Holiday ‘08
Yep! It’s not a typo.  Even while you’re setting up Holiday ’07, you should be planning for Holiday ’08.   In fact, as you bring back trees and wreaths in January, you should be compiling lists of what you will need for the next Holiday.  Now - before all that stuff goes into Holiday Heaven and you can’t remember who needs replacements of damaged greenery.  You know the bank needs two more trees next year and they want a larger wreath for the conference room.  And the restaurant’s prelit tree needs either to be relit or they’ll need a new one.  It’s also the best time to take an inventory of all those gold balls and miles of ribbon.   Then, once you have this information you can establish an "open to buy” list.  Since your Holiday business has grown, on average 15% each year, you know you will need new materials to fulfill these future orders.

 Then what?  Well, if you are doing $50,000 of Holiday business you can take a breather and at the appropriate time contact local floral wholesalers for the fill in stuff.  However, if your Holiday business is large enough - it is time to go to market.  In January, Marts in Dallas, Atlanta, New York, LA, and Chicago will open their doors for Holiday Product buyers.  If you have never been to such a show, your first time can be pretty intimidating.  How do I register?  How do I establish credit with these people?  What about hotel reservations?  A lot to learn in a very short time.

Sunday, January 20, 2008  
That’s why you might want to consider joining a few dozen other scapers and myself at the Holiday Expo at the Dallas Mart.  Sponsored by PIA as an educational opportunity, we’ll be attending the show on Sunday, January 20, 2008 in Dallas.  They have blocked a group of rooms at a hotel on the Shuttle route and will help you pre-register so you won’t have to stand in long lines.  They’ve established Sunday as the seminar and buying day in order to accommodate ‘scapers who will be attending TPIE in FtLauderdale but still want to tack on a Holiday Buying opportunity.  TPIE is Thursday, January ^{17 th} through 3 o’clock Saturday afternoon, January 19th.  Make travel arrangements to fly into Dallas on Saturday evening and you can kill two birds with one stone.  We will be holding classes on “How to Buy”, “How to Price”.  Then we’ll be going to Lunch at the Autograph Showroom where top Holiday Designers George and Brad from Plant Solutions in Phoenix will give us recipes and cost breakdowns for several cutting edge designs right in frotn of your eyes.  Yep, the hottest new looks , how to fabricate and how to price.  Note, if you can arrive early enough on Sat or Friday evening, Tim from European Gardens will lead a tour of other showrooms or if you wish you can tack on another day to do this after the Sunday seminar.  Just be sure to plan at least two days at the Mart. One is not enough.  And, there will be a dinner event where you can get together with everyone.  This is a fabulous opportunity to learn, buy, and get the information you need to grow your Holiday business.  For more information, please contact PIA at www.pia@piagrows.org.

 Yep! Another year of Holiday.  Make this next one easier, less stressful, and jump-start your business up to the next plateau.  Come join us in  Dallas.

Couple of months ago I was visiting a friend and he took me to see a Mall he maintained.  There, every plant was healthy and perfectly pruned.  It was a beautiful job…except..except for the bromeliads.  Some were faded. some blooms were slightly brown, others were still OK.  "Barb,  he said, I’m having a heck of a time getting broms.  The replacements for these won’t be in for two more weeks and it is driving me nuts". 

My Solution?  Paint ‘Em! 
To his surprise, I walked him over to the Craft store in the Mall and went to the Silk Floral Paint Section where I purchased three cans of Designmaster Floral Paint, one can of red, one of purple, and one of pink.  Then we walked to the rear of the Mall having stopped to grab three of the faded broms.  As we walked,  I explained that years ago I found myself in the same position.  The broms at a Mall we maintained were gone and it was two weeks before the points would arrive.  To buy all new broms or even mums would have set us back over $2,000 for replacements and they would have to be removed when the points came in.  Huge waste of money. (Sound Familiar?)

Then, grabbing some newspaper lying around, I took one of the broms, fixed a cone of newspaper around the bloom, like the plastic cone colar they put on a dog when they don’t want it to scratch its ears, shook the can of Red Floral paint, and sprayed just the bloom lightly.  A second coat and the result was astonishing. 

My friend gasped.  "But won’t that kill the plant?" he asked.  Probably, I replied, in a few weeks after which your replacements will have long arrived. 

Here’s How It Works 
The part we buy a bromeliad for is the colorful bloom or spike and that is the first part to go while the foliage stays alive for a long, long time.  So, if you can get color back to the bloom either by clipping the old out and replacing with an artificial spike (another timely trick), or by painting the bloom with a floral paint, voila, you have just saved the look, the job and a bunch of dollars.

