What do you want out of a Nursery?

I need your help...can we discuss what do you want in a garden center? What makes a good garden center great? What don't you like about garden centers?

anything, no matter how small, will be a big help.

Thanks!

Hi Miss Lisa,

So, are you going to try to start your own business now? You have so many hands in the fire as it is girlfriend...lol

Here are a few of the things that I would like to see when I go to a good nursery:

Unusual plants - can't get at Home Depot or Walmart
Plant tags with good info on them
Good help - people who know about the plants that are sold there
Optional - special order some types of rare plants

Hope this helps.

Hugs, Donna

healthy well watered plants -they are always dry and withered!
Unusal plants
People that know what they are doing
Great prices and SALES

Lisa,

Donna beat me to the things I was going to say except reasonable prices.

Also, you talking just plants? I would love it if I could find good potting soil, or seed starting mix here locally.

My biggest pet peeve is going in and finding a plant I like no marker, and nobody that works there knows what it is. I think that's a biggie have different things not available in your area from other businesses and have good markers to identify it.

I want to be able to find the newest plants out, and a neat assortment of annuals, though I am more likely to buy perennials. Many things I buy are impulse plants that happen to catch my eye at the moment. Plus, a nice washroom, since I do spend much time browsing! Doris

Plants that are CORRECTLY labeled with the name, requirements, and hardiness.

A good selection of heirlooms that do well locally.

Got to have onion plants, sweet potato slips, etc.

Fruit trees, berry bushes.

Good selection of packaged seed, something you don't see in most nurseries.

Reasonable prices.

Big Red seeds is a good one.

If this is a BIG nursery...I want a golf cart to take me around....ya'll know how good I am at driving a golf cart!! I'm serious....I visited a large nursery in Crossville, TN and they had golf carts to get around in.......

OK Lisa, I'll ride in the wheelbarrow if Jesse wheels it around. LOL Jo

thanks for all the info.

we don't know yet if we are going into business, we are just thinking about it. Lots to think about :-)

jo, we have a John Deere "Gator"...you can haul more stuff with those.

Correct labels - with lots of plant information.
Knowledgeable staff.
Places for the kids - or spouses - to sit in the shade. :)

My just-turned-4 DD saw a picture of a woman on a package today and told me it looked like the lady from the "free baby cactus store." It did indeed look like the very friendly woman at a local store who always makes us feel welcome. You can't beat good service. The tiny free cactus with each purchase is a big hit with my kids - and me!

Oh, and I was at a store out of town that had what I call "landscape inspiration pictures" placed near to plants that were in the photos. I love seeing what the full-sized plant will look like.. if it survives me!

Oh I want a Gator.!!
But on the subject-
1. Healthy plants (I pointed out a daylily with rust at the local nursery, the one person said it was just leaf spot-but (due to dg) I went to the horticulture person and she agreed and pulled the plant. Also brought home whiteflies from another store :( Also, hate to see dying plants (like at some of hardware stores etc-such a waste and shows that the rest, probably have been under stress
2. Staff that know their stuff or know each other, so can consult for you (#1)
3. Agree with Doris-washroom a must. maybe a chair to rest a bit.
4. Selection of hardy, blooming annuals, for that "immediate need person"-me
5. Depending on layout-room for carts between aisles
6. Nice displays for ideas, easy to buy that extra plant when I see it in a lovely setting.
7. Accurate planting information-including zones
8. Selection of newest seeds, would like to buy that one packet I saw (catalog) at the store, instead of paying postage for it.
9. If outdoors, set up so as not to have to walk in mud or on slippery area
10. Bit of shade if in total sun areas

The biggest thing that would attract me would be the ability to do special orders. As an example, many nurseries buy from Monrovia. Monrovia has a great website to check out their plants. I want to be able to call up for special orders.at my local nursery and say I want a 10 gallon Yellow Bird Magnolia or whatever. It could arrive on the truck with their regular order.

Good, friendly personalized service like reminder cards or email giving cut-off dates for special orders.
Healthy plants
Unusual varieties

Of course I understand that this level of service does not come with cheap prices like at Home Depot or Walmart.

although not in the same vein....

