Leekle,
My first thought is: This is something you can do. I believe that mostly because you are already thinking about the difficulties in doing it, and ways you can deal with those problems. Your note really shows that. Yes, you will face difficulties, but you've got an interesting perspective on them.
I sometimes work with veterans, and I like working with them. I'm willing to help them deal with whatever they come to the table with. I work in a academic setting, but I think there are a lot of private/commercial employers that also value the skills veterans have, even when faced with someone with challenges.
One of the things I love about veterans is they meet deadlines - no matter what. Play to that.You may not like working for an employer who expects you to show up every day. Maybe you're better suited to making a living working as a contractor, as I do. I work in a world where I have to meet deadlines, and I'm very careful not to take on projects when I might not be able to meet the deadlines. The people who hire me know, no matter what, I meet deadlines. I have to build into my days all kinds of things, like accounting work, my teaching, research, laziness, the flu, bad days, good days.
So maybe you have to build into your work timeline your good days and your bad days before you figure out what deadlines you can meet. But once you figure out your own pace, you can always sell your work as work that will come in on time, no matter what. Businesses respect that.
And that said, if there is a class you want to take, I think you should take it. You never know how something that interests you might just change your life. I understand that you need to be careful about "spending" those GI benefits. But if you want to know something, I hope you don't hold yourself back.
If you love horticulture, study it. You can find ways to do it, whether it's as a grower or as a designer.
The thing you will regret the most is the thing you didn't try to do. Just like as gardeners, the thing we often regret the most is the plant we didn't try. I still wish I had planted a macadamia tree six years ago - I'd be eating macadamia nuts now!
I say, go for it. And I'd love to chat with you more about this and hear how you're doing. I'm at susannahnesmith (at) yahoo.com. Let me know how it's going.
Susannah

I'll be the first to say I don't have any evidence to back up my thoughts on the matter, so feel free to disregard =)

Whether visiting nurseries or following the exploits of landscape designers, it seems even the bosses are generally very hands-on. Sometimes that means participating 100% in the labor, or always being on-site for big projects...neither of which sounds awfully convenient.

Here in Florida, our weather permits near year-round landscaping, be it designing, supplying, or planning. That means mild outdoors exertion in the winter, and ridiculously punishing activity come the summer (totally ignoring the torture of a pinched nerve).

While I like the idea of supplying natives and non-invasives, everyone in the supply chain ultimately answers to the ignorant. A lot of Fl natives lack beauty or curb appeal to the untrained eye. Landscapers know their value, but will their clients? There's a reason we're consistently assaulted by the likes of Arboricola, Crotons, Liriope and nearly nude Cordylines (not that there's anything particularly wrong with these plants).

Sincere apologies, I'm something of a pessimist. I'd love nothing more than to get involved in some form of horticulture, but I always get sunk when picturing a clientele who knows what's what. Between our environment and my perception of a very labor intensive field, I can't personally envision a lot of opportunity for you.

There could be a niche perfectly suited for you though, like a personal gardening consultant.

Be sure to repost this thread in the The Professional Gardener subforum. Folk over there are bound to know what kind of sacrifices you'd need to make, if any.

Good luck!

Mike

Edit: Wow, I feel like a total jerk after Susannah's awesome post. Remind me not to quit my day job!

This post was edited by Foreverlad on Fri, Apr 26, 13 at 23:15

Hi
.
Can relate to back problems as I had a herniated disc
that required 3 surgeries resulting in being off work for over two years I did recover but still can't get to the ground and up without assistance . It did eliminate most of the pain
but still can't stand, sit or walk fpr long periods Fortuneately I had a job that allowed me to work around it. Though I did have to retire early.
3 years ago was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, so makes planning for the future VERY tough lol I love to grow things both plant and animal but have always been a hobby though an occasional dip into marketing lol
I did notet that Costa Color NEVER worried about the competition lol
About all you can do is explore the possibilities?? Good luck with whatever you decide !!! gary

If you still have GI-bill education eligibility, then use it!!! You will regret it later if you don't. I know I do.

Landscape design is not a hobby, it's a profession. So, if you're serious about learning then go to school and take the ENTIRE program. Your back problems won't prevent you from designing. They will hinder your ability to lead a crew, though.

No ForeverLad, don't apologize. That's what I want. I want opinions from both sides, both the Yay-sayers and the Nay-sayers. Susannah brought up some good points, but so did you. These are things I need to take into consideration before I move forward. Which is why I posted this in the first place, to make sure I take every aspect into consideration. These points have given me things to think about as I weigh my options.

It's true not many people use natives because they don't know about them or they lack that pizzazz of exotic plants, but, and maybe I'm biased, it seems that more and more people are slowly becoming aware of the native options for plantings as water restrictions get tighter and tighter. At the same time, with the way things are getting more and more expensive in this economy, it seems a lot of people (ones I've talked to) are starting to look for other options to having to constantly maintain their lawns. Currently, in my immediate area, there would be little to no competition for natives. The closest to me is Green Isle down in Groveland which is a 45-60 minute drive. heading northward, I think the closest is in Gainesville. That's a lot of open market to 'exploit'. There are other nurseries in the area that can 'get' plants, but they don't keep them in-stock, probably due to the above mentioned "few people are looking for them". So I guess starting a nursery for natives would be sort of a gamble. Either I'm right and 6-10 years from now people will be wanting natives for the bulk of their gardens or I'm wrong and my clientele would be minimal at best.

I think being a wholesaler would work for you best. You can work when you are able. Get timers and overhead sprinklers so you don't have to hand water. You can set the timer to water when you want it to. I had a wholesale nursery in Vero Beach. Get your customers to come to you. Most of them want to pick out their own plants anyway. I grew most of my stuff from free cuttings and seeds. I've found alot of stuff for cuttings curbside and from free adds in the paper. Good luck to you. I have alot of disabilities and I was in the Army National Guard.

