Trip to a local retail nursery in 10 B here in beautiful S FL

[NOT A TA]

Was really disappointing. This place has the potential to be a thriving business. Perfect location, great climate, affluent potential clientele, and yet there was no interesting plant material there for sale. Drive by appeal is very low which is why I've never stopped there the past 15 years even though I drive past regularly. The parking isn't good, overall (retail) layout poor, hardscape amenities like a waterfall and what not are underutilized (for sales appeal or "draw") or don't have water at all.  Almost all the plant material they have for sale are the really, really common plants here and I have better examples of most in my lil backyard nursery. There's more palm variety at the local Depot. Heck, I didn't even take any palmy pics other than the ones in the background of these bird pics. The birds were the highlight of my visit, nothing else impressed me and that makes me sad.

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

Sad indeed.  Same problem exists with nurseries in the Rio Grande Valley, where there are so many different varieties of palms and other tropical trees and plants can be grown, yet the variety available for sale is not much more than what we have here in Corpus Christi, 120 miles north of there!!!  Take Coconut Palms for instance.  We actually have a Nursery here in Corpus Christi that occasionally Carrie's them even though they are marginal here.  Yet in the Rio Grande Valley they grow to maturity with viable nuts on them, yet the local nurseries and Big Box Stores rarely have them available, leaving local residents who want them, having to bring them back from vacations to Florida, ordering sprouted nuts off Ebay, or collecting nuts off the beach to try to sprout!!!  There is So Much unmet potential in the Rio Grande Valley.  It is VERY SAD.  IF I lived there, I would love to fulfill that niche by having an All Organic tropical plant nursery!

[kinzyjr]

Here in Florida, it usually better to go to the sales like Searle Bros., GreenThumb, etc.

[NOT A TA]

I'm going to go back and ask questions. I've been thinking about it since I left there in disbelief. Something just isn't right. The place has been there a long time.  I worked in a few nurseries and garden centers in my youth and managed a nursery for a couple years out of college then just did design & contract work for huge commercial landscaping contractors. I started successful retail stores and ran them for over 30 years.

There's no tags on any plants with even common name never mind Latin name. Nothing to indicate growth characteristics or placement requirements.

No signs with prices or price tags on individual plants. I saw a few small 4" potted plants with price written with marker on the sides of the pots.

A half dozen people puttering around working but not very many customers. I saw maybe $50.00 sales while I was there 1/2 hour. I doubt they're averaging $1,000.00 a day on walk in sales and I know they do design and planting work that is probably paying the bills but with the location and what not this place should be hopping!

I slowly walked the entire property taking mental inventory and think the property is severely underutilized.

They had 2-3 common crotons.

They had two very common Agave.

Less than ten types of palms.

I'll take plant material pics next time.

Sumting wong.

 

[NOT A TA]

6 minutes ago, kinzyjr said:

Here in Florida, it usually better to go to the sales like Searle Bros., GreenThumb, etc.

For "collectors" ya,  that's the way to go but the average homeowner that just wants their yard to look nice and isn't a plant person is the biggest and easiest customer base to sell to. This place should be knocking it down here.

[GottmitAlex]

1 minute ago, NOT A TA said:

For "collectors" ya,  that's the way to go but the average homeowner that just wants their yard to look nice and isn't a plant person is the biggest and easiest customer base to sell to. This place should be knocking it down here.

What species were you expecting they carry?

[NOT A TA]

7 minutes ago, GottmitAlex said:

What species were you expecting they carry?

I wasn't expecting anything in particular but this particular area allows a lot of possibilities and I saw only the most common examples of plants. Heck I don't think I even saw a Bizzy for sale.

[Silas_Sancona]

1 minute ago, kinzyjr said:

Here in Florida, it usually better to go to the sales like Searle Bros., GreenThumb, etc.

^^Agree 100%. The sales are a great way to gauge what people are looking for as well.. especially when most people you deal with almost daily are looking for "something different" compared to whats offered in many nurseries. I was surprised just how many people would attend most of the sales i attended while there...  Redlands Orchid Festival, and Green Thumb especially. To see such interest easily shatters the myth promoted by some that there's no demand.. Not that i have ever bought that line when recited..




 

 

[waykoolplantz]

Looks like the business is an excuse to keep a AG exemption .

Don't buy plant material or hire lots of staff...keep property taxes low till you get the right offer for the property.

hope they can find a place with no neighbors to keep noisy smelly birds...might they be operating a bird rehome/sanctuary ?

[Xenon]

On the topic of macaws, does anyone here see wild/feral blue and gold macaws in their garden? Apparently there is a decent population of them in the Miami Area.  
 