Lisa, unless you have some great property in a metropolis full of yuppies, scrap the retail idea.
Retail nurseries are for organization freaks, and people that like to listen to customers whine. Most of the real plant people I've known are wholesale growers. It's a great combination, you can have total seclusion in the woods (as long as you have good roads) and deal with very few individuals... plus instead of 20, $10 sales a day, you can have one $200 sale.
Leave the loading plants into someones trunk to other people.

your misanthropic friend,
Drew

Hi Lisa,
A few things that go well here. Hanging baskets with an assortment of plants & baskets with plants other places don't have. We have used "Ramblin" petunias, they make beautiful baskets & last a long time. Put a small amount of time-release fertilizer in baskets or porch pots. It makes them nice & green & is way easier than fertilizing when watering. We use a brand called Herralds.
12" porch pots go well, too. We put a spike in the middle back, 2 larger plants, geranium, in front of the spike. Then fill around the edge with vining things, Alysum or other edging plants.
Make a big display of baskets & pots to give customers a choice & it also seems to encourage them when there is a lot to pick from.
The number 1 thing that you need to do is be on the spot when a customer comes in. Give them a minute or two, then start a conversation about what they are looking for or what they are doing with the plants. (Don't just go up to them & ask if you can help them.)
I have sold people plants they didn't know they needed by discussing their garden plans with them.
I wish you good luck! This is a very rewarding business.
Bernie

Here are some things I thought about (in no particular order):

1) Plants arranged in a system that makes sense to customers and easy to navigate

2) healthy plants with weed seedlings regularly removed

3) a good selection of unusual things each season

4) knowledgable staff (this is #1!!!!!)

5) a play house or other such area to keep kids occupied while I browse through the flowers (especially helpful on a hot day in a greenhouse!!!)

6) benches situated here and there so kids or the elderly (or even us healthy adults) can sit and rest now and then) ... especially if it's a large garden center

7) willingness to special order plants that aren't carried normally by the GC

8) unusual color combos with the "usual" plants .... for example, fun new color combos with Pansies

9) a personal touch with regular customers (for example, when I mentioned to the manager that I really enjoy the sound of their frogs in the GC and wish I had frogs in my garden, he immediately said "I'll fish out some tadpoles for you in a few weeks when they hatch out in the pond". That was nice. :-) On another occasion, the asst manager made a special effort to point out a new Salvia they'd gotten because she knows I like Salvias. I feel like I'm more than just a dollar to them when I get this kind of service.

10) willingness to recommend another plant supplier or to get plants from such a supplier if your own GC doesn't carry what the customer wants. For example, my favorite GC carries cactus and succulents, but only has a small section devoted to them. They were more than willing to send me to a cactus and succulent market that I hadn't heard of....they know sending me there isn't going to mean I won't come back and shop at their GC too :-). This is more common in the US (like going to Sears, asking for XYorZ and having the clerk say "we don't have that, but next door at JCPenny they do".....this kind of service means the dollar goes out the door this time, but will come back twofold because of the helpful friendly service).

11) opening hours that are convenient. I understand that GCs like to be open early to get deliveries and such. My GC is open at 7am. But they close at 4 in the afternoon. This means that if I need or want something in the afternoon, I'm out of luck til the next day. Wanting flowers isn't something urgent, but if I see I've got a snail infestation suddenly, I want to be able to take care of it "NOW". So staying open til 5-6:30 or later would be more helpful...even if it's with a reduced staff.

12) no one telling me I can't take photos. Of course, the staff in my GC know me and know that it's just a hobby for me and I'm not a spy from another GC. So I guess this one does require some thought. But if, for example, someone came in and wanted to take a pic of a certain plant to show to their spouse for a second opinion, they shouldn't be harrassed and made to feel like a criminal for taking pics in the GC. I say this because another GC here DID do that to me.

13) Plants MUST be labled so customers don't constantly have to ask "what's this?". Something my GC does that I really really really aprpeciate is that they have a line strung behind each row of plants and ont eh line they hang a 5x7 card with a pic of the plant and a care description "Genus species, Common Name, full-partial sun, height 2 meters, girth 1 meter, perenniel, average water needs, evergreen, flowers May-July" for example. Here's a pic of such a card:

if I think of anything else I'll be sure to post again :-)

-Julie

All good ideas...most I've thought of too.

Biggest pet peve in a GC...staff with just enough plant training to hold a water hose. I get soooo frustrated when I've got a legitimate question, but already know that I'm the most qualified person in the whole place to answer it.

Just an aside...I heard of a wholesale nursery co-op in the area over the weekend. Locals growing for a wholesale distributorship. I've got a couple of free acres and a greenhouse...gonna check into the particulars, as this sounds interesting.

