Anyone here run a nursery or sell plants from home?

[yellowDahlia]

Humour me...I'm sitting at my desk at work in a windowless, non air-conditioned office and dreaming of the day I can work outdoors and with plants all day.

I have a notion that I'd love to start a nursery, and grow and sell a selection of hardy perennials. I'd start small in my back garden (lucky enough to have some raised beds and a large greenhouse) and if things went well I'd invest in some land/polytunnels/equipment etc... it's a dream just now but does anyone here actually do this and love it? Or hate it?? The goal would be to eventually give up the day job...I've virtually abandoned all career ambitions and think about gardening and plants all day long. I'm also trying to study for RHS Level 2 and loving learning more about horticulture.

I don't know anyone else who does this so looking for some advice or inspiration or a reality check from someone in the know...hope someone can offer words of wisdom!

I've not done it and it is a lovely idea, but I would imagine you'd have to sell a lot of plants to make a living. Also a poor season or disease could wipe you out.
I occasionally buy from two private nurseries, in the country side. They are only open in the summer months and run by people retired from other occupations.
I hope you do reach your dream. Good luck.

My dh does it. It's hard to make a living, as after the June rush it all gets veerrry quiet.

But if you can diversify at the same time then it could be OK. Sell coffee and cakes? There is a buzzing coffee shop at DH garden centre, which is busy all year, unlike the plants. Unfortunately for us they are two separate businesses running in a complimentary way, so we don't see the profit from the cafe.
Selling Xmas wreaths and Xmas trees gives the business a boost in December, but I won't lie....It's hard to scrape by at times!

Both my parents and my dads cousin ran nurseries - my parents did bedding plants, wallflowers, and specialised in making up hanging baskets. Cousin D did christmas trees and bedding plants.
Its bloody hard work for very little return, esp now the supermarkets do bedding and you can buy plug plants online very cheaply.

I think the only way you could do it as more than a bit of a hobby/pin money, would be to specialise in a particular plant - mum loved fuchsias and had a huge collection so people would come to get baskets made up with special varieties

Yes - I suppose it's a very seasonal thing. Coffee and cake is a no - I really don't want to run a cafe, I see that as a completely different type of venture and too much like hard work! However I've worked as a freelance journalist in the past and would love to revive that and specialise in writing about plants and gardening alongside the nursery stuff, but that seems like a tough line of work to get into unless you're already an expert gardener/TV celebrity, so is another dream which feels a bit out of reach at the moment...

Thanks all for your comments..food for thought definitely.

Specialising - yes, I would def consider this - just have to decide what to specialise in! Would need to figure out the best plants for my conditions and circumstances. I have a huge fondness for dahlias, would love to grow and propagate more of these.

And yes it would definitely be a pocket money venture, at least to begin with. A way to test out if I enjoy and have the ability to grow and sell plants and any money made from it would be a bonus I suppose.

I'm in two minds about it tbh...half of me is a realist and says it's just a daydream and I should stick to my steady, secure job and simply enjoy gardening as a hobby. And the other half believes that it just might be possible, that I should get cracking on making my dream job a reality and that you have to start somewhere. I just don't know which half of me to listen to!

Sound to me like too much of an important part of you to forgo.
You could do on line sales. I've recently been looking at clematis specialists on line, and a couple of then say " visits by appointment only " so they must do the bulk of their trade online.

A USP is always good , a friend of mine wanted an organic British grown wedding bouquet, and basically had to make it herself., so (3 years ago at least ) there's a gap in the market. You'd have to do a floristry course.
And I think Sarah raven 's big selling point is that she makes things so visually appealing,
And you could consider getting a job at an independent nursery, and pick up some tips.
Follow your heart op, and best of luck with it.

