Reading floral books is something that I’ve always enjoyed,
and boy do I have my favorites. Flowers For Sale by Lee Sturdivant is my prize
for anyone considering growing and marketing cut flowers.
I was given this book from a dear friend and in one of our moves, it got misplaced. I never forgot about this book because it helped me when I decided to grow flowers for a season on our small farm.
Then a couple of years ago, I wanted to revisit flower farming for later. I thought it was a good time to gather information and this was the first book that came to mind but again, I couldn’t find it.
All that stuck in my head were these precious illustrations and the book title. After playing with words in the search bar there it was, and I quickly made my purchase.
When my new copy arrived, I read it again and remembered why I loved this book so much. It was almost written in a story format making it less technical.
Lee also lives on an island, just a ferry boat ride from where I grew up and many of her stories reminded me of the good things and they were relatable. It was like I was reading from a friend I’ve never met.
A Wealth of Information
This book was written in 1992, the year my husband and I
were married. This was before the
internet had its boom fest and way before smartphones. This means so much of the marketing
information is based on face-to-face interaction.
Old school marketing is my absolute favorite because it
still applies and works best for long-term results. All other aspects of
marketing also work well but they don’t have the same ability to connect like in person
marketing.
The majority of her flower business was produced right from
her backyard with a specialty in creating handtied bouquets. With the importance of a business plan, she
was able to make a good second income by selling her bouquets to an island
grocery store. All of which is covered
in the book.
Then she also made the effort to interview additional flower farmers with successful businesses by sharing the avenues they traveled to succeed.
Flower farming has many aspects to it and how you choose to pursue a career in this field will depend on your level of interest.
Like I said, this book is a wealth of practical information.
From Florist to Farmer
I feel very fortunate in that I already have a background in
the floral industry. Which means my
understanding towards the good, the bad and the ugly is crystal clear.
The one thing I know for sure is that owning a flower shop is not a path I would ever entertain. Don’t get me wrong, I loved designing and I was good at it but all the nonsense that followed was uneventful.
But there is something inside of me that is drawn to flowers.
So, when we lived on our family farm I dove right in and grew flowers for market one season. It was the year 2011 when we had a horrible drought, and my dreams were shattered. I realized with the kids still at home the timing just wasn’t right.
So, will I revisit this idea of flower farming again? I’m still pondering things because we definitely have enough land to do whatever we choose.
For now, I’m going to enjoy diving back into Flowers For Sale, it’s an enjoyable read and I’m pretty sure it will help me decide if I want to go down this avenue again.
If you have the desire to grow flowers where you live for profit, then get this book. It will guide your path and show you what’s possible. It’s a wealth of information and a very enjoyable read.
-Carole
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