Incidently, my GC, ordered my greenhouse for me and delivered it from their wholesale source. Saved me almost 1000.00 bucks. That's good service...they just don't have qualified help...nice, friendly employees...but you don't get in depth info from them.

Mel, if you have free acres, you should have called me! LOL

The biggest turn off for me, is trying to buy a plant or pack of seeds and the employees have no idea what I mean. I tell them the correct name, any common name I can think of and have actually described plants to get what I want. I realize it is expensive to hire people but I think it better to spend a bit more and hire someone with a brain! Every time I go to a nursery, I end up helping people. LOL

I would also like to be able to buy seed starting supplies locally and professional type seed mix without having to pay all that shipping.

Around here, all the nurseries seem to sell all the same stuff, mostly bedding annuals or good, old safe perennials. Live just a bit on the wild side (you don't have to fall off).

I think it would be a neat side business with the landscaping if y'all want to sleep, eat and breathe plants. :)

So many great answers! Knowledgeable employees would be my #1, great seed varieties along with supplies #2, plants that have been well tended #3.

Here's one that really draws in our area - once a month hands on seminar for something different; making your own "something". I've been at the local GC many times when these things are going on and the folks are having fun, but they're also spending lots of money on whatever the "something" supplies are :)

Best to you and your family in your endeavour !!

thank you so much..we are not sure yet which way to turn. We have to have an answer by the end of the day.

Lisa, my husband & I have a small greenhouse business. We live in a small community, and it answers a need here, but I would have to say, Deeproots has a point. My little business isn't a big money maker, but I feel it supports my garden habit, and for once, I can walk over to a table full of plants and have anything I want! LOL!

However, on the downside, I am tethered to my house and yard all spring and summer... no vacations, no overnight trips, etc. I feature perennials, since there is competition in the spring for bedding plants. At least three other businesses in town bring in plants for the month of June. My plants are hardened off and not in full bloom at that time, so I get the trade of smarter gardeners, but lose some of the instant gratification folks. My perennials are first year plants in cell packs, 3.5 inch pots, or second & third year plants in larger pots.

My DH helps as much as he can, but most of the sowing, transplanting, etc. is my job. I am also responsible for watering in the spring and most of the summer. By fall, I am busy preparing the left over perennials for winter. Special care needs to be taken here for potted perennials to winter over. Left over containers must be washed and put away, the compost sifted and stored, and seeds collected. There isn't really much of the year that isn't concentrated on my little summer business. It's a labor of love, not profit.

Deeproots is right about how labor intensive people can be. For the most part, I love helping folks find plants and I feed on their enthusiasm. Most days, I don't mind the hour or more taken out of my day to introduce a new gardener to new plants and planting options. However, at the end of the day, the plants still need water, trimming, slug patrol, resorting, dead heading, etc, and that customer may have spent under $10 when they left.

I've considered wholesaling myself. I could supply a couple of our small businesses here in town with bedding plants, or I could get a good connection with some of nurseries further afield to sell my extra wintered over perennials. I'm hoping to do a bit of both in the next year or so. Right now, I'm trying to determine some new hardy perennials for our area.

For the last two years, I've supplied the flower baskets for the downtown hangers. These are purchased by the downtown business persons. I've also sold flats of plants to City Parks and Rec, the Air Force recreational camp and several of the local B&B's. I can see this as a good market, especially if you pay heed to their special needs. In our case, the wind whips the flower baskets on our main street in town, so I must use plants that will tolerate that.

Having read what everyone else has written, I can only offer that there is always a niche for more plants... you've just got to find it. Don't try to compete with big business, and don't try to compete for the custom of folks who can't see past the pretty blooms. If you are dealing with a small community, business will build by word of mouth. If not, as deeplady has suggested, find a spot in the wholesale aspects.

We have a pretty good GC around here. Biggest pet peeve is whenever I have a question, the person that knows the answer is never there. The other is plants that have no price. And I miss having someone help put large bags of soil in my trunk for me. But they have seeds, seed starting supplies, tons of fertilizers and lots of plants.

We had another GC not even half a mile from my house. They went out of business last year. I think their prices were too high and their hours were awful 9-5.

thanks weezin, I was afraid I'd come off a bit rough.

we used to have a spring festival here, we'd get 100-120 people show up in the matter of a few hours. It always turned out to be a destructive day, with more plants ruined by people walking on them, knocking them over etc... we ended up loosing more money than we'd make.
We still have customers, that buy retail, but they are typically fanatics.... people who simply cannot sleep at night with only 8 maidenhair ferns in their collection.
They generally travel from as far as 200miles away, spend 3-4hundred dollars, and will call ahead and schedule a time to show up.

