To grow or not to grow
Each season we inevitably hear from customers asking why we don’t grow a specific variety (or varieties) of plant, and there is usually no one answer to this question. A lot of thought goes into which varieties we decide to carry; we factor in customer demand, the success or struggles we have had growing varieties in the past, and our sell-through rate on any given variety.
As the perennial grower at a nursery that also grows trees and shrubs, I am well aware of the flexibility afforded by growing plants that are generally saleable in eight to ten weeks. We can move perennial varieties into or out of production relatively quickly and easily. The problem is that we have limited space and resources. With thousands of varieties of perennials on the market, and new and improved varieties being developed and introduced each year, it can be very tough to decide which ones make the cut. (I mean, we could spend hours just talking about our favorite Heuchera.)
The number one factor influencing our production decisions is customer demand. As monotonous as it may be to look at row upon row of Karl Foerster feather reed grass, it is by and large our top-selling perennial year after year. And when we are looking at future production numbers, we not only look at how many of each variety we sold last year and the year before, but we also need to consider how many we could have sold. Did we have Stella de Oro daylilies available consistently throughout the season, or were we sold out until June? How many could we have sold if we had them available at the times customers wanted them? Which other varieties should we cut in order to make room for all the Stella daylilies and Karl Foersters that customers need?
Since we can’t rely only on past production numbers to plan for the future, good communication between sales and production staff is absolutely crucial. Without the constant feedback from our amazing inside and outside sales staff, who are so attuned to what their customers are asking for, our production staff would only have half the picture.
At the same time, when our growers see a particular variety that shows superior genetics and consistency, we try to communicate that to our sales staff and customers as much as possible. For example, we have started to see Millenium Allium out-perform Summer Beauty consistently each season, but we are still selling thousands of Summer Beauty every year. So, we continue to grow both varieties, but promote Millenium every chance we get and adapt our numbers as industry demand changes.
