Hey! for once i have something to add and not just follow the journey. I have a small backyard nursery here in south africa, Zone 10a equivalent. Elephant ears are my bread and butter and is my top seller. the first piece of info i can share is that elephant ear leaves die back really easily when it gets to the low 30's in Fahrenheit during winter, but tend to grow back really quickly once the temps rise in spring. Then the second tip is that elephant ears really do not like to take a full dry-wet cycle like other plants, and seem to do better with a bit of overwatering or more moisture retaining soil than other plants that generally prefer the wet-dry cycles. And lastly, the stem and leaf size are really closely tied to the pot size, more so than other plants. In a single growing season they more than double and sometimes triple in size and leaf count if you give it a bigger pot. The difference is striking, the plant never seems to outgrow its pot, and only scales up with size if you give it a big enough pot to grow into. You also want to trim the "outer ugly leaves" regularly as that gets the plant to push out more leaves. from my experience growing these(im on my 5th year now), Its like the plant tries to put energy into keeping the ugly leaves alive so when you cut them back that plant energy gets directed to the new inner-leaf growth. I also didn't know the black variety existed. I only have 2 varieties, both green leaves but different stem colors. I'm gonna try and see if i can get my hands on these black ones, they look amazing.

@nikkireigns

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for the info! I will pot up my black one

Good morning! Thankful to continue watching the journey your family is on! Always thankful for the advice and the knowledge you pass on to all of us here on KZread!

@savvydirtfarmer

2 ай бұрын

I appreciate that

I'm really glad for you guys that everything is working out and I hope it will work out for many years

I have an idea for you. Perhaps create a section of your nursery for native plants (and include native cultivars if you want…)? We have that in a few nurseries around here in WI. Just a thought. Keep up the great work!

@savvydirtfarmer

2 ай бұрын

I've seen nurseries that do that.

Great video! I've been looking for lamium lately, I used to have it years ago, it's a great plant.

Thank you. It's always nice to follow the progress and growth of ambitious youth. I've recently read that certain (Butterfly Bush) are considered invasive or at least obnoxious, but cannot recall the zone or variety... Have you considered a small section of culinary herbs? Just a random thought. Much love 💕

Yarrow is a great medicinal and wound healer also.Listen to your customers.they will help you succeed. So glad you found a wholesale grower that delivers. Great job. Hope your test garden is also going well to learn all kind of pla t successes. Also hope your daughters veggie garden is doing well. 👍

This is the best information on plants. Thank you so much.

I so relate to deciding what to grow! The websites are so enticing and I have to be VERY careful to not to buy starter plants impulsively. I'm not retail yet. just starting the growing and decided it's really important to establish a budget for initial inventory. Trying to do a master plan for the first year (2025 but it's hard for me to focus sometimes so your advice is helpful. I'm also visiting all the nurseries within 20 miles to see what they're offering because I really want my niche to be uncommon varietie of like more colors of hostas and mums, etc. And also (like you) carry the popular annuals for customers to impulse buy :) Thanks

@soccermom1245

2 ай бұрын

do you plan to sell anything online?

@curiouscat3384

2 ай бұрын

@@soccermom1245 Hi, no I'd prefer to just sell locally. Shipping is a whole other level of materials cost and labor and worries that I don't want. Probably advertise on Facebook marketplace and have open houses on weekends during prime season. This year I'm focused on infrastructure and propagation. Creating a demonstration garden next to my driveway for customers to stroll through.

Nice video. Interesting to see how your nursery evolve.

Have you considered ordering from proven winners? I love their supertunias.

Yarrow and dianthus stay green in my garden all winter long. 7a, northwest Arkansas. I'll be adding more this year to increase the winter interest in the garden.

Great info!! I’ll definitely be checking some of those out!!

A great tip that I gleaned from another KZread gardener that has held very true for me, is that if you want to put perennials in pots and leave them out in winter, you need to put in plants that are hardy to two zones colder than your growing zone - for example, my growing zone is 9a, so I can safely plant perennials in above ground pots that are hardy to zone 7a.

@savvydirtfarmer

2 ай бұрын

It’s a good tip, but still so many variables involved.

Such great information, we have grown perennials for years but just starting to grow them for sale. So many plants that can be grown and sold!

@savvydirtfarmer

2 ай бұрын

Endless plants. It's all endless, really... it never all gets done!

Thank you for mentioning the lavender. I've always felt that's a plant you can never go wrong with. Seemingly forgotten about them. We sell the Black Elephant ears they do fair.

@savvydirtfarmer

2 ай бұрын

Lavender is definitely becoming a GO-TO for us.

Great information. Thanks!

Thank you.

Great variety. I wouldn't mind having all those in my yard Also I hope you took at least one cutting from each of those to start your own plants. May take 2 seasons to take off but then you can really take even more cuttings.

I love perennials! You have a wide variety of them and give good information on them. I have black elephant ears and have kept them as a perennial and have lost few doing that too. It is best to be sure and cover them with mulch when the first freeze is coming. I use pinestraw and do it heavily through the winter. I am in a warmer area though. Mine are up this year but a lot smaller than their green cousins I have. All of yours are blooming so beautifully! One of my favorites is the hydrangeas.