 

[wimmie]

Very good cause! From Holland, I wish you success!

[bubba]

Watch out for the bird flu! That stated, what you said is true.

Searles is the only Bona Fide unless you want to drive to the Redlands for Ken Johnson. There are a number of smaller Bona Fides in Loxahatchee like Carribean.

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

22 hours ago, NOT A TA said:

I'm going to go back and ask questions. I've been thinking about it since I left there in disbelief. Something just isn't right. The place has been there a long time.  I worked in a few nurseries and garden centers in my youth and managed a nursery for a couple years out of college then just did design & contract work for huge commercial landscaping contractors. I started successful retail stores and ran them for over 30 years.

There's no tags on any plants with even common name never mind Latin name. Nothing to indicate growth characteristics or placement requirements.

No signs with prices or price tags on individual plants. I saw a few small 4" potted plants with price written with marker on the sides of the pots.

A half dozen people puttering around working but not very many customers. I saw maybe $50.00 sales while I was there 1/2 hour. I doubt they're averaging $1,000.00 a day on walk in sales and I know they do design and planting work that is probably paying the bills but with the location and what not this place should be hopping!

I slowly walked the entire property taking mental inventory and think the property is severely underutilized.

They had 2-3 common crotons.

They had two very common Agave.

Less than ten types of palms.

I'll take plant material pics next time.

Sumting wong.

 

Sad,  VERY SAD!!!

[NOT A TA]

I stopped at the nursery on my way by today and was pleasantly surprised. They must have received a couple tractor trailers or more of plant materials. The place was loaded up. Didn't see a lot of palms though and while I was there a lady walked up to the counter and asked "Why don't you have any Areca palms?" referring to Dypsis lutescens which are as common as crab grass here.

[mnorell]

Dropping in on an unknown nursery can be very hit-and-miss anywhere. And yes, you can often do better just going to one of the big-box stores, who often buy from big local/regional wholesale growers. You can't despair because the things you love aren't at your front door. In the Florida Keys, where you'd think there would be breadfruit trees and lipstick palms, rainbow shower trees etc. for sale on every corner, the sad truth is that there is not one really great nursery to be found, and all of us have to drive to Homestead or beyond to get such goodies.

I'm not very familiar with the major nurseries in the Delray/Boca Raton/Lauderdale area but usually if you want palms in that area you would seek out Jeff Searle, who I know would be happy to show you and sell you some of his jaw-dropping and beautifully grown inventory of palms! Otherwise I know that Jesse Durko's has a lot of interesting material (even if it's been very disorganized when I've been there in the past); and otherwise you will want to seek out through advertising or word-of-mouth some of the many other specialists in palms and exotics. And many, many nurseries along Krome Avenue (and surrounding streets) in Homestead and the Redlands area. You could probably spend a month going nursery to nursery in that area if you properly canvassed it...and you would find amazing and unusual things growing tucked away amidst a lot of the more typical material. Most retail nurseries are going to be packed with Ixora, Hibiscus, a few common croton cultivars and all the other bread-and-butter standards.

But even in splendiferous South Florida we have to seek out specialists such as Marie Nock or Freund Flowering Trees, Pine Island (for fruit trees), Don and Katie Chafin (Going Bananas), Richard Lyons Nursery (lots of unusual flowering material), et al. And remember that eBay is full of vendors (including many backyard growers) around South Florida who have some really unusual material, and you can often order and pick up directly and meet those people, or just have it shipped to your door. Go to the plant sales at Fairchild or the other botanical gardens in SoFla and you will meet so many wonderful people who grow and sell plants and share the same joys that we palmaholics do. I think you will be happily surprised!

[MAPU 1]

You could come and see my place! I have many unusual Palms and Cycads.' I'm off Lantana Road west of Jog. Call first. 561-965-6792.

Dale Holton

[NOT A TA]

36 minutes ago, MAPU 1 said:

I'm off Lantana Road west of Jog

Pretty sure I know right where you are and been intending to pay a visit. Dennis work there part time?

[NOT A TA]

20 hours ago, mnorell said:

Dropping in on an unknown nursery can be very hit-and-miss anywhere.

And that's why I do it. I'm interested from a business point of view. Somehow I must have given the impression in my posts that I'm a potential buyer which I am not.

I've been a drop in visitor at nurseries all around the country just to see how they operate. When I ran a nursery sometimes I'd see a plant or product I'd then start carrying but that was decades ago. Sometimes I'd see something they did well and take note.  The problem with a lot of niche businesses of different types is that they're started by hobbyists not business people so it's easy to make costly mistakes. I know I made my share.

[MAPU 1]

No Denis, just me.