I would suggest going to work part-time for a nursery to get a feel for the trade. It's hard physical work, often repetitive and boring (try potting and caning 600 leylandii, or spending the whole day potting fuchsia cuttings as fast as you can). The public are your customers, sometimes lovely sometimes awful, and they take away all your best plants. But ... I changed to horticulture from nursing and never regretted it, though I work for a medium sized independent, so I had no personal financial risk.

ohyes I wonder if you have a link to the clematis specialists? I'm always interested to see others doing this and I'm not exactly sure how the online thing would work, where to advertise, packaging, payment etc. I need to do some research I think. And I do think I would need to pick something to specialise in - this appeals to me anyway as I'd like to find an area of expertise.

trethew I'm also considering whether I should volunteer or find a placement in a local garden somewhere for general horticultural experience. I don't know if the WRAGs scheme is any good but I'm interested to know more. I work PT so potentially have 2 days a week to do Something Horticultural (although shopping, admin, housework often gets in the way... )

Thanks ladies for some more encouragement- it's good to chat about it here as I daren't share my thoughts to RL friends/ family yet in case they think I'm bonkers!

I don't know where you live, but my local college specialises in horticulture - they are an RHS centre for Alpines, have a commercial nursery, and do a lot in training people for commercial horticulture. They do part time courses, and may be a good source of info about directions, or be able to give you some work experience. PM me if you want details

Would you consider floristry on the side? Bespoke bunches, handmade wreaths etc? As a way to get people in all year. If you're good at growing you could offer unusual seasonal arrangements, tap into the market for people who want local and seasonal produce.

I work PT so potentially have 2 days a week to do Something Horticultural

I'd recommend volunteering for a start at a local community garden that also sells plants. Or as you have said, get a part time job at a local nursery [not garden centre, stick to a proper nursery if you can].

I've been a head gardener at place that also has a nursery. It is mayhem from April to June; literally on your feet all day. The rest of the year is planning for a year round offer, and for that June rush.

I am now looking to spend my spare day off at another community garden - I am only interested in propagation so will be using my plants/seeds/greenhouse/garden to propagate and then take the plants to them for potting on and selling.

It is hard work. I hate to say it though but places with a cafe tend to be busier than places without. I have lots of friends who are in the business, and have huge greenhouses etc, and they have either added them onto their actual farms, or gone out and got a loan to rent the premises and then it can take a fair while to build up enough stock to sell anything big enough to be of interest. I also know of some though that started off in their backyard and specialised in certain things, and then managed to find a cheap place to rent where they could sell and propagate [eg walled gardens doing not alot where they have rented old empty greenhouses and use them as a base for the business].

I know someone ( not closely) who runs quite a specialist herb nursery by internet from his back garden, he also supplemented his income by running courses, cookery, tastings, gift making..and he runs ones for schools to, long term ones on Making and growing a school food garden and shorter 1/2 day project's ..he's very inventive!
I haven't seen him for a while and do wonder how he's doing on the school front with the lack of money these days though.

Your comments are all so useful for a bit of perspective and insight...

flash I don't think floristry is for me - I feel like you'd have to have an 'eye' for that sort of thing, be quite skilled in art/design...it's the same reason why although I'd love to be a garden designer I think I'd fall down on the actual drawing and arranging bit. My own garden is a bit of a trial and error experiment at the moment in terms of what goes where! But I hope to improve at all that - it's why I'm doing the Level 2 study.

I don't have the time/skills to run a sideline at the moment - floristry or a cafe or courses - so it sounds like, for me, a backyard nursery would be run for pleasure and a small profit would be a bonus.

And I'm thinking, as some of you have suggested, I need more contacts and experience in other gardens, colleges or nurseries. CMOTDibbler I will check out our local college - it's not as well equipped as yours sounds but might be a good starting point. And we have a local botanic garden, I could try and have a chat with some people there.

Another question - for those of you who work in gardening - do you still garden at home? And do you still enjoy it? I do worry that if I 'monetise' my favourite thing it'll lose its appeal...

I have thought about growing plants to resell at home before. I worked out that for me it isn't worth it as I am limited on space. It all depends on how much money you want to make. I am based in London and it just wouldn't have made me enough money for the work I would have to put into it.

Look into how long something takes to grow. What it sells for and how many you can grow in your space. If I was outside London or owned my own house with minimal payments I would do this.