👍

🎉

Butterfly bush attracts butterflies but the nectar doesn’t satisfy them and unless it’s a sterile variety it’s invasive. there’s an effort to get folks to plant other things instead that are much better for butterflies and environment. Just a tip I’ve learned! They are beautiful though

@TrixieJFerguson

2 ай бұрын

It’s only invasive in certain climates in our country. In other areas, it is very well behaved and stays where you put it.

@scottoldham7459

2 ай бұрын

The butterfly bush is an invasive in many states.

@amydu5498

2 ай бұрын

Yes- it would be good to check if it’s invasive in their location. I don’t plant it for that reason.

The dianthus I grow in my garden are pretty tall.

@savvydirtfarmer

Ай бұрын

Lots of different varieties

Do you sell Succulent plant I know here on the East Coast of Florida. That’s a big seller love your channel. Congratulations.

@savvydirtfarmer

2 ай бұрын

I haven't. I don't know enough about them to make it work yet.

Could I ask you a question I'm looking to put plant pictures and description in color and laminating them us the good site to find something like that picture card thanks for videos they been a great help

@savvydirtfarmer

Ай бұрын

No idea, we make our own

I love your videos❤❤❤please how do i get this black pots,i live in Nigeria,really been looking out for them

@savvydirtfarmer

2 ай бұрын

No idea how to get them in Nigeria.

I have divided a lot of elephant ears. Grow some out you won’t be sorry friend.

Thanks for the list, Craig. I want to go back a few steps in the nursery development process. I successfully grew out about 120 GG arborvitae. I advertised on about 18 buy/sell local FB Marketplaces. I have about 45 left and the inquiries have pretty much stopped. How can I “cast a wider net” to reach more people? I seem to remember a video that’s more specific about a FB presence, like having an actual FB page, in addition to marketplace ads. Also, my Limelight and Silver Dollar hydrangea are looking good after I pruned them about a month ago, although some are a little leggy. If I prune them now, will they set buds and bloom so I can sell them this season, or should I just wait and let them bloom? Thanks, as always.

@savvydirtfarmer

2 ай бұрын

Let it "rest" for a bit. Delete the ad completely. Repost it in a week or two. There's also an option to pay a very nominal fee (you determine the amount), for it to reach more people. I do that all the time. Yes, you need a FB page for your nursery. You can create one in 5 minutes.

@John_GGG

2 ай бұрын

⁠@@savvydirtfarmer I like the idea of deleting old ads. I see ads that are weeks or months old, do they still have the product or is the sale still on? Reset that date.

@hosta127

2 ай бұрын

@@savvydirtfarmer thank you! 🙏

Lavender grower here----Lavender "Provence" is a French lavender (Intermedia), not English (Angustifolia). Seems you do have an English lavender in your hand. "Provence" is a summer bloomer, not Spring.

@savvydirtfarmer

2 ай бұрын

Interesting. The plugs I grew them from come from one of the most reputable perennial nurseries in America… would be weird for them to have been labeled incorrectly, though I know it happens.

@nikkireigns

2 ай бұрын

Do you have any tips on the best cold hardy lavender? I’m zone 4 and managed to overwinter Munstead in the ground. Lavender is my favorite and I’d love as many varieties as I can get my hands on! 💜

@s44577

2 ай бұрын

@@nikkireigns My best advice to you is to contact local growers and see what they can tell you about what works in your climate and how. For instance, if your area is windy, they will have ideas/experience on how to deal with that. Keep in mind, lavender is a Mediterranean plant--cold conditions are challenging, but not impossible for many varieties---Munstead is a good start! Good luck! 💜

@nikkireigns

2 ай бұрын

@@s44577 thank you!!

Not being a garden Karin But if you included the growing zones, and whether the plant like Shade or sun would be helpful😂

@savvydirtfarmer

2 ай бұрын

Maybe. But... here's why that's not necessarily helpful here. EVERY time I mention any plant's growing habits (zone, exposure, soil, etc), I get an onslaught of comments from people. If I say, "this is hardy to zone 6," I get DOZENS of "I'm in zone 6 and you cannot grow that in my area; you don't know what you're talking about and you need to stop misleading people." So... I'm letting people know what is selling well for me and letting them do their own homework. Best way to know of it's hardy in your area is to look around your area and see if it's present anywhere.

Are these perrenials the ones you bought last fall to overwinter?

@savvydirtfarmer

2 ай бұрын

Some are; not near all of them.

We grow nepeta catmint instead of lavender and can't grow it fast enough!

@savvydirtfarmer

2 ай бұрын

We do some nepeta also... generally sells pretty well!

Do you grow any perennials for seed?

@savvydirtfarmer

2 ай бұрын

For seed, or from seed?? I'm growing a few from seed now.

@John_GGG

2 ай бұрын

@@savvydirtfarmer from seed. I’m having a tough time with seeds. It’s been a cool and damp spring.

any one remember the Goofy Dude in his back Grass lolz

@savvydirtfarmer

2 ай бұрын

Now I’m the goofy dude in my front grass.