Trying to appease everyone at a retail nursery is nearly impossible for the small mom n pop nursery.... I say leave it to lowes.

Weezin, in regards to wholesale, try to find a re-wholesaler, or landscapers.... find out what they need but can't get. For example, hostas this year for me.... I've never grown them before, but I kept having customers complain about paying $3.50 a gallon wholesale, so I bought some bareroot ones for $.40 a peice, potted them, and two months later they are ready for sale. I quoted my customers $2.75-$3.00 a peice, and 1,200 out of the 1,500 I grew are spoken for, with spring a month and a half away :-)

DeepRoots,
I appreciate your honesty..I didn't think you were being rough at all..just another point of view. I love to look at things from all angles and your opinion was greatly appreciated.

I wish the place was big enough for just wholesale, but it isn't.
We've been in the landscaping/hardscaping/lawn care business for the last 6 years. We seen all types :0) thankfully, the good for out number the bad..

Then there was my waitressing job for 10 years..talk about that one was tough with the public..I think everyone should be a waiter or waitress at least once in their life, but that is another story!!

We have all our growers lined up already due to our existing business..they all know us, which is good.

Sigh, so many things to ponder :-)

Good points, Deeproots. I always get a rush when I first open, but then it is just steady for a couple weeks, then trickles. I'm a stay-at-home type, so I don't mind being here for customers. By July 1, I work three mornings a week at a B&B down the road from me. My DH mans the nursery business while I'm gone. I advertise 9-6pm, but people show up at 8am or 10pm... the fortunate or unfortunate result of having your residence and business at the same place.

Labeling is a big issue. I know how I feel when things are labeled or priced at any place of business. I post my prices according to the size of the pots, unless individually marked. I don't run advertised specials, but will give deals if people are good customers or I want them to try something new. Otherwise, I think everyone would be waiting for the 'End of June Special'.

In all fairness to nurseries of any size, people are prone to pulling the tags out of containers to read them, then sticking them back in another pot. This makes it pretty hard to indentify and retag plants that look much the same. Also, people will pull cell packs out of a flat, then cram them back in breaking stems and pinching delicate foliage. I offer paper boxes (pop flats) to my customers for their purchases, and at the end of a busy day, I find these boxes, lost, forgotten, whatever all over the tables. A good part of your day can be taken up just making things presentable for the next business day (which is every day if you do this at home).

Dogs are an issue for me. Customers like the easygoing nature of our business, and it is in the country, so they bring their dogs. Dog like to dig, to run through flower beds, lie down in freshly dug soil, and the males mark territory on my potted plants and flower beds. There are a few dogs that are welcome here, but most I have to ask folks to put back in the car. To their credit, most people ask first before letting them out.

Small children are an issue. Little boys get bored. They like the plant stakes that make great swords they can use to machete away at the wild flora around my yard edge. They walk tall fences, then swing in my trees... in other words, they are little boys! Little girls love to pick bouquets for Mommy or help fill Mommy's box with flowers. Inevitably Mommy leaves me with more plants to put back because she doesn't want what daughter has chosen. One customer's daughter picked a lunch pail full of unripe Honeoye strawberries I'd been eagerly awaiting. The sad fact is, as nice as it may seem to bring your children, it's pretty hard to concentrate on plants and keep track of your kids, and it's pretty hard to get good information or assistance from me if I'm trying to keep track of little kids dangling from my trees or romping through my greenhouse.

LOL! The wholesale thing is beginning to sound really good!

Weezi....that's why having a playhouse for the kids is such a good idea. At the GC I go to rarely that doesn't have a playhouse, the kids drive me mad as I can't stand to see them put something back in the wrong place or pull flowers off of plants we don't own yet....so I end up spending 95% of my energy and time keeping an eagle eye on the kids rather than finding what I want....and that means the experience ends up being a real pain in the backside rather than fun (which is why I hardly ever go to that GC unless they have some advertized super can't pass it up type of offer). On the other hand, the GC that DOES have the playhouse (it's just a simple wooden house made of 2x4s with a 1 foot wrap around "patio" where the kids can climb in and out of the doors and windows and chase each other til they're blue in the face), my kids never take cell packs out, never pluck flowers without permission, and never do anything destructive. That GC has a few picnic tables (one made from drift wood) and benches scattered around. Sometimes the kids will sit at one of the tables and pretend to have a tea party. Sometimes they'll play hide and seek in the tree section, but there is enough room between each row that there's no danger of anything getting knocked over or damaged. Yes, a lot of bad stuff kids do can be chalked up to 2 things (1) upbringing and (2) childhood. Yet, much of the kids' energy can be corralled for long enough for Mom to choose a few plants if there is a focal point for that energy.....ie a playhouse.

