Greening For More Profit: Productive Backgrounds
Base arrangements of foliage can be the building blocks of profit. They are structures waiting for creative styling to appeal to customers’ preferences.
Some designers resist pre-greened containers to fill orders or make display designs. Fearing the loss of creative control, they shun pre-made bases and approach every arrangement as a custom design. This is not a sound strategy. In fact, using them can give a good designer more flexibility and freedom.
Having some ready before a holiday is essential for controlling costs and handling the rush of orders smoothly. But they aren’t just for holidays. If you apply the principles of greened designs in your daily operations, you’ll also be able to increase everyday profits.
Recipe for Success
Stocking up on greens for holidays, as well as for everyday arrangements, allows you to order efficiently, control costs, and respond well to peaks in business.
When you create every order from the ground up on an individual basis, you may find yourself ordering materials in the same way, a little at a time as orders are filled or as you run out of ingredients. Pre-greening helps you streamline ordering because each one is a standard unit for basic materials. Once you standardize all the ingredients, you will know exactly how much material to order for creating any quantity of them. You will also be able to take advantage of quantity prices from suppliers. Since foliage prices will continue to climb due to the devastation caused by hurricanes and global warming, buying in quantity is a sound idea.
Make prototypes for all styles of greenery that you plan to use, then track the materials that go into each design. Divide the stems of foliage in a box to determine how many designs you’ll be able to make out of that box. Weighing foliage to determine portions and pricing is not recommended, as it is cumbersome and time-consuming. If you are using more than one type of foliage, consider buying mixed packs from your wholesaler to make pricing easier. Also, determine how many designs you can create from a case of foliage. Write down all materials and their quantities in a recipe so that it may be reproduced.
Once you have developed recipes for designs, your costs are controlled. As long as the recipes are strictly followed, you won’t have shrinkage from overstuffing. Also, the base of every arrangement will represent the full value that your customers deserve. Price each style, and then designers will only need to add in labor and flower costs.
Now you can go into production mode, lining up arrangements. If you take advantage of the quiet time a couple of weeks before a holiday or between rushes of everyday work, you will save money because you can eliminate some of the overtime hours designers may normally put in to catch up during busy times. You can also delegate the preparation of greening to lower-wage employees, accomplishing higher production at less cost.
Basic Works Best
The majority of your pre-made greenery should be generic to give designers a head start by saving them the trouble of placing the foam in the container and covering it with foliage. Create different sizes to fulfill different price points, but make them mostly basic, all-around arrangements. If an order calls for a particular shape, such as oval, foliage can be added at the design stage to extend the size. Or if the order is for a one-sided arrangement, the designer can simply add height and backing to the base arrangement.
More specific ones can be created for particular styles or occasions. For holidays, you might have to add extra style categories, such as those with candles for Christmas or those with a mix of spring foliages for Mother’s Day. For holidays or everyday designs, don’t forget to create them for vase arrangements, corsages, sympathy designs, and other styles that you make repeatedly.
Since they are made of only greens and may appear similar when lined up in your cooler, you’ll need a system for quickly identifying the different styles or price points in storage. The most effective method is to color-code each type, using ribbon or string tags tied onto the foliage. Stickers or tags placed on card caddies or picks aren’t recommended because they fall off too easily and can be lost. Create a chart for designers that denotes the price and style of each type of arrangement and its color code.
Determining Quantity
Determining how many basic structures you should have on hand—whether for a holiday or during slower times—can be difficult, since some work will be custom and you will only use them for a portion of orders. The best way to decide how many should be prepared ahead is to keep good records and notes on what you sell and whether you ran out or were over-stocked. Next year, consult your records and adjust your planning to correct overages or deficiencies. Don’t worry too much if you have leftover holiday designs because they can still be used for everyday orders later.
If you don’t keep track specifically of the number you prepare and use every year, then look at your general sales figures for arrangements and note what price points and styles (not including wire service specials) were sold. Then plan to prepare 75 percent of the total orders for each style for holiday work and 40 to 50 percent for everyday work.
Keep Them Fresh
Most foliage is tougher than flowers, but it still requires proper processing and post-design care. This is especially important since greened designs are prepared weeks in advance and need to be conditioned and kept fresh.
Long-lasting foliage begins with processing when product arrives in your shop. It should be refrigerated, well hydrated, and treated with a topical sealer (anti-transpirants). The stems of foliage that can be placed in a bucket or vase of fresh water should be freshly cut. Those varieties that are stored in boxes with proper wrapping should be misted daily and fluffed or separated to allow for air circulation.
Once they are created with foliage, they should be refrigerated or stored in a cool place, such as a basement or in an outdoor shelter during cool weather. The water reservoir of each one should be checked and filled daily with water that includes floral food. Remove and replace expired foliage to prevent the spread of mold or rot.
Ingredients for Success
Many designers turn to boxes of lemon leaf or boxwood when they need to create quantities of base designs. These foliage are indeed long-lasting, attractive, and cost-effective. Consider using other greens that are long-lasting and attractive. Foliage with many leaves will fill arrangements. Some examples are pittosporum oregonia, huckleberry, Italian ruscus, and myrtle.
A mixture of foliage that offers contrasting color, texture, and shape will make your base designs unique. Of course, for Christmas, you’ll want to use evergreens. Pine is usually the first choice, but a mixture of interesting texture and long-lasting foliage can be more appealing. Long needle pines last the longest, so use those for your main filler. For added interest, choose foliage that bears berries, such as seeded eucalyptus, juniper, or a myrtle species with shiny black berries. Since holly can be finicky, avoid using it. If holly is required or requested, insert it at the design stage.
Since they are made of only greens and may appear similar when lined up in your cooler, you’ll need a system for quickly identifying the different styles or price points in storage. The most effective method is to color code each type, using ribbon or string tags tied onto the foliage.
Let Others Do It
Having a stock of basic structures doesn’t always mean that your staff has to create them. In some cases, it may be more economical to purchase them from a wholesaler. A small shop with limited labor resources could benefit from purchasing pre-made designs by reducing overtime hours and operating costs.
To decide if this option is right for you, find out what is available from your supplier and recreate one of them. Determine the wholesale cost, including materials, labor, and the time it takes to create. Then compare your wholesale cost to the price of the supplier’s basic designs. If the costs match up or come within a dollar or two, it may be worthwhile to purchase them pre-made.
Some wholesale houses can also be contracted to create them for wire service specials or other specific pre-greened arrangements. Generally, you supply them with the containers and the wholesaler’s employees will install the foam and arrange the foliage. They usually charge by the piece. Keep in mind that you will pay wholesale for them, so the designs will have to be marked up for retail sale. This may raise your prices, but it could make sense for your market.
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