I am disabled. I hate that label! I have mild vertigo, a terrible short term memory, back pain, sleep apnea, fibromyalgia and TMJ. Nothing is going to stop me now! I've gotten turned down several times for disability. I decided that I'm not that disabled as alot of people are. Trying to work under the table only. I hate giving any money to Uncle Sam after working since I was 14 and I had to quit working at 48. 55 now. I think that being a wholesaler would be easier for you. Have your customers come to you. Maybe even if you have to offer them 10% off for them to do so. Most landscapers want foliage plants only in 3 gallon pots. Ligustrum, viburnum, holly. Varigated plants were my best sellers. Variegated Scheffleras, Pittisporums, varigated vines. Annuals and perennials sell good too. You just need to find out what people are looking for in your area. Most people want to select their own plants. I used to have a wholesale nursery for 10 years in Vero Beach, Fl. My wholesalers brought me their worst plants. It's better to grow your own from cuttings or seeds. I've gotten several cuttings curbside or from friends. you can get free seeds once a month from The Garden Hoard. You will need to send a self addressed envelope with 2 stamps on it. It takes several weeks to get them back. You have to select 8 seed varieties and she will send you 6 varieties of seeds. I've done alot of great seed exchanges on the garden web seed exchange.Sometimes you can even get free seeds for postage or even nothing at all!! I've always wanted to have a produce stand in my front yard. That would probably be too much for you, but maybe later?!! Good luck and May God Bless You!!

Mike,
Don't feel bad at all. She's looking for unvarnished opinions, which is what anyone thinking of starting a small business/consultancy needs.
And Leekle, I think you're right that more and more people are moving to natives. Hate to invoke my screen name (chosen years ago) here, but people are also interested in growing food crops. I grow some each winter down here in Miami. And honestly, I'd pay extra to someone who would sell me heirloom tomato plants that are tried and true in Miami. I usually try to start mine from seed, which is easy and has yielded great results in the past. It has also been a complete failure (all seedlings died this year when I had to go away for a weekend while they were little.) So my tomato garden this year was what I could buy at HD. If you had been in my area and had plants ready to put in the ground in early October, plants that were better suited to my conditions than anything HD had to offer, I would have bought them. I would be happy to pay more than HD charges for tomato plants if I could get organically raised Arkansas Traveler, Margo, Sungold or Green Zebra. They grow well here. But that whole seedling phase is difficult for me to do well because I work more than full time and I sometimes have to travel.
I've wished there was a way for me to start a tiny business for folks who are physically disabled but have a sunny porch and are able to tend seedlings. The seeds are so cheap, the dirt doesn't cost much, the pots can be recycled things like cut-up soda or water bottles. And it doesn't require heavy lifting. It would require heavy lifting to upscale it, but, like any small business, you could start small.
Then there might be opportunities to raise native seedlings in the off-season.
I know there are folks here who would share cuttings and seeds with you. Heck, I'll send you tomato seeds from varieties that I tried but don't work well here. They might work better where you are.
Good luck.
Susannah

I am in south Florida, (Sarasota) and notice many people advertising on Craigs List. I have friends who drive to some of the people advertising bamboo, native plants and Palms which they can't buy at local nurseries. Prices are better and they are home grown. These are fairly big businesses but privately owned. Most are inland and take about an hour+ to drive but you get larger trees and shrubs. Some also bring plants to farmers markets and plant fairs.

I was at the Selby plant fair and there was a grower of bamboo who had some displayed (not for sale) and was handing out their cards to people. I know two people who drove out there and bought some large clumps of bamboo.

Might be a possibility rather than having to invest in green houses, etc. I know the people in this area are moving more and more to native plants and getting rid of their lawns.

I'm trying to do the same, but many of these neighborhoods have HOA's which frown upon it.

Good luck, please follow your heart...

Jane

Susannah,
I'm a he, not a she (Though admittedly I don't think I have ever given an indication on that subject). But thanks for the vote of confidence... I think. My name is even Mike as well, which made me think that your first comment was to me and then made me wonder how you knew my name...

Yikes! Not sure how I got to that foot-in-mouth point! I'm sorry man.

A few years ago I had a herniated disk in my lower back that I was able to deal with through therapy instead of surgery but it took me about a year before I was able to get back to what used to be my normal activities. Going to work and sitting at a computer for 8 hours a day was shear agony for a while! Now I have to be careful of what I lift and how much I lift but I learned to work around my issues in the garden.

From time to time to make some extra money I sell plants from my garden. In between sales I build up a stock of whatever multiplys fastest in mine and my parents gardens in the back yard under my large oak. Since I have both native and non-native plants in my garden I tend to sell a mix of plants. If I can make a profit from selling plants like this while still working full time then I don't see why you couldn't make a profit from selling plants even with your bad days. If I were you though I would sell a mix of both natives and non-natives in order to maximize your chances.

Kara

Mike (and Susannah), thanks for understanding the angle on my opinion.

I often wonder just how much the average joe (or jane) knows about Florida gardening and the need (and benefit) of natives. It's one thing to poll a forum dedicated to such matters, it's another thing entirely when you're having a chat with the owner of a half-acre monoculture tidily kept.

If there's an untapped market for natives in your area, then yeah, by all means, fill that hole. There's a pretty excellent native nursery about 30 minutes from me, Wilcox Nursery in Largo. They seem to be keeping busy and generally have an excellent selection.

I suppose if someone wasn't trying to maintain a "public" nursery, but maybe focused on the supply-side for in-the-know landscapers, you could definitely supplement your income on your own schedule.

If any of this gains traction, keep us informed! I'd love to hear what you end up doing.