Just my 2 cents worth...

-Julie

1) a place with a good variety & reasonable prices.
2) properly labeled plants with some growing info is very useful especially if the staff is not knowledgeable or scarse.
3) a few exotic plants that are not common to the region. Example; just cause we can't grow outdoor theBird of Paradise, Protea or many other plants that are considered tropical, shouldn't mean no one wants to grow them in our area. I guess what I'm trying to say is that a list of plants other than the usual bread & butter.
5) more of the newer type varieties. I myself like to get plants that none of my neighbors have. I get tired of seeing the same variety of trees, plants, etc. that everyone else has and can only seem to find harder to find varieties on the internet or catalogs.
6) to me knowledgable staff are not nearly as important as staff that actually care about the customer. I've walked out of stores before because although the person is knowledgeable, because they like to talk to customers with their noses up in the air or worse, with the attitude that you are bugging them.
7) as someone else also mentioned, a place to rest & enjoy the plants would be nice. In my local nursery place for example, they have a koi pond and a bench to sit on. The windchimes are located towards the front but one can still hear them quite well from sitting at the bench while watching the koi fish....very relaxing & the kids enjoy going there for that reason which of course means I'm not as rushed & can actually go in without a fight.
8) I've seen a few nursery websites that show their garden photos. I think if you would build small gardens which focused some of the plants you're selling will help inspire some. Otherwise pictures of such gardens would also be helpful especially when people don't have a clue as to what to expect the plant to look like. I myself have a designing deficiency. I have problems invisioning what the plants will look like next to other plants & find it helpful especially with color coordinating.
9)a useful restroom. Being an adult, I have no problem waiting but having to tug along three small kids is really a problems at times. I don't know about others kids but mine have the habit of requesting to go to the bathroom in oportune times and its not like I don't make them go before leaving home either. I have a list of places I can't go in if I've got the kids with me because 9 times out of 10 one of them will have to go & they don't have a public restroom.

I expect customer service, customer service, and customer service.

I am fortunate enough that the primary nursery I purchase from knows me name. They probably say, "oh no her she comes again, the lady that will take 30 minutes before buying a plant." I know enough to know when they don't know, but not enough to not ask a question or 5. I also expect a better quaility plant meaning one that has been treated like it is supposed to be and not treated like everything else they have just because it's convenient for them. (like having full sun plants on the shades plant table)

Lisa, if you don't have the room for the commercial spot, isn't your question answered?

One thing I want in a 'favorite' nursery, is not to find the same old stuff I could find at HD or WM.
Start seed from 'new and unusual' pansies, petunias or whatever. Give us a choice or a change, don't make us buy mail order. Sell your place with a 'unique' angle with a nice ad in the newspaper.

My favorite nursery here is pretty much that way, I know I can go in to find something different each time. They keep most of their stuff on high tables with shade plants below, so it's not easy for kids to mess up, not that I've seen that problem there! I don't mind paying for something if I know it's different, properly tagged, weeded, watered and #1 priced. Remeber that it's YOUR business, and you could keep the hours and days you wanted, it's almost like the forbidden fruit, we want it when it's hard to get. Of course weekends are a must, and I really don't know who is your clientele...

Just my 2 cents, I'd love to have one plant from every Thompson and Morgan seed pack! Give me a choice in color, especially if I trust you enough to know it will do good in MY garden.

I like the suggestions others have posted, I would however add.
1: A section on Native Plants
2: Organic section: Insect controll, fertilizers, benificial insects, etc.

I didn't read all the comments above and someone might have mentioned it already.
A cajun girl with a washboard ain't a bad thing.

LOL Jim....
That should be on her brochure!! She does play a mean washboard...and cooks like an angel....so why wouldn't she have success in the nursery business? Go for it, Lisa. Jo

Hi again,
I didn't mention this in my last post but well cared for plants is a big appealing plus but knew you would do this anyways.

A well stocked array of gardening merchandise like, soil, fertilizers, insecticides, pots of various sizes & price ranges to accomidate everyones taste & budget.

