very small start up with perrenials?

[telecaster]

:confused:
I plant to start about 100 plants in my tool shed this winter, probably perrenials to sell at a flea market in the spring...
what seem to be the best sellers and most popular? thanx

[Ann B.]

I have seen some beautiful, huge hostas in zone 5.

Are you interested in growing perennials from seed? Many, but not all perennials require a year to bloom from seed.

However, you could always consider vines of various sorts. You can get a lot of cuttings from a single vine. Clematis seem to always be in demand...

Perennials are such a huge category that it is hard to tell you which ones to start investigating. A lot depends on your interest, your facilities, how much light, and how warm you plan to keep them, etc.

I am not even sure where to begin... So many things do well up there and do not do well here, but then again, there are many subtropicals that will survive our milder winters and you can only sell them as houseplants or patio plants up there.

Tell me, how much light do you get in your tool shed? That's a start....

[Ann B.]

This wholesale grower that is within an hour or so drive of where I live. It should give you an idea of what is out there in terms of buying perennials wholesale for growing and selling...


Emerald Coast Growers, Pensacola, FL (http://www.ecgrowers.com/html/plant_list.html)

I picked this one because they list prices and have a good variety of products.

They also have a good selection of ornamental grasses some of which are hardy in your zone.

Hope that helps...

[Jim Lang]

Check with your local nurseries. walmart, lowes, etc. look for large perenials in galon pots. You can divide these soon and get three or four for each one. Look for bargain prices many places will not want to have these aroud for the winter. Buy several different ones so you have variety. I would rather have 10 of 10 varieties than 100 of just one.

Most periennials from seed you will plant in 2003 for sale in 2004.

For a quicker turn around from seed try herbs. Sell well at $1 - $2. Enough of the popular (common) ones start well from seed to get you started.

[telecaster]

thanx for the info guys,,I will be using artificial lights in my shed
To tell u the truth I am very partial to trop hibiscus and here in zone 5 there aren't many..then again I can't propagate many of those either!

[Ann B.]

You can propagate tropical hibiscus, but you will need to keep your tool shed really warm. Knowing that you really enjoy these plants, I considered that when first responding to your question.

The fact that you stated that you wanted to start them now for sell in the spring kept me from encouraging you to try hibiscus. It is not that it is impossible, but given that this is your first year at trying, I would think you would want to do a lot of research and get your facility just right before attempting to specialize in tropicals in your climate.

There is no doubt in my mind that there would be money in it, but warmth and lighting would be your key problems to consider. They tend to root slowly without heat, but once they root, if they are given the right amount of light and pruning, they tend to grow rather rapidly.

Also, I researched what you have to do to hand pollinate the tropicals, and it appears that humidity is the key, so that must be why you mentioned 'early in the morning'. The pollen, in order to reach its destination, must remain in a moist environment for pollination to take place. Knowing that now, I will definitely be given that a try.

I recently tried some 'Blue Hibiscus' seed that were given to me. They were definitely very dried and hard, but so very tiny that trying to nick them only crushed them, so I have simply soaked them, then put them in soft, moist Kleenex tissues in a zippered freezer bag under fluorescents. A few have sprouted, and I have put them in cell packs.

I don't know if they will come true and be blue or not, but I am anxious to see what happens.

Keep in touch, as I hope to get better at this hibiscus propagating and pollinating issue. Perhaps we can learn from each others efforts.

Till Later...

[mwhite]

Telecaster,

I'm also in Zone 5 as well. If you want to start something this winter, for sale in the spring, I suggest you focus on annuals that can be grown from seed and are ready for fast sale when people are putting out their gardens and landscapes in the spring.

Turnaround time on perenniels is longer than the time frame you want to work with, whereas annuals fit that time frame very well. You can start them up in 72 cell trays, and really pack lots of them in a small space. In trays you can let them go a little longer, and if you time it right just sell them right in the tray.

You can also move them into pots so they get a little bigger. The key is planning - mark your calendar and count backwards to see when you need to start germinating, to get the desired result.

People like to buy lots of flowers, veggies and herbs in the spring. Perennials are a little harder to germinate and get up to a saleable size. Annuals are easier and more vigorous in the short run time frame.

-Malcolm Whie

[shepp]

Purple cone flower they did well for me the first year at the farmers market .
so did daisies -shasta+ crazy daisy etc.
i grew them in quart pots and sold them for 4. 00 bucks.
cheap and easy .people love em and they sell well when blooming. matter of fact i will be doing them again they did so well .
shepp zone5/6

[mwhite]

Shepp

how many daisies did you put in a quart pot? are those 3" pots? I know trade quarts are different than measured quarts.

thanks

-Malcolm

[telecaster]

thanx 4 all the great info..I am getting a lot of good ideas:)

[mwhite]

I found a great sites for flower seeds. Check it out.

http://www.swallowtailgardenseeds.com/

http://www.flowersoul.com/flowerseeds.html

Lots of dasies, asters, you name it. Wide selection, great website with lots of info and pictures. Prices look pretty good too.

-Malcolm

[Ann B.]

Take a look at the following thread:

Prick and Soak - Hibiscus Seed Post (http://www.landspro.com/forums/showthread.php3?s=&threadid=1399)

This hibiscus seedling is growing even faster than I imagined that it would....

Have FUN!

[vicki]

Hi,
I started 'east friesland' salvia, rose forget-me-nots (bloomed), jacob's ladder, 'munstead' lavander, red columbines, blue columbines, min. delphiniumn (bloomed). They were all supposed to bloom the first year, but I think I started them to late. I had very good germination rates. I must have had 100 rose forget me nots, but that's o.k. cause I have a lot of open space. The salvia did real well also, & is a popular plant.
Are you going to do bushes too?