Instead I do gardens around my local area. I have my regular customers who I attend to and do one off jobs too. This keeps me busy and my garden is defiantly not getting as much attention as it should because my customers take priority. I wouldn't have it any other way. I spend the days working in lovely gardens doing what I enjoy :)

Ah justwhatineeded that sounds fab. Working in lovely gardens all day would be bliss. I often walk round the neighbourhood nosying taking an interest in other people's gardens and there are a few I'd love to get my hands on! I have to resist the urge to jump over the wall and nip out weeds sometimes

Our gardeners might not agree with you today as they've been out there in torrential rain this morning trying to get the last vestiges of our ground elder out (it's been a long arduous task that finally seems to be getting somewhere)
Although they do say they love coming here when it's a nice day (we've got a mammoth garden that is beautiful but a bit of a project hence the gardeners as I can't manage it on my own)
We really really struggled to get a good gardener that listened, was knowledgeable and had availability. There are loads of guys out there that mow the lawn and 'weed' rip everything out until told to stop but not many that really listened and could give advice.

See I don't think I'd mind the weather too much (although I say that inside my very dry and warm office) and I really enjoy a bit of weeding, it's quite therapeutic! But I also love planting and growing - I'm so enjoying learning more via the RHS course although it's tough to find time to study now it's school holidays.

I love the idea of working in someone else's beautiful garden like yours wonkylegs! I love mine and it's a work in progress but at some point there will be only so much I can do, and there are certain styles or types of plants that won't suit, but if you work in other people's gardens you would get to try all kinds of things!

I've just emailed the WFGA people about their part-time training scheme. Although I dream of career-changing, I'm extremely fortunate to have a well paid and flexible PT job that I don't hate, and the thought of jumping out of that into the unknown scares me a bit. I guess that's why I want to grow/sell on the side or study at home etc.

If you're keen to weed other people's gardens , why not hire yourself out as a gardener and still grow the stock at home - but sell it to your clients. I worked like that for years and it was great to get clients buying my plants rather than garden centre ones.

You'll still have a really busy period between April and August, but if your propagation is done over the winter and you install a good watering system, you can manage it time wise.

Working in other people's gardens gives you brilliant access to cuttings and divisions as well!

I meant to add...There is no end of booked in vans with power tools ready to slash and hack, but there is a shortage of people with actual plant knowledge who can look after your garden properly.

One of the real perks of having a gardener for us is that she can get hold of plants at a reduced price, from the wholesaler or people who have a sideline. Je's suggestion is a really good one for you if you're starting off.

Je what you're suggesting sounds good, and I agree with both you and Well - I'm horrified when I hear of friends getting gardeners in who just chop everything at will. I like the idea of being a sort of planting/growing consultant and gardener - somewhere between the 'slash and hack' type of gardener and a fully-fledged designer.

I heard back from the WFGA people about their work and retrain scheme but it looks like the options are very limited in Scotland, where I am. I will either have to go it alone or approach gardens, nurseries etc myself if I want hands-on experience elsewhere.

Ha ha yellow our lovely gardener started with us last October and spent 3 hours a week for 6 months cutting back, tidying up and weeding, just to allow us to actually start working together and designing, buying and planting. I have no idea what I'm doing so I need a gardener to guide me and basically rein me in sometimes. Both very important qualities! I am always seeking out plants that are a bit cheaper e.g. from the market. So you having a sideline would be fantastic for me.

Oh that's encouraging GardenGeek! Thanks for coming back to post!

I think you're right, there may be a market for specialising in certain areas, stuff you just can't get in the supermarkets or big chain garden centres. Although I do sometimes buy from these, the small independent places are where I much prefer to go, or to plant sales and garden fairs, as you can find different things you wouldn't get elsewhere - and they're often healthier plants too. What are you choosing to grow/propagate?

And also a question about the design side - can someone successfully study this or become a designer even if they're poor at the drawing side of things?? That might sound a bit daft.. thing is I'd love to do it but have sort of discounted it as a way into a horticulture career because I don't think I'd be great at the measuring/drawing bit?! Or would all that develop through studying and practicing? Although I can also see your side of things - I'd rather be out in a garden planting than behind a desk drawing, but it seems you've been able to use your qualification to gain experience and as a way into the industry?

I'm so impatient to get started on this path! I'm looking for the quickest way to get where I want to be! Maybe that's retraining - or maybe I just need to get started now on growing and selling, start small and build up from there. I'm turning 40 later this year and it feels like sort of a pivotal moment... like your growers say GardenGeek I don't want to look back and wish I had done this ages ago...