What Plants are people buying today ?

What plants are people buying ?

 

You need to go around the local big supermarkets and other large retailers selling plants to see what their main plant lines are and then consider if you could even match their prices let alone make a profit.

Surely running a Garden Nursery is about choice that folk cannot buy in those places plus all the other things like seeds, pots composts etc.

Best if you also go around other such Garden Centers and Nurseries and see what lines they stock and also look as what the online sellers are doing.
Some with their own private greenhouses do very good online business with minimal overheads, though they do take a few years to develop.

 

And you need to know who you're aiming at - this forum tends to be occupied by keen gardeners, who may be interested in the "less ordinary" whereas the likes of B&Q want lots of fairly mainstream things they can get in bulk from Holland to sell to those who believe a garden doesn't exist till Easter and disappears after September.

 

The last couple of years I have been collecting Hibiscus rosa-sinensid (I have six in the ground and 21/22 in pots) and Adeniums. The Hibiscus all live outdoors permanently but the Adeniums go in the Baffa (Wintergarden) November to March.

 

I think you need to get the kind of plants you like to grow.
To me, unless you want to try competing with the big boys, and it's totally a business venture with no personal input regarding self interest in what you are growing it's doomed to failure.

 

I've just received my order of 6 phlox from Sarah Raven. Determined that at least one of them will survive, I seem to be unlucky with them.

 

Seriously; you seen the weather recently.
As has been said by others keen gardeners tend towards different plants to the run of the mill GC stuff. GCs, DIY stores and supermarkets tend to supply plants that are easy to propagate in bulk or grow well and quickly from seed.
Plants that are difficult to propagate, grow slowly from seed tend to be more expensive.
Myself I grow somethings from seed, low germination doesn't affect me as 3 plants from a packet is enough so long as one makes it to my garden. Easier things to germinate I tend to like less common varieties that seldom appear in GCs. I take cuttings of tender plants in the autumn so I have something for next year in the case of a bad winter.
I am fortunate in having a very good family run nursery, within an hours drive, this has a good selection of unusual plants they propagate themselves and run of the mill bedding they buy in.
Otherwise I use nurseries that are specialists in unusual plants of interest to me, these tend to propagate their own stock. I also go to plant sales where small nurseries and enthusiasts sell surplus plants.
As I was told a long time ago the longer a plant stays on a nursery the more expensive it becomes.
Grow what you really know about and enjoy growing and talking about.
Or invest a significant amount of money in a large GC selling volumes to weekend gardeners that change there bedding seasonally, include a cafe, a play area, pet products, bird food and seasonal tat.
So @BMX90 what plants do you enjoy growing and what do you currently grow?

 

To add my tuppence worth and maybe @shiney could add his experience from a different part of the uk as he has run massive sales in the past.
I run a large charity plant sale and raise in the region of about £6000 -£8000each year and have done for about the last 10 or so years.
Much of what has been said by others already is good advice. You will not really be able to compete with the big garden centre chains or the supermarkets that buy in in huge bulk from Holland and Eastern Europe. Much of the production in these countries is totally automated hence why plants can be produced so cheaply. Whether they survive a winter is debateable but then it is not really in the seller’s interest to sell plants that last for years and years!
There are many large growing herbaceous plants that the professionals avoid as they take up too much room. Things like Gunnera Rodgersia and Cephalaria Gigantae all sell extremely well as you’d be very unlikely to see these sold in Lidls!!!Think about some of those if selling from your garden/ shop where you hopefully have space to sell large pots of plants. Foliage plants are also a good choice as they look appealing when they perhaps don’t even flower whereas the likes of say Magnolia look lovely in flower but once over not so good and people are not keen to buy something that has gone over. The likes of Polemonium sells well having nice foliage even when not in flower. Easy from seed and splits well. Common or garden but a good choice for beginner gardeners. Aubrietia is another.
People are sometimes loathed to try less common things. I buy in in bulk some slightly less familiar types of bulbs like Chionodoxa and Camassia. If you wait until the end of the season you can pick the bulbs up cheaply. I grow these in an unheated greenhouse so it does not matter too much if their ideal planting time has passed. I still have about 250 Chionodoxa to plant up but it is -5oc here atm and god knows how cold it was last night. I attempted to get into the greenhouse today but the door is frozen shut…..heyho. If you time the sale right( I run my sale in March/ April) then many of the bulbs will be flowering and sell very well as people can see what they are like.
People do tend to like to buy things in flower so you will have to think about when you intend to run the business, ie all the year or just at certain times. Whether you are going for the on line market, packaging being an issue/cost plus cost of postage when the big boys get preferential rates.
Why are my sale very successful? Mainly due to the personal touch I think. I take time to discuss buyer’s gardens and what they want to try and achieve. Many people have pretty much zero knowledge so always best to steer them towards those plants which are virtually indestructible to begin with.These may not be “ the stars of the show” but give people satisfaction in growing them successfully.
I have people who have come to the sales every year and spend a good amount of money.Most of my loyal band of buyers say they support not only because of the sale being for charity but more for the fact that the plants I sell survive and I can answer questions about all the plants and do not need to resort to using the internet when asked a question!
Whereby I mainly sell very easy tried and test pretty much idiot proof plants I also sell some more unusual plants like Trillium Grandiflorum, Meconopsis Lingholm, Kiriengishoma as examples. These attract the more experienced gardeners who then often buy a few other bits and pieces when they visit.
You will want to aim for repeat business and even today I expect word of mouth recommendations are still the best advertising.Make sure whatever you start to sell is of good quality and generous amount so gaining a good reputation.

 

Gardening can be a dangerous pursuit!

 

If not familiar with them already: you will need to familiarise yourself with plant health regulations, phytosanitary cetificates and as you will be a middle man you will almost certainly need to register for the plant passport system.

 

Oh my typing is historic in all the wrong ways!

 

@shiney Yes this started the other week with @BMX90 asking about buying a nursery in the Essex area and about places where they could buy house plants wholesale.
Hence the assumption about selling plants rather than buying them.

 

How is one to know that ? I thought it was a general question about what plants interested different members ... Maybe you should explain what you actually mean @BMX90
I've deleted my previous comment because it was irrelevant - seems I've wasted my time on this thread. Goodbye !