Also, in my "dream" nursery, I'd invest in a few cement molds & make my own gardening statuary, stepping stones, etc. I'd also build an outdoor aviary and plant lush tropical plants around it housing finches, cockatiels or rainbow lories to create a small tropical looking & sounding area. This would make your place stand out and would also give kids a place to be entertained so the parents can browse more, etc.

When we go to Lowe's, the kids enjoy riding in the wagons. My local nursery also has them and they manuever well even on the gravel paths.

Also, if you know of someone who does garden art etc., perhaps you can have their things up for sale & collect a selling fee. I met a lady who makes those waxed bears (bears dipped in scented wax) and has them selling at a local used furniture store. The store owner uses them as decoration and collects a small selling fee. This way, the lady sells more of her bears instead of making them for craft sales only which here are pretty much in the fall. Just some more ideas. ;)

I think it all boils down to what sort of operation you want. If you'd like to raise plants, sell them, then get on with your regular life, wholesaling or a plant sale would be your best bet. If you want to interact with customers all season long and sell garden supplies, that requires a site and lots of merchandise.

I live in a small community where there is a limited amount of garden supplies. If I could afford to sit on the stock for months at a time, I'd invest in more garden supplies. I'd like to order a pallet load of potting soil, but it would be an investment of about $800. I'd like to have top soil available for my customers, but that is at least $1,000 investment, then I'd need equipment to load it.

If there are garden centers within easy driving distance, I wouldn't worry about having large quantities of supplies available. You can't compete with chain stores who buy in bulk and sell cheaper. If you have a few bags of soil for your customers who prefer to buy from you, that's nice, but not really necessary. A small nursery soon finds its clientel. It is usually the folks who like personal attention and special order items. Sometimes they just like the fact that they can come to your nursery for a bit of zen.

My yard is surrounded by trees that fill out in the summer. You can't even see my yard from the road, so it is a bit of a surprise when you drive in. There are flower beds everywhere, and I just about walk my legs off every summer showing customers what their plant selections will look like when they've established themselves.

We've got a bird feeder for the small birds and nectar feeders for the hummers. We've got a couple old dogs that like an ear scratch. If you just want to pop in for a flat of full blooming marigolds, I'm not your best choice. Chances are, you'll stay too long visiting and won't get your marigolds in the ground!

Hey Lisa,

Haven't seen you around DG much lately and was thinking of you.
Just wondering if anything came of this idea of yours. Are you opening your own nursery?

Hugs, Donna

Hi Donna,
we've been up and running for a month now. It is pretty safe to assume that life is out of control at this point, don't know if I am coming or going. It is hard waking up all these brain cells that have been on holiday for the last 10 years...I stay super busy and don't have that much time on the computer. I miss all of my cyber friends very much! Thank you so much for asking. I appreciate your thoughfulness.

big hugs back at cha!

Wow, a big congratulations to you and Jesse. That has to be a big undertaking for you both. I wish you well in your new business.

I won't ask you a bunch of questions, as you probably don't have the time to answer them all....but when you do get some time, let us know how things are going, K?

Double hugs....hehe
Donna

Congrats!! I'm asking one question. LOL Do you have a website??

I like the idea of a nursery divided into "climate condition" sections: "I need shade ground covers"....so they go to the shade department where they can 'landscape' without running around 150miles of paths. But, remember, our ideal nursery isn't what John and Mary Q. Public want...probably. Most of them don't realize the importance.

In my business I genuinely LIKE people...so it is natural for me to go the extra mile, remember names, swap jokes etc. In this impersonal world of hand held Pilots, cellphones, TV and direct dialing - we want a warm and caring person at the other end of the conversation.

What about a nursery that allowed small home growers a bench?..Giving back to the community/participating IN it. There are probably a million reasons why it wouldn't work...can't think of one. There are usually really good collectors/sellers of succulents, orchids, waterplants etc. that could offer plants you can't.

Classes: air layering, vegetative propagation, vegetable gardening...no charge, but they have to buy their supplies from you.

What other plants are the faves in the area? Orchids? Create your own Orchid Mix...or "custom" blend it for an apt. dweller who can't have that much equipment around.

A padded play area for toddlers...no way to get out...nothing to injure them...with a highschool babysitter...she gets paid by the parents shopping.

Art Classes (you can offer the space to teachers) offered...get people in/revved up about flowers/ Competitions....

;~)