Hi, Gardengirl. I hope you will get answers from wiser people than I, but my first thought is that I'm not seeing how we can help you get enough cuts for all summer/fall. How about starting with how many you think you can sell and working backward from there?

Are you going to buy plugs? If it were me, I'd probably just buy a tray of 128 and see how those did.

ThinMan

Thinman,
I would like to buy some Delphinium plugs, but I wanted to ask some flower farmers who have more knowledge than I do how many plants I should start with....since I am new at this. Thanks for your input!

Perennial plants are an investment for the future. One doesn't reap the full benefits for a couple years. Are you selling them at Market or wholesale ?

I will mostly be selling to florists. I worked as a florist years ago....so I already have a ''in'' with a few of the local florists I knew when I worked. So far I have four different businesses that want to buy my flowers on a regular basis...so now I need to figure out how many plants I'm going to need to try and keep a good supply for them all summer!

Have you thought about buying seeds and starting your own plants? If you have a greenhouse you're all set. Plugs are great for hard to start plants but tend to cost a lot more and you'll still need a greenhouse to grow them on. Delphiniums are very easy to start & grow from seed, especially varities like Pacific Giants which the seeds are readily available for low costs.

How many plants to buy is a difficult question. If you have great soil, well grown plants and if the garden gods are with you, you can be productive with less plants. If not you'll have to purchase/grow a lot of plugs.

Too many factors involved for a specific number of plants.

If you have room, start your own plants, and plenty of garden space then go crazy.

A great source of info is the Cut Flowers Association web site.