Themes Just like with flowers, colors, variations, and themes attract buyers. Not only do these provide focus; they give students opportunities to forge a deeper connection to plants by iden- tifying which species thematically combine well with one other. Classic themes that are still prevalent today include the vegetable/edible sale as well as the sustain- able approach through native, butterfly/pol- linator, or bird gardens. There is an endless num- ber of themes that can be incorporated; allowing students to craft themes can be complemented by a trip to a local botani- cal garden, arboretum, or plant nursery. The fact that botanical gardens and arboreta also have deep educational con- nections enhances the rationale for conducting field trips.
Staging, schedule, & seasonality Staging considerations must be addressed before anything else can occur. If attempting this venture without a greenhouse, where will your propa- gation bins and equip- ment be stored? With or without a greenhouse, where will your trans- planted specimens be held? In other words, where will your nursery be located? Logistically, it needs to be very close to your work area as well as a source of water, but also out of the way from the main flow of student traffic. If vandalism or theft are possibilities, then securing your plants should be planned strategically. It is crucial to plan a plant sale at least one year in
•
ately after a sale to continue expanding and improving your program. Most plant sales occur in spring, and this is what I usu-
Example of markup percentage and profit margin
• using $2 max as a base price for the cost of growing with the following assumptions: • maximum cost of a starter plant = $1 •
• markup percentage on a $2 plant sold for $10 = 400% •
• profit margin on a $10 perennial = 80% •
potential price for container (if not recycled/repur- posed), water, fertilizer, and label = $1/plant pricing one-gallon plants at $10/plant
formula: sales price minus unit cost / divided by unit cost / x 100 ($10-$2 = $8 / divided by $2 = 4 / x 100 = 400%)
formula: price of plant minus cost / divided by price of plant / x 100 ($10-$2 = $8 / divided by $10 = 0.8 / x 100 = 80%)
Hence, if you purchase a tray of 32 starter liners/plugs for $45, your net profit should be about $211. (32 x$2 = $64 / + $45 = $109 / 32 plants sold at $10 = $320 / $320 - $109 = $211)
ally do; however, I have also offered smaller sales in the fall so as to decrease competition for time and attention during the spring rush. There’s also opportunity to educate the pub- lic about proper planting times for fall-bloom- ing plants, especially if these are included. Additionally, fall is the optimal time for plant- ing many perennials, shrubs, and trees. As the days shorten and nights become cooler, plants do not have to grow both above and below the soil; they are able to focus all their energy below soil, thereby enabling a strong root system to establish before the next spring. If you do decide on a spring sale, ensure the timing of your sale corresponds to right after the last frost date. This gives plants plenty of time to become established before the really warm season begins. If neither spring nor fall are options, then consider an indoor house- plant sale in the winter. Another option is work- ing with a large bulb wholesaler and hosting a bulb sale in which cus- tomers pre-order bulbs that your students can bag for pick-up. There are bulbs for every season! The length of time for
a seasonal sale is also an important factor, as you
advance. This allows you to minimize your costs by care- fully propagating plants with appropriate timing, thus ensuring that you have quality specimens that have strong, vibrant root systems and are full in their pots. Under no cir- cumstances should you offer plants that have been recently transferred to the next-size-up container and cannot hold the soil together in a root ball. Having a year to plan is also important since it allows you to strategize all tasks that need to be accomplished: gathering supplies, growing specimens, marketing, and setting up the point of sales. Document everything, as you will want to revisit everything immedi-
Page 42
want to capture as many potential patrons as possible. Our sales followed a Friday-3-to-5-p.m.-and-Saturday-9-a.m.-to- 12-p.m. schedule. With the proper marketing, we normally sold out by 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, giving us an hour to tidy up! If by chance you have leftover plants, then offer them the following week at bargain-basement prices to fellow teach- ers or at the carpool line. Another option for leftover plants is to donate them to a garden club, master gardener group, or other nonprofit organization that could use the plants for their own projects or fundraisers. Avoid allowing pre-sale purchases, as this can become quite complex and problem- atic! You want the sale to be an equal-access opportunity with fixed times and a set duration. Scheduling appropriate class time for preparation must also be considered. Whether you’re using a lab or after-
Green Teacher 126
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