Designmaster, a Careful Hand and a Good Eye  
The trick is to get the right product, Designmaster, available at Craft, Floral Wholesalers, and some Fabric stores.  Choose the right colors from the wealth available.  The color on the can is not always the same as what comes out.  When just starting out, buy single cans of several different reds, pinks, and purples, then test and choose the most realistic.  And, when painting remember that less is more.  Spray one coat and then another.  Keep it light.  You don’t want gobs of paint on the spikes.  After a few tries, you will get the hang of it. 

My friend went back to the Mallthat very night and painted the 120 broms.  His client was thrilled and commented that they were the best broms he’d seen in a while.  My friend continued to water (remember it is still a living plant,  it just has some makeup on it),  And when they were replaced with the Points, he said they still looked great.

Now, we are not suggesting you do this to your broms instead of the usual replacement program you are charging a client for, but, once in a while, schedules and deliveries get screwed up and here is an answer. 

We’d love to hear about your creative problem solvers. 

When Watching TV Pays Off 
Every year at Holiday time I am amazed at what you find on the TV Shopping channels.  I first noticed a couple of years ago that the very same products I was buying in Dallas and Atlanta were being sold on Home Shopping.  Pre-lit trees, wreaths, and 9′ sections of garland were right there on the screen.  Now I wouldn’t have been concerned except that they were being touted as "professional grade products that are used by holiday display professionals".  Yep, there they were, the same products we buy, and at prices that were just a tad over what we pay suppliers. 

Each year  I watched as the  TV offerings kept up with the merchandise we buy.  Each year the newest innovations we found, they found as well.  The other night I noticed that the pre-lit material is now touted as "LED".  If you doubt it, check it out.

However, Sometimes it Works to our Advantage  
Now, you’ve got to hand it to the buyers at these shopping channels.  They have lots of people buying, lots of dollars, and the ability to find the right stuff. At first I thought this was  terrible.   Not just competition but if anyone caught on that this stuff is the same that we use then maybe they might question our pricing.  Horrors.  But then I thought, their customer is not our customer and our customer wants the professional design, installation and storage.  QVC hasn’t figured out how to do that….yet.  And sometimes we find stuff we need instead.

For Example, What’s the One Objection Your Client’s Have to Artificial Trees?   
"They don’t smell like Pine".  Yep, its not the look they object to, its the lack of fresh cut greens scent.  In years past we tried sprays, we cut greens into little pieces and put them in a large plastic bag with holes in it, and still, not enough scent and long enough lasting. 

Well, now you can fulfill the client’s wishes. Advertised on QVC yesterday (www.qvc.com) or (800) 345-1515, were two options to correct the problem.  The first was item M-15889, an Aroma Fan with three scented oils (one is Pine),.  The fan runs on 2 AA batteries (not included) and sells for $22.78 plus 4.97 shipping. 

The second fragrance source was a set of 2 candles.  These are fake and have an LED bulb that flickers in an either green or gold pillar container.  They smell of Pine as well and give off frangrance.  Since they have no flame, they are perfectly safe to put under, around and even on a tree. 

Check it out and Happy Holidays.

After being in the Interiorscape business for a few years, ‘lots of ’scapers look around for additional services they can offer.  And, sure as shootin’,  someone brings up the idea of doing short term rental work.  "C’mon, they’ll say, How hard can it be?  We have lot of plants just sitting around, lots of used containers, we’ve got a van, so how hard can it be?"  Ah, the answer is hard, very hard if you aren’t in the right place and don’t have the right stuff.

You’ve Got to Have a Foundation
It takes more than a few extra plants and containers to run a successful event rental business.  First, there has to be a market.  Are you already providing plants to your local Convention Center?  For Hotels in your market?  The availability of potential clients is a key ingredient for this business.  Are these entities already working with another vendor?  Can you get some of that work.? A frank and exploratory discussion with the key decision makers is important here.

Where to Put Stuff
Having a warehouse, greenhouse or other facility is a must for this business as is the on hand plant  and container inventory.  You do not want to be ordering new stuff for your short time rental jobs unless they have already been out on a job or are programmed to go that route.  No new costs should be your motto. 

Timing
The Short Term Rental/Special Event Business is 180 degrees opposite of the Interiorplantscaping business.  It is almost always weekend work so if your employees or you do not want to give up weekends Holidays and the like, fuhgeddahbahdit. 

Standardize
Unless you are very large, you cannot be all things to all people in this business.  You have to control the types of Plants, their sizes, and the sizes and colors of the Containers to make profit dollars.  The greater the choices, the customization, the greater the headaches and potentials for errors.  Trees (14"-17" Ficus Standards, 10"-21" Palms, Ferns in 10" Baskets, a mix of 10" and 14" 3-4′ Green Foliage plus orchids, bromeliads and mums are the standards and should make up 80% of what you provide.  Set standardized pricing as well and have printed out so clients have something to reference. 

