The commercial nursery

The recent thread on growing iris commercially prompts me to add my two
cents worth. I preface it by saying I am not a commercial grower. I own
two successful businesses and am partner in a third. None are plant
related. I have an MBA which skews my opinions. My observations are made
based on travels to and discussions with wholesale and retail plantsmen
as well as years of gardening. In my travels, I rarely pass a nursery
without stopping and have been known to go a few hundred miles, just to
visit a nursery. There are over 5000 acres of wholesale nursery stock
close to my home and I personally know the owners of all of it.

YOU CAN'T MAKE A LIVING AT SOMETHING, JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE AN EXPERT OR
LOVE IT A LOT. This is true in any field. Alcoholics make TERRIBLE
bartenders. Antique collectors have trouble parting with merchandise.
When ones emotions and needs become a part of what one sells,
objectivity goes out the window. Just because you love a plant, doesn't
mean that it will sell.

HOBBYISTS TURNED NURSERYMEN MAKE COMMERCIAL SURVIVAL DIFFICULT. The cost
of doing business can be measured in many terms. If you intend to go to
the bank and borrow money to run as an iris grower, good luck. There are
a huge number of specialty nurseries that make little or no money. All
they do is support the owners "habit". The price does not reflect the
hours of labor, the cost of the land, cost of plant stock, etc that
should go into the pricing decision. The income (if there is any) is
supplemental to spousal income, inheritance or retirement income. If you
want to go into business to MAKE MONEY, know that your competition may
have a less lofty <g> expectation.

NEW SELECTIONS AND AWARD WINNERS ARE NOT ALWAYS THE BEST COMMERCIAL
SELECTIONS. Just because a film does well at Cannes or garners lots of
OSCAR nominations does not guarantee its commercial success. Recent
threads here have suggested that good information on the overall
performance of many irises is not readily available. I've gathered, not
only from iris-l, but from a few commercial growers, that many new
introductions just don't perform well. Unfortunately, from what I see
posted here, I don't think we are likely to see many "All America"
selections in iris in the near future. But that is the sort of thing
that could help an iris nursery. Imagine having a new TB that performs
well all around the world! 

PASS ALONG PLANTS CAN CUT INTO SALES. I'm guilty of undermining the
commercial nurseries. I do not hesitate to walk through my garden with a
spade. "You like it? Here. Let me give you a piece. Just let me get a
label, so you can keep it straight." While the aficionado (like many of
us) will look for THE perfect iris, the masses just want a pretty
flower, especially if it's free. 

THERE IS A GLUT OF PLANT MATERIAL IN THE COMMERCIAL PIPELINE. I have
been to two MAJOR liquidation sales of nurseries. Acres of containerized
plants brought less than 2 cents on the dollar. I see nurseries bulldoze
healthy trees. Part of the problem, as Graham pointed out, is that the
buying public is fickle. Tastes change. Last year's plant just will not
sell. Do you destroy them, or cut prices to reduce losses? 

NARROW PRODUCT LINES ARE DIFFICULT TO SUSTAIN. Most nurseries I know of
have had to diversify to survive. Iris growers add daylilies. Daylily
growers add irises. Hothouse growers add poinsettias in the fall. The
seasonal nature of the business makes it difficult to retain good help.
So you do something else to keep your employees busy and hopefully make
some money.

IRISES (TB's) HAVE LIMITED MARKET APPEAL. I read somewhere on the net
that the TB garden out of bloom has the appeal of a potato field. I
don't see new iris introductions making their way into perennial
borders, the way that daylilies do. Irisarians and rosarians still stand
apart from other gardners. The rosarians have the advantage of romance
associated with their flower. Add on repeat bloom with the hybrid
teas--take away a few points for having to spray the damn things every
few days--and they still win. Gentle reader, before you get up in arms
at me, this is my opinion of the MARKETPLACE--not my opinion of the
plant.
But the biggest problem with selling irises is that the masses want
plants that are IN BLOOM. Short of that, they want to buy it when they
see it in bloom--not a month later when it's time to dig the thing. My
brother, who is an incredible gardener, went to a garden center where he
averages spending over $500 each year. He wanted to buy a potted iris in
bloom as a gift. The shop owner refused to sell that one, because it was
her only blooming specimen. She needed it to be able to sell the rest.
He was so irritated, that he bought nothing and has not been back. 
I suggested to one iris grower, who has good traffic in his location,
that he pot up plants ready to go and have them sitting by the display
clump when it blooms. That way, the transaction could be completed while
it's fresh on the buyers mind. Garden plants are for the most part
impulse sales. The way that most irises are sold precludes those sales.
At some point, one has to choose: Horticulturally correct or Make money.

In spite of all this, there are still plenty of reasons to go into the
commercial plant business. Knowing the pitfalls early should make it
easier.


Thanks.

R. Dennis Hager
on Delmarva
rdhager@dmv.com
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