Re: Starting a nursery

Can you get some idea from what is stocked (and moves) from your  
local nurseries? Then you can decide what additional plants to stock  
and promote to your customers. I am always looking for natives and  
unusual plant varieties locally. (And am usually disappointed... but  
I know they have to make a living, and I am not affluent enough to  
help them on my own!)

Cathy, west central IL, z5b

On Aug 17, 2005, at 3:53 AM, kmrsy@netzero.net wrote:

> Oh Chris, there is no real way of telling. We brought in 25
> Schizophragma hydranginoides 'Moonlight' in 2003 and still have  
> half of
> them. We thought they'd sell very well, especially at only $8 (I just
> saw that Gardeners Supply is selling it for $24.) Then there was the
> Euphorbia amygdaloides 'Purpurea'. I liked it and brought in 32 of  
> them.
> They looked great, but they just sat there, couldn't seem to get  
> anyone
> interested. I could only stay for about half the sale, had to go  
> back to
> work. When I did inventory the next day, they were all gone.
>
>
> Then there's the chicken/egg thing. Who is your market? How will you
> reach them? How many customers will you have? If you knew, you  
> might be
> able to guess better. But you won't be able to that until they see  
> what
> you have to offer.
>
>
> Someone earlier mentioned stating Limited qtys available. That's good,
> but you should really stay on top of responding to folks quickly if
> their order comes in after you've sold out. Offer a substitute.  
> Offer to
> send it next year. Offer a discount on something else. Or  
> cheerfully and
> quickly send a refund.
>
>
> Kitty
>
> -- "Christopher P. Lindsey" <lindsey@mallorn.com> wrote:
>
>> In general you're locked into the way the wholesaler sells them.  
>> Walters
>> likes 25s and some 20s, while other suppliers sell in 16s or 32s...or
>> whatever fits the plastics they use. Bluestone gives price breaks in
>> 10cent increments. One price for 6, another at 18 and another at 36.
>> That's one nice thing about Sunshine. Yes, he sells in 100s, but  
>> you can
>> make up that 100 any way you want - 6 of this and 30 of that.
>>
>
> But what I mean is, how many should I have?  If someone sells them in
> groups of 6, should I only carry 6?  What's considered normal  
> inventory
> for a new mailorder nursery?
>
> For example, I only have 4 Aronia prunifolium right now.  Is it worth
> getting more?  I think it's a great landscape plant, but I obviously
> don't want to end up stuck with more expensive inventory.  And only
> 10 Geranium 'Tiny Monster'.
>
> I know it's a guessing game, but I'm trying to figure out the upper  
> and
> lower limits.  Is a successful plant going to sell 12?  24?  I know  
> that
> I won't sell more than 12 Dennstaedtia punctilobula or 6 Eupatorium
> purpureum 'Little Joe' because they're not particularly mainstream  
> right
> now, but what about the hottest new Tricyrtis?
>
> Or am I wrong?  Will I sell lots of those plants that I mentioned?
>
> Chris
>
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