My wife's nursery group is having a fund-raising fete. I was thinking of
donating some of the plants I've raised from cuttings. I have a few
questions:

1. Has anyone sold plants like this before. What sells best and what sort of
prices are reasonable?

2. If the plants are from cuttings of plants I've bought from nurseries then
can I legally sell them? I know some plants are patented (?). It's probably
to stop commercial operations but is it applicable on this scale?

3. Are the rules different if I'm selling them for personal profit at a boot
sale?

Martin.

In article ,
Martin & Anna Sykes wrote:
My wife's nursery group is having a fund-raising fete. I was thinking of
donating some of the plants I've raised from cuttings. I have a few
questions:

1. Has anyone sold plants like this before. What sells best and what sort of
prices are reasonable?

It depends on the sort of people that go to it!

2. If the plants are from cuttings of plants I've bought from nurseries then
can I legally sell them? I know some plants are patented (?). It's probably
to stop commercial operations but is it applicable on this scale?

Plant patents aren't legal in the UK - I think that you mean Plant
Breeders' Rights. You can't legally sell those ones.

3. Are the rules different if I'm selling them for personal profit at a boot
sale?

No.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren,
University of Cambridge Computing Service,
New Museums Site, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QH, England.
Email:
Tel.: +44 1223 334761 Fax: +44 1223 334679

Personally I wouldn't worry too much. I've sold plants at school fairs for the
last two years and raised a couple of hundred pounds each time. Things go from
50p to several pounds if the plant justifies the price, eg. a young sapling of
Betula pendula or a largish Fushia in good condition. If something is in
flower it does go for more.

Plants are generally free from breeders rights unless they are very new. Most
plants can be propagated and sold with impunity. My mother donated hundreds of
African Violets for sale when I was at school. None had any
rights/restrictions placed on their propagation or sale. I think breeders
rights are a relatively new thing. I actually have a bit of a problem with
them, though I can understand some breeders wanting to ensure they get a fair
return for any investment they have put in to breeding a new variety of plant.

In general, I wouldn't worry. Hope you have great success.

Dave.

I 've purchased plants from such events, and found that an easy to grow
perennials, such as geraniums, which can invade a garden, and hostas,
usually sell for 50p to 70p, I noticed that small rockery plants were 3 for
£1.00. Anything a little unusual is a good sell, as most people are looking
for something different. I noticed that shrubs sold for £1.00 to £1.50
depending on size.

I 've purchased plants from such events, and found that an easy to grow
perennials, such as geraniums, which can invade a garden, and hostas,
usually sell for 50p to 70p, I noticed that small rockery plants were 3 for
£1.00. Anything a little unusual is a good sell, as most people are looking
for something different. I noticed that shrubs sold for £1.00 to £1.50
depending on size.

Also noticed pots containing a few herbs, eg different coloured sages,
chives, variegated mint etc, seemed to be a hit.

At this time of year, bulbs would be a good idea. Trailing Ivy etc. and
heathers.

If you have a Morrisons near you, have a look at their prices.

Hope this gives you some idea

On Fri, 8 Nov 2002 16:42:18 -0000, "Martin & Anna Sykes"
wrote:

My wife's nursery group is having a fund-raising fete. I was thinking of
donating some of the plants I've raised from cuttings. I have a few
questions:

1. Has anyone sold plants like this before. What sells best and what sort of
prices are reasonable?

Plants in flower sell considerably better than those out of
flower.

But if you have a *color* picture of each plant posted by the
pots, that can go a long way toward selling those out of flower.

You can find pictures of many garden plants on the internet; just
print them off and use those.


As for pricing, I would be inclined to set the prices rather high
as it is for fund-raising. In these parts, a time-honored
fund-raising gimmick is the bake sale, but I notice that many of
the donations are being sold for less than the probable price of
ingredients. Chocolate, sugar, eggs, and candied fruit are not
free, you know. I'm sure that in some cases, the donor would have
done better giving an equivalent cash donation and saving herself
a lot of sweat and bother.

And thus for your plant sale. Pots, soil, fertilizer, and water
are not always free commodities. Be sure that you are not letting
your stock go for a song.

However, there is an important economic principle involved: value
is strictly in the eyes of the prospective buyers. It doesn't
matter how much it cost the producer: if no one wants a product,
it is worthless.

Perhaps you can set prices a little on the high side to start,
then cut them by 50% when the day is half gone. You don't want to
have a lot of unsold stock to deal with at the end of the day.

HTH

--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Xref: 127.0.0.1 uk.rec.gardening:161800

The message
from "Martin & Anna Sykes" contains these words:

My wife's nursery group is having a fund-raising fete. I was thinking of
donating some of the plants I've raised from cuttings. I have a few
questions:

1. Has anyone sold plants like this before. What sells best and what sort of
prices are reasonable?

There are usually two sorts of plants and two sorts of buyers; so if
you can, try to cater for both. The first group are plants that multiply
or are propagated so easily, people always have spares to get rid
of..things like alchemilla, hostas, montbretia, forsythia, flowering
currant, common herbs. Very popular with new gardeners who want lots of
easy reliable plants.Price them low; say 50 p, then everyone is happy;
new gardeners get a great start, and you're sure of getting rid of the
plants.

The other sort of buyer is the longterm, deeply hooked gardener on the
prowl for something they haven't got, or something a bit unusual. Often
donated by another keen gardener who has had a good germination of
unusual seeds, propagated a favourite, or is moving a larger plant to
make space. You can charge a bit more for them; I've paid up to £5 for a
choice seedling rhododendron but that's about my top limit at such
sales. What you want to avoid, is being left with a lot of stuff at the
end.

