renting plants

I posted this in the Market Growers forum and haven't gotten any responses...so I'm posting in several other communities.....
I would like to get into the plant rental business, and don't have a clue about prices, contracts, etc.....
I know that restaurants, caterers, etc. rent small trees and large plants. Any advice and information would be appreciated.

jamminspoons, I also am trying to get into the plant rental business, but for special occasions. Not enough call in a town our size for business type rentals. And, given the ethnic makeup of my town, the inhabitants are too cheap to pay anything like that.

So far I have not had any rentals, but I also have a large greenhouse in which I overwinter large tropical plants for other people. Most of my clients are from the Madison, WIS. area. Again, the locals are too cheap.

Good luck to you on your venture. Wish I could make mine fly; I'm so sick of my current "job" I could scream.

Jammin, I know of a business in Lexington, KY that does something similar. But they sell the plants to the business and then have a contract for the care and maintenance of the plants (they send workers weekly to water, remove dead leaves, check for pests, etc.). When a plant looks bad, they replace it at the business' expense- and they sell 'em for high dollar. If the plants are to stay in the space for an extended period, it would probably be better to sell the plant. But for special occasions I'd think rentals would be a good idea. You may want to check with local florists or any other business that does special events. When I worked as a floral designer, we rented out floor plants for a percentage of the retail price- I think it was 20%, plus delivery and pick up charges. We found its a good idea to handle transportation ourselves; one time a bride returned a bunch of ferns...after they'd been closed up in her hot car all day! Her bill went way up, LOL. A lot of shops would prefer not to have to purchase the stock for rental, so they may be interested in going through you for such needs. Since you're not wanting to sell your plants, you may want to get ideas about how to price rentals from the prices retail florists charge for plants and what percentage they charge if they rent.
Best of luck!
Neal

Just a suggestion, but partnering with someone who rents tents for special occasions, or wedding planners, attending bridal shows and such things may get you off the ground. There are a ton of websites on Google if you do a search "plant rental". Best of luck.

Thanks. There was just a bridal fair in Madison, Wisconsin last weekend, but I didn't know about it till the week before when I saw the billboards.