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Very useful for presents even if you don't want to sell them like I have. A couple of people expressed an interest so I'm jotting down a couple of tips gained from my own experience.

Why?

Flowers attract a lot of beneficials to your plot.
Useful gifts.
Nice air freshener and just generally nice in the home.

To sell...

If you go to a boot sale or fete or whatever then quite a lot of people will be selling garden plants. They do sell well but are difficult to transport, i.e. you need a van preferably with some shelves or you can't get many plants in without squashing them. Cut flowers can be laid in boxes and carrried in a small car even.

They are a cheap treat for people to buy. Especially say at a school fete where people want to support the event but prefer spending loose change than buying expensive craft objects.

I've also sold flowers to florist shops. This isn't easy but is possible if they are good enough, free from pests (a MUST or you might infect their whole stock) and if you can do enough bunches of one type to make it worth their bother buying them. My advice is never take orders (you never know what you'll have next week) but just show them what you have for sale.

Types.

I only ever grow flowers from seed and shop around for the cheapest seed. Its tempted to buy plugs of perennials but it is a risk if anything goes wrong the money is wasted.

Seasonal flowers are welcomed by people. Gardeners don't want to cut their own so might buy yours for a treat.

If you want to produce bunches then its best to limit the type of flower, even to just one type. To make one bunch you need ten flower stems that are all ready at once (open enough to be sure they will open but not fully open so they don't last). You need quite a lot of plants in one type therefore to make one bunch as only half might be right to cut on a day.

Last thing is the flowers should not be cut and bunched just prior to selling them but actually the day before. It seems like you're reducing the freshness but you stand them in water in a cool place and give them time to re-hydrate and get over the shock of being cut.

The really last point is that the more you cut the flowers the more the plant tries to grow the next lot.

Yippee!

fl

Very informative thankyou.

brilliant flowerlady!! Thank you.

I have thought about having a section of our land where I can grow flowers simply for us to use indoors - I don't like taking them from the garden itself unless it doesn't affect my outdoor display - if that makes sense.

If I grow well enough perhaps I could sell them to local holiday cottages etc to put into their cottages... hmmm a possibility!!

thanks for the tips. Now I have to decide which flowers will grow best in my garden.

Thanks.

A vase of flowers would be a lovely welcome in a holiday cottage.

Also there is the 'honesty box' system of selling. Only works if you have a garden gate with people passing (unfortunately I don't, well the only people passing would probably nick themoney).

Most people find most people are honest and the whole idea lifts peoples spirits before they even get the flowers.





sweet peas are my favourite

fl

Now then... I do like the honesty box idea. We don't get many people walking by, but a few drive past...

sweetpeas - I love those too. They were my dad's favourite so I think I will definitely plant some of those in his memory. Poppies too, in memory of a young lady who used to post on the ivillage board that I use who died last year - I definitely want poppies.

We are growing willow and I want to make some willow teepees for the sweetpeas and other stuff.... they would go perfectly for vases in cottages wouldn't they - especially if we grow fragrant ones.