering and fertilizing them. OH god
> and the deadheading. A
> labor intensive activity.
>
> Most of our perennials sell at $7 for a one gallon.
> I think that's high in
> the local market. Still we sell and we are about
> cashed on in greenhouse
> perennials. Outside sales are pretty sparse too.
>
> In my part of Illinois, the issues are heat, winter
> cold and survival, and
> soil issues. Why do people insist on trying to grow
> plants that want acidic
> soil in Illinois?
>
> Huh?
>
> Most customers, however, have no imagination for
> plants. I usually offer a
> mix. It depends on their planting situation.
>
> You have to understand, that customers don't know
> plants as well as you do.
> They want to stand out from their neighbors.
> Individuality is the American
> way, afterall.
>
> However, most of them don't want to be too damn
> weird.
>
> Rudbeckia, Echinacea, prairie grasses (and you'd
> better inform them about
> height), the truly fine variations in Coreopsis even
> in pinks and purples,
> ... for full sun plantings... that seems to fit the
> bill. Oh geeze, and any
> and all kinds of daisies. Lord save me from
> customers who say, do you have
> daisies?
>
> LOL, which ones?
>
> We don't do well with Buddleia down here. They
> winter kill if the owner
> doesn't take special care for open plantings. I
> caution customers on that.
>
> This makes me pause a minute. We also sell
> bougainvillea. It's not a
> perennial here. So I always ask. What do you
> intend to do with this plant?
> Most people think it will overwinter. Absolutely
> not!
>
> We have several large $150 potted plants in the
> greenhouse and people think
> that is what they are going to get in their yards.
> Back to the honesty
> thing. You can't lie to a customer about what that
> plant is capable of
> doing.
>
> Same for hostas. So many people dream about those
> gigantic leaves. Well we
> have a gorgeous one or two in the greenhouse. Just
> a basic Francis
> Williams. Why? Because they live in a greenhouse
> planted next to an indoor
> waterfall and pond. Gorgeous. It will never grow
> that way outdoors in
> Illinois. The growing season won't allow it.
> Perhaps there are cultivars
> that will but I know a Francis Williams won't.
> Honesty, again.
>
> But a truly grand temptation. I have to be honest
> with customers and tell
> them why that hosta looks so grand.
>
> Here's one I wish more people would look at. Ajuga.
> We have a variegated
> one for which I have sold more than a hundred one
> gallons. I like the basic
> green one too, but Ajuga does better with a little
> more sun than the shade
> plants like Huchera that it often gets grouped with.
> I'd take an ajuga to a
> huechera for part sun or shade any day. Heuchera
> drives me nuts with it's
> flowers leaning toward what sun it can get. Who
> made that a shade plant?
>
> Red coreopsis -which came up on this board - sold
> out immediately. I'd like
> to hear how those customers made out. Is this an
> iffy plant that doesn't
> fair as well as it's yellow counterparts?
>
> Day Lilies. We don't have the best selection. In
> terms of the short
> everbloomers, I think Happy Returns is a better
> choice than that overplanted
> gaudy golden Stella D'Oro. I figure, if I want my
> yard to look like the
> local Mall, then Stella D'Oro it is. Happy Returns
> has a nicer petal and the
> color is grand. It's an everbloomer for those who
> want a low growing day
> lily. Wish they'd develop a red one.
>
> The only way I know to get a good blooming low
> growing red day lily is grow
> it in daybreak to noon light. I have a few at my
> place and they look just
> fine. Who would ever think to grow a day lily in
> shade?
>
> Me. And thank you Kankakee Nursery. Nah, I guess I
> have to thank my Ex
> husband for bring home that stock. It's a good
> nursery and if you buy from
> them, tell them Del sent ya. I like their stuff.
>
> Ah geeze, what else? Bee Balm in red. Purple is
> all over the place The
> red ones were hard to keep in stock. Gorgeous plant
> and we sold out of red.
>
> Buddleia in anything but pink.
>
> Let me go to veggies. I love that. How come
> lettuces don't do well in flat
> sales? California Wonders do great as do seedless
> cukes. Tomatoes are an
> interesting thing. People go with what they have
> always known and they
> aren't too adventurous with tomatoes.
>
> Geeze, I personally started several heirloom
> cabbages, lettuces and
> broccolis. They sold OUT! (with the exception of
> lettuce.) My boss shook
> his head on all of them when I started them but gave
> me the leeway. I
> shoulda done more. We ended up with a reputation
> for it. No one else sells
> heirloom plants except for some local growers who
> sell at the Farmer's
> Market. Guess where I send customers who come in
> wanting that? Yep, right
> down town.
>
> I wish I could tell you something about actual
> produce. We don't sell
> veggies here anymore. The owners got sick and tired
> of people saying that
> KMart sold lettuce, tomatoes and green beans
> cheaper. So they went to
> flowers.
>
> People will spend more on flowers than they will for
> good food. Go figure.
>
> Well I do. I spent a ton of money on flowers for my
> father in laws funeral
> and my daughter's proms.
>
> But not one...not ONE customer bought any of the
> blue statice in 3" pots.
> Beautiful blue flowers. Same for Browallia. No one
> bought it and I don't
> know why. What's the deal on Aztec Nicotiana as
> opposed to the dwarf
> varieties? Great trap plant for potato growers. I
> think there is a lot of
> educating to do with consumers.
>
> But, scaveolla (sp?). That is a grand plant. We
> sold it in several patio
> containers for $25. and that was mixed with some
> other plants including
> torenia, Mexican Heather ( excellent plant for full
> sun and neglect) and
> Bacopa.
>
> I'd like to hear from those of you who did anything
> with Million Bells.
> Maybe this is the wrong list. I just know many of
> you do flowers.
>
>
=== message truncated ===


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does it improve on the silence?" Shirdi Sai Baba, Indian saint.

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