Pricing
First you need to develop a Price List.  Start by collecting price lists from all the other companies doing this work in your area.  Most will go by height and Container A, B, or C.  Add to this number a flat fee for delivery and pickup.  See the various nuances of the other Pricing.  Once you have a Price List, don’t forget to list Delivery and Set Up charges, taxes,  additional fees for longer than usual time frames, Credit Card information,.  Check out other vendors in your area and see what they are charging.  Get in touch with a vendor who rents table linens, silverware and crystal and see if you can’t trade leads and partner.  In fact, see who else can provide components and take some of the work off of your shoulders.  For example:  we started doing short term rentals because I went to a seminar and someone said we should do this.  Note, we shouldn’t have but, heck the seminar cost me 250 bucks.  The decision to do short term jobs cost me thousands.  Anyway, after a time the jobs were too few, too low a profit and a headache.  I asked my local wholesale foliage guy if he ever did short term stuff.  He said he did.  So, I got a list of his prices and the foliage and containers available from him, marked up the whole shebang by 35%, sold jobs and had him install and remove them but I sent the client a bill.  Thirty-five percent for placing a phone call.  Not bad.

Whom You Are Dealing With
There are two different decision makers you might deal with in this line of business.  First is the General Public, the Charity Group Committee, the Mothers of the Bride.   Run like the wind when confronted by a member of this group.  They are difficult, demanding, rude, time consuming and cheap.  Need I say more?  The Second Group is that of  Party and Meeting Design Professionals and Planners.  They’ve been to the Rodeo before.  They act as a buffer between you and the end client and they are most often your best friend.  They know what it takes, what they want, and what it usually costs.  They appreciate your efforts.  If you are going to do this work, set up meetings with the key ones in your area and develop ongoing relationships.

Lastly
If you are going to get into this area, you will need a web site or web page that specifically deals with it.  You will also want to develop letters that  are aimed at each different targets or group complete with an easy to use order form.  Note: As you do work, keep good records of time, product, vehicle costs and so on.  Did you make any money?  Enough to give up a Saturday?  Look for ways to improve or make the decision to go on to other ideas, don’t keep doing stuff that isn’t fun and profitable.  Life is too short.

Some rental companies find it is easier to bury the delivery and set up fees in with the rental price for plant and container.  And, on your price list work with plants by height not grow pot size.

Instruct all personnel that answers the phone in order taking, answering questions and scheduling.

Good Luck.

There is an ancient riddle that asks,"If everybody has the same Zebras are they still Zebras?

Well, maybe its not so ancient but it is definitely a question I ask myself periodically.  Example, when Interiorscaping was just beginning the use of a live, blooming florist mum was definitely a Zebra.  It was unique and unusual.  Time went on and people began to tire of Mums.  "Give us something different", they cried.  So we used other color plants like kalanchoe, azalea, lilies and always, always the wonderful poinsettia.  More time passed, and the client again began to ask, "Isn’t there something else?  So, being ever resourceful and anxious to rid ourselves of blooming plants that required twice a week maintenance, we showed the client  (ta dah)  Bromeliads.

Next Came the Exotic Orchid
Beloved of Designers and Shelter Magazines everywhere, the exotic orchid became the next "zebra".  In color bowls they graced boardroom and dining room alike.  Finally, we thought, we’ve finally found the answer.  Bromeliads and Orchids.  The first with its bright pinks, purples, oranges, and reds, the latter with its ethereal white, yellow and purple blooms.  We have our "Zebras".

Again We Hear the Plaintive Cry 
And so life was good for a few years.  But, hark, what is that I hear?  Client murmurrings? (murmurrmurmurrmurmurr)  In St. Louis, Chicago, San Diego and Portland again is heard the cry,"We’re tired of bromeliads, we’re even tired of orchids.  What else is new and different?"

Think A Floral, A Colorbowl, A Fruit
At Calscape this past month, I watched as ’scaper after ’scaper submitted beautiful colorbowls to be judged for awards.  They were filled with mosses of varying hues and textures.  There were lichens and curly willow, sticks of bamboo and small green plants.  Broms and Orchids were present as well but while they popped the color, the other material was chosen for its texture or shape.  Very impressive.   Also, while at Calscape I walked into the lobby of one small resort/nongaming hotel.  There displayed front and center on an oval glass table were 5 (uneven number is key) glass vases of varying widths and heights.  In each vase, clear plastic "cubes" were used to hold the floral stems in place.  The flowers themselves were large orange calla lilies, bound together in a bunch but placed off angle in the vases.  Some were even in a bunch laid across the top of one of the vases.  Spectacular!  It looked like the flowers were suspended in an icy, cool drink.  Just the right visual accent for a Desert. property.