Non-gardeners will happily buy a tempting pretty potfull they can put by
the front door or on the kitchen windowsill, such as a single pot of
mixed herbs...say mint, chives, and sage; or pots of budding bulbs, or
polyanthus.

2. If the plants are from cuttings of plants I've bought from nurseries then
can I legally sell them?

Yes, unless the plant you bought carried a special label telling you
it's for licensed propagation only due to Plant Breeders Rights.(If you
look that up in the google archives for this group,Sacha will give the
best info; she's married to a nurseryman)

Janet

DaveDay34 wrote:

Personally I wouldn't worry too much. I've sold plants at school fairs
for the last two years and raised a couple of hundred pounds each time.
Things go from 50p to several pounds if the plant justifies the price, eg.
a young sapling of Betula pendula or a largish Fushia in good condition.
If something is in flower it does go for more.

Plants are generally free from breeders rights unless they are very new.
Most plants can be propagated and sold with impunity. My mother donated
hundreds of African Violets for sale when I was at school. None had any
rights/restrictions placed on their propagation or sale. I think breeders
rights are a relatively new thing. I actually have a bit of a problem
with them, though I can understand some breeders wanting to ensure they
get a fair return for any investment they have put in to breeding a new
variety of plant.

To divert from the topic a bit,,, why? Propagating plants to launch a
new plant onto the market is an expensive business. Or do you have issue
with people licensing 'borrowed' material as with companies like
Monsanto?

Just interested...
//
J

In general, I wouldn't worry. Hope you have great success.

Martin & Anna Sykes wrote:


My wife's nursery group is having a fund-raising fete. I was thinking of
donating some of the plants I've raised from cuttings. I have a few
questions:

1. Has anyone sold plants like this before. What sells best and what sort of
prices are reasonable?

Herbs, small perrenials (espescially at this time of year ie for
planting for next year), and vegetables in season.

Prices.. It depends on what you're selling.. and the clientele/area
etc.. Make sure that your plants are not cheaper in the local garden
centre!-) (Unlikely!)

2. If the plants are from cuttings of plants I've bought from nurseries then
can I legally sell them? I know some plants are patented (?). It's probably
to stop commercial operations but is it applicable on this scale?

Plant Breeders rights prevent propagation for commercial gain other than
those licensed. Eg if you are taking a few cuttings for your brother,
mum, etc then its OK otherwise it isn't.

http://www.defra.gov.uk/planth/pvs/pbrguide.htm

For charity you are probably OK though, but you might want to read the
guide in more depth..

Plant Brreders Rights UK Plant Varieties & Seeds DEFRA
http://www.defra.gov.uk/planth/pvs/pbrguide.htm Saturday, November 9, 2002

Rights may also extend to harvested material obtained from the
unauthorised use of propagating material, but only where the holder has
not had reasonable opportunity to exercise rights. Plant Breeders' Rights
do not extend to any act done for private and non-commercial purposes, for
experimental purposes or for the purpose of breeding another variety.

It also appears that DEFRA don't spellcheck their webpages-)

3. Are the rules different if I'm selling them for personal profit at a boot
sale?


//
Jim

To divert from the topic a bit,,, why? Propagating plants to launch a
new plant onto the market is an expensive business. Or do you have issue
with people licensing 'borrowed' material as with companies like
Monsanto?

Just interested...
//
J

People for many many years have protected their inventions and ideas. These
have included books, music, machines, etc. It seems to be a recent idea that
it should be possible to take plants that are by and large available to
everyone and come up with a hybrid, then prevent anyone else from producing
that hydrid without a license.

I understand that it's a very complex topic and I can't possibly start to
answer all the many facets of the arguements raised by breeders rights,
licensing, etc. However, I do find it strange that companies (in general) can
'patent' plants. In the long run I think it will be more detrimental than
beneficial to society and the planet as a whole. I'm definitely not sure that
GM crops are a good idea, for all sorts of reasons.

Not sure as this answers the question, or if I've understood the question
totally, but maybe I have and I do (?).

Dave.

DaveDay34 wrote:

To divert from the topic a bit,,, why? Propagating plants to launch a
new plant onto the market is an expensive business. Or do you have issue
with people licensing 'borrowed' material as with companies like
Monsanto?

Just interested...
//
J

People for many many years have protected their inventions and ideas. These
have included books, music, machines, etc. It seems to be a recent idea that
it should be possible to take plants that are by and large available to
everyone and come up with a hybrid, then prevent anyone else from producing
that hydrid without a license.

I understand that it's a very complex topic and I can't possibly start to
answer all the many facets of the arguements raised by breeders rights,
licensing, etc. However, I do find it strange that companies (in general) can
'patent' plants. In the long run I think it will be more detrimental than
beneficial to society and the planet as a whole. I'm definitely not sure that
GM crops are a good idea, for all sorts of reasons.

Not sure as this answers the question, or if I've understood the question
totally, but maybe I have and I do (?).

Yes, kind of, more or less...

I have issues with very big companies like Monsanto taking wild or local
species of say rice and then engineering it, licensing it and effectivly
merchandising it to the people of the areas where they got the wild
samples from to the extent that the native diversity is lost.

However I have nothing against a breeder registering a new cultivar, if
they've invested thousands or millions developing it.

I do however differentiate between GE modified and more tradiotionally
bred plants.. As you say, a very complex topic.


As a gardener though, I tend to go for non hybrids and species rather
than 'the latest thing'! They tend to be tougher, ususally more
interesting, and cheaper in many cases!-)
//
Jim

I personally would not worry too much. I sell plants show the last two years at school and made a couple of hundred pounds each. From 50 pence to several pounds of it to justify the price if the plants, for example. A young birch saplings or slightly rich Mejia in good condition.