Plant-purchase strategies

Want to make the most of buying plants? Marc Worner sows the seeds of cost-effective selection and handling.

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There's a saying: 'When you want a good job done, ask a busy person'. Any landscaper worth their salt is time poor. We are trying to: get quotes to convert into sales while overseeing projects, carrying out regular site inspections, coordinating deliveries and subcontractors, reacting to plant and equipment breakdowns, taking care of personnel issues, undertaking the administrative burden placed on small business by all levels of government and trying to ensure we allocate sufficient family time to have some sort of quality of life.

Consequently, we tend to become fixated on our hardscape construction and may tend to think of the softscape as a distraction.

Not true!

Important choice

The plants you choose can make or break a job from different perspectives. If we choose poor quality plants and they die, it costs our business in replacement costs, time and money. Also, we might incur the wrath of the customer if our choice of plants doesn't achieve their desired outcomes.

Plants are a significant cost in any project.

We need to choose wisely. Suppliers are reluctant to take back stock after delivery unless the stock is damaged prior to delivery or it has obvious pests and diseases.

Plants are living things and need to be handled correctly, given nourishment and nurtured from the time of delivery when we take ownership. Any failure in this regard creates a disgruntled client and impacts on our bottom-line profit.

So, what strategies can we employ to reduce our risks and ensure our landscape project delivers the best outcomes for all stakeholders when buying plants?

Quoting