I sell a few plants outside the house. A neighbour has asked me to plant up
15 x 16 inch hanging baskets. She's providing the baskets, I'm paying for
the compost etc and the plants . Will have to buy in all the plants.

Any thoughts on what to charge per basket?

Trevor
East Yorkshire (Not Hampshire prices)

On Sun, 25 Apr 2004 20:46:32 +0100, "Trevor Appleton"
wrote:

I sell a few plants outside the house. A neighbour has asked me to plant up
15 x 16 inch hanging baskets. She's providing the baskets, I'm paying for
the compost etc and the plants . Will have to buy in all the plants.

Depends on how many you have to do. That size basket will probably
take at least twelve plants each (I am looking at the hanging baskets
I planted up this year and now think I have woefully underplanted).
I'd say nine for the sides and another six for the top, so ideally,
fifteen.

From the GCs, you get those plant pots of babies for baskets - unless
you were forsighted enough to get some plugs to grow on, you'll be
paying about 70p a plant (and hurry, they're nearly finished). So,
that's over a tenner per basket if you do 15 plants. Compost is
almost nothing if you have already bought it in big bags. I think
it's important to mix in some water retaining granules to the compost,
probably that's about 50p per 'shot' with about two or three shots per
basket. So, already, £12.00 or thereabouts in plants and necessities.

Then there's labour. I'd say £15 per basket is not a bad idea.

And now I have costed it out, I _will_ be getting plug plants next
year.

Glenys

--
"A Newsweek poll said if the election were held today, John Kerry
would beat Bush 49 percent to 46 percent. And today, President Bush
called Newsweek magazine a threat to world peace." Jay Leno

On Sun, 25 Apr 2004 20:58:54 +0100, MissJuggs
wrote:

Then there's labour. I'd say £15 per basket is not a bad idea.

And that's without including the cost of liners.

Oops.

Glenys

--
"A Newsweek poll said if the election were held today, John Kerry
would beat Bush 49 percent to 46 percent. And today, President Bush
called Newsweek magazine a threat to world peace." Jay Leno

"Trevor Appleton" wrote in message ...
I sell a few plants outside the house. A neighbour has asked me to plant
up
15 x 16 inch hanging baskets. She's providing the baskets, I'm paying for
the compost etc and the plants . Will have to buy in all the plants.

Any thoughts on what to charge per basket?


Our local proper Nursery does a Hanging Basket Refill Service every year, it
costs about £13.50 per basket. You have to have bought the filled baskets
from them originally but then they are only about £2.50 dearer. The quality
of plants is always superb, couldn't be better.
That and the greenhouse filed with veg plants is why I don't bother to do it
all myself.

--
Regards
Bob

Use a useful Screen Saver...
http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/
and find intelligent life amongst the stars

Trevor Appleton25/4/04 8:46
ws-service-com

I sell a few plants outside the house. A neighbour has asked me to plant up
15 x 16 inch hanging baskets. She's providing the baskets, I'm paying for
the compost etc and the plants . Will have to buy in all the plants.

Any thoughts on what to charge per basket?

Trevor
East Yorkshire (Not Hampshire prices)


I'll boast now: ours are fabulous. Each has around 16 plants in it and we
charge £19 per basket if the owner supplies the basket. That means we supply
the plants, the moss or rockwool, the compost and the labour. We keep them
in the greenhouse for X number of weeks until frost danger is past and we
water them daily when required with dilute fertiliser in the watering.
And we get our plants, compost etc. etc. from the trade. To be honest, it
depends on the overall effect she requires but stuffed with many different
goodies and blooming for a long time - well - don't undersell yourself! One
of our customers relies on our baskets to win a local prize every year.
But it's possible to do a good job with three or four Surfinias or Bacopas,
too. I think you need to work out how much moss/rockwool, compost, your
time and *then* add in the plants she's asked for to get the effect she
wants.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

"Trevor Appleton" wrote in message
-service-com...
I sell a few plants outside the house. A neighbour has asked me to plant
up
15 x 16 inch hanging baskets. She's providing the baskets, I'm paying for
the compost etc and the plants . Will have to buy in all the plants.

Any thoughts on what to charge per basket?

Trevor
East Yorkshire (Not Hampshire prices)


I have seen them in the garden centre for £25 or so .....

Thanks for all the advice. Don't think its too late for plants round here
(noticing a risk of air frost later this week BTW).

We have wholesalers round here who sell to the public in the autumn (winter
pansies) and spring, so will try them.

regards

Trevor