I'd like to sell Irises and Lilies. ? for gardeners.?
Question:Trying to come up with some money making ideas. I live on a busy highway and have 80 acres of land in south Alabama. I'd like to plant a few thousand irises and lilies near the highway where they can be seen. I'd have signs and when someone stops, I can go out a dig up what they want. What do you think about this idea? No pots, please. Also, if I plant in late fall, will I be ready to sell next spring or will it be a few years. I want bulb plants that I can divide and multiply for years to come.
Answers:
Most people that want to buy Irises and Lilies for their gardens want to buy them in the fall. They want the spring blooms in their yard! Also, Irises will only bloom for a very short time. So if you are only planning on selling them when they are in bloom, you will have a very short selling period each year. Also, not everyone is going to want to wait while you dig up the plants (you can only wait on one customer at a time, if you are digging). What will you do if you have a lot of rain during the blooming period? Nurseries sell bulbs and rhizomes out of bins (with colorful pictures) for a reason!!
With Irises, in a couple of years you could have PLENTY of plants to sell. I can't give mine away fast enough and they need to be thinned about every 3 years to keep blooming well. Lilies grow much slower. It would take several years before you were able to get one or two new plants out of each original plant.
You might want to visit an iris or lily grower just to see what they do and how they run their operation.
Good Luck!
The only problem I am seeing is your local ordinances may prevent you from running a "roadside" business. Definitely check into that to see if you can do it or if you need to apply for a special permit.
Aside from that, this sounds like a terrific idea! My yard is covered in liles and my friends and family members often come over in the fall to dig up bulbs for their yards.
I don't know how it would work with the plants in full bloom, but with as hardy as lilies (and most bulb/rhizome plants) seem to be, I suspect it wouldn't hurt one bit.
Good luck!
Oh, my appologies. I forgot a part of your question. LOL
Yes, most of your plants will be ready to go next spring if you plant this fall, but you may actually want to give them until the next spring so that they can get well established.
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