??

Everbody must have greenhouses perfected, no activity here.

What shall we talk about bernie :) I saw your photos of your new ones beautiful :)

Katrina

How was your spring business? This is our busiest week. Been almost crazy. My son did a fantastic job of raising plants this year. Word of mouth advertising is getting the job done. People seem to be spending more per person than last year. Last year lots of $20 - $40 sales. This year most are spending $60 or more. Sold over 100 wave-type petunia hanging baskets. Lots of porch pots. Won't know the number until we clear the computer at the end of the season.
If we want this kind of increase next year we will need some full time employees. Love those flowers!
Bernie

Congratulations, Bernie. Obviously you're doing something right. Now your problem is to figure exactly what that is and keep doing more of it.

;~)

Adam.

Instead of selling through my own outlets the nursery I'm working for now is buying all my product because they're rapidly running out.I'm a good month behind them and all mine are just coming in.They took all my market packs and Waves and now they're starting on my double impatiens and begonia baskets. Getting my price because they just want to keep plants going out.

Hey things went ok, not as good as we wanted, but it is our first year, and it will take time for word to get out! At least I hope thats what it is hahaha! Online sales haven't been too bad via ebay, and hoping to get a website going soon too! We don't have nearly as much as you YET! Hoping to build up some at trade shows sept and jan for alot less than normal! Nursery is starting to look alot better now, and I also got a new job doing plant sales for a nursery down south fla so I will be traveling to nurseries alot and hoping to find some good deals while out on the road! Will post pics soon :)

Katrina

We just had our open house weekend. Things went wonderfully. Weather was perfect and people were out in force. And buying! We had Paul Parent, who has a gardening rodio call-in show, come and do a live broadcast. He drew in a lot of new customers from quite some distance. My plants looked great and things went well. It seems like it will be a great spring!

Have been busy here too. Farmer's Mkt is keeping me busy, and I agree Bernie, people seem to be happily buying more and more.
By the way, when did ya'll start your hanging baskets for the waves? (I recently made one up for my wife and it's looking great, but would like to start some earlier for sales next yr.)
Sounds like everyone is doing well in the gardening biz...ain't it grand?

Anyone gearing up for Fall geraniums yet?

Most of our baskets were Ramblin series. Also had Tidal Wave Silver & Easy Wave White. Plants were put in baskets on Feb 15. They were pinched back once. Had 113, only about 10 left. Sold for $13.99. Also had 78 Ivy Geranium baskets.
Sold for $16.99.
Bernie

So cool! YOu did good, Bernie!
Thanks!

CountryGardens,

Are there any discount/big stores near ya'll? Like walmart or HD? Our stores here have petunia hanging baskets for $6-8 each. You must have a much more superior product! Way to go! :)

eco...our Walmart sells baskets at around that price range (for 8 inch baskets). Two miles up the road, where our Farmer's Mkt is, I sell 10 inch baskets of "Purple Hearts" easily for $10. Will be trying the Wave series next yr.

I actually have a Wave petunia basket on my deck now (thanks to a DG member who sent me some Waves!). I used a deep 12" basket, put 3 petunia plant in it AND a compact cucumber plant in the center. It is great! The Wave petunias are floriferous and hanging downwards, the cuke plant is climbing upwards, and begatting fruit! Love it! ô¿ô (I better remember to take a pic!)

Wow! All this talk of prices. I sell my 8" hanging baskets for $14.95, 10" for $19.95 - $24.95 and 12" for $29.95 - $34.95. I haven't increased prices in about 3 years and I sell through a lot of them. Just a different market. These are mostly Proven Winner varieties of supertunias, calibrachoa, lantana, verbena, etc., as well as some seed material, thunbergia, marigolds, wave petunias, etc. I grow about 30 different varieties of annual hanging baskets. All goes to the cost of oil...
I compared quality with Home Depot yesterday. It's embarassing what they sell. Hangers are crammed pot to pot. I saw 2 nice hanging basket out of hundreds. It's a shame.

Wal-Mart had 10" baskets the day for $5. Alot of money for near dead impatiens. Sam's had some for $4.87. We only paid 47¢ for our empty baskets.(Thats all Sam's were good for!
You get what you pay for!
I have kept a list of customers, (checks and daily drawing to get names). We are getting a lot of the people from the new housing developments and higher priced homes areas. Lots of everday folks too.
Word of mouth advertising worked good! Or do like the neighbors down the street. Some people have come back many times. We owe our successful year to my sons ability to grow great plants.
We added "Best plants in southern Minnesota", to our advertising.
Anyone locally reading this, Thanks for a great year!
Bernie