Re: Perennial plant of the year 2001

Gene,



Iam in the industry and can speak about new plant material. The name of the 
game is profit  which is determined by the clientele which you cater to. You 
can get the good prices for the unusual plants. I remember in late 80's when 
new varieties like "Stella D'Oro came on the scene and any one that had the 
variety was charging an arm and leg. Eventually the plant moved into the 
mainstream and the prices dropped sharply. More people sold it and it no 
longer was a novelty.

I sell daylilies and have tried to get people to buy the tetraploids, 
explaining their virtues. I even have a few planted for demonstration. But at 
least in our area people 
will not pay the extra $2.00 or $3.00 for a better variety, unfortunately 
most homeowners are shopping just price and not variety and are willing to 
settle for diploid varieties.

You can either have a business which caters to the masses and sell what I 
call "meat and potato "varieties  or  cater to a few with unusual plants.  
Both  in the long run can be profitable.Most of the mainstream garden centers 
in our area sell the 'tried and true varieties" and very seldom stock unusual 
plants. If you want something unusual you have to go off the beaten track. 
That is the main reason why common varieties as such Rudbeckia "Goldsturm" 
and Huechera "Palace Purple" are promoted.

I feel any perennials I might see in catalogs such as Heronswood or Plants 
Delight might finally make it to the trade in a few years. A case in point, I 
bought many varieties of trailing verbenas from PD in early 90's and trialed 
them. People really thought they were unusually. Suddenly now the there is an 
explosion of new verbena varieties for hanging baskets and combination pots.. 
As you mentioned, Gene, the small entrepreneurs are on the cutting edge of 
new varieties. For them it still is as much a hobby and a business.


Al Krismer

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