  The next day the florals were gone.  I asked the Hotel Manager about them and he assured me that the florist who did them would be returning in two days with a totally different statement.  We spoke for a while and he told me that, yes, the florals were costly but every guest who entered commented on them. And there was nothing else in the Hotel that received so many positive comments and they were worth every penny.

Another hotel I visited also had glass vases in a group on a credenza in the Main Lobby, however this time the vases were filled with fruit.  Real lemons, one on top of the other, filled the tallest one (about 30") and still more, sat side by side by side in a long, low clear glass dish.  In another clear vase, also tall (24") werer stacked balls of green moss.  Perfect as a backdrop.

Another display showcased glass vases of varying heights filled with different wrapped candies.  On the tabletop below, wrapped lollypops fanned out like a skirt.  The look?  Truly unique and clever.

My Point?
Not every "blooming" focal point has to be a live mum, bromeliad or orchid.  Today’s floral styling allow us to play with fruit, dried materials, and so on.  It is all up to your imagination and, the funny thing is, that while we spend tons of time on the live green stuff, it just might happen that your playful, unique "color spot" just might steal the show.  Go visit your local floral wholesaler for ideas and materials and…..have fun creating a brand new zebra.

When we start out doing Holiday work, we are so excited and it is all so new that we cannot even begin to think about five years down the road.  Well, suprise, surprise.  Five years is here before we know it.  Now we are covered up with so much "stuff", we can’t hardly turn around without bumping into a tree.

Storage Options is the Name of the Game 
Renting storage space is not that difficult.  Paying a fair and low price can be.  Every area is different.  In some places empty storage places abound and for a monthly fee, it’s yours.  For others who are more willing to explore, a space that is already in use by another company may have space that can be sublet.  For others, its a barn on Uncle Jim’s farm.

One ‘Scapers Solution…and it Works!  
Good friend Al Fini  (Fini’s Plants), has been an interiorscaper for a bunch of years and has been through the Holiday Wars many times.  Over the years he has tried many storage options and has finally come up with a solution that works for his company.  He buys used shipping containers.  Thats what you see on the backs of 18 wheelers and on cargo ships.  According to AL, "As far as used containers we are very lucky.  We are 100-200 miles from several major ocean ports so there are plenty of good used containers always available.  Prices range from $1,200 for 20 footers up to $2,000 for 40 footers.  I would buy 2-20 footers instead of one 40 footer ( a lot less walking from end to end)".  

Benefits  
What a creative and smart solution.  The containers can be moved from one plot of land to another, keep precious contents dry, can be locked or put behind fencing for more security, can be used as fabricating as well as storage space, and if ever not needed can be resold.  All you need is a place to put them.  And, one more idea.  If you get a humongous Holiday job (and I hope you do), you could attach the container to the job site, park it in the parking lot, and work out of it for set up.  Great idea, thanks Al.

Couple of other last remarks.   Make sure wherever and however you store to get the proper insurance coverage for offsite assets and make sure to increase coverage as the years go by and the value goes up.And, if yu haven’t ordered Sippers for your Poinsettias, do it now.  Supplies are fine right now but tend to get slammed as the season hits.  They will give you 2 weeks in between watering, replacement in the single digits (saving big dollars), and can be reused over and over again for all your blooming plants.  To order, call TOPsiders (800) 533-7661.

Calscape ‘07 
What a great Calscape it was.  Over 600 attendees from all over the country, seminars that were really informative and an Awards Banquet that hit the mark.  Next year Calscape will be in Palm Springs, CA. 

TPIE 
Jan. 17, 18, and 19 of 2008 are the dates for TPIE.  Growers from all over, hard goods suppliers and other products will fill the Convention Center to the bursting.   Seminars will cover Green Buildings, Holiday Pricing etc.  And, January in Southern Florida?  Priceless.

Dallas Holiday Buying 
Right on the heels of TPIE I’ll be flying to Dallas, TX for the Holiday Buying Show at the Dallas Mart.  Sponsored by  PIA Education,  I’ll be sharing tips on how to buy Holiday Product and give a few tips on How to Make Holiday a Piece of Fruit Cake.  In addition we will be guests of several suppliers and will have outside Floral/Display Designers demo in each showroom.  Call PIA for info or log on to www.piagrows.org. 

Chesapeake 
February in the East and for those of you who want a Pricing Seminar for at least an hour and a half of info with me as the Speaker, check out the Chesapeake Conference.  Dates to follow soon.