by Kelly D. Norris

Finding Your Niche: Specialties in Horticulture

Anyway you want it, right? The popular Journey lyrics have a surprising link to the eclectic range of interests available to gardeners and horticulturists. For those pondering or pursuing a career in horticulture, you can about have it anyway you want it. Vegetables, flowers, herbs, potting soil, container manufacturing, propagation, turf, allied trades, and the list of potential subfields goes on. Horticulture is multi-faceted and wide-ranging, having innumerable applications in markets across the world. So how can this translate into financial success to you and your entities? The answer: by finding your niche.

We might as well get the bad news out of the way first. There can be a number of reasons that even niche businesses, often hailed as the gold diggers simply because of their niche status, can fail. I think the majority of businesses that fail, horticulture notwithstanding, fail for two reasons: 1) They don’t accomplish what they set out to do and 2) They aren’t prepared to accomplish what they set out to do. The disheartening note for young entrepreneurs, including myself for six years now, is that the attrition rate in the nursery sector is quite high. It has been estimated by some that the average life span of a retail garden center, nursery, or greenhouse is around 5-7 years long, a sad prognostication. I’d surmise that due to the volatility of horticultural markets that this holds true for other sectors as well with the exception of allied trades, supply sectors of the industry that might maintain revenue flow because of the essential products they sell. But nobody is excluded from volatility and the old adage that retail is always risky is undoubtedly true.

Now with the rain clouds aside, the outlook for niche entrepreneurship in horticulture is really profoundly positive if it’s pursued clearly, logically, and with the aforethought necessary to prequel success. First, find that market window. What room does the market of interest have for another wheel in the game? Local market saturation, like numerous greenhouse businesses in a small geographic area, can work only if the entities carry products distinctively different than that of their competitors. You may be sharing the same buying public, but if you can offer them different options then you are well on your way. Scouting doesn’t hurt either and stealing with your eyes isn’t illegal. Visit the competition, see what they’re selling, see how much their charging, and use it as an inspiration to develop your business. There’s little need for animosity either. The horticulture industry has an age long reputation for the free exchange of information and ideas. Let’s face it, nothing’s original anymore.

Second, examine your own skills and abilities and determine whether they are concordant with the markets you might be interested in. Despite your business prowess, just because you’re a good car salesman does not mean you’ll be successful at selling plants, veggies, or tools by default. You have to be able to identify the market and know it. I firmly believe that despite our best crystal ball predictions, none of us really “knows” the market. We just get really good at making educated guesses and getting really lucky sometimes.

If you’re still stumped after my Hort Biz 101 spiel above, it might help to look at some of the niches turning heads these days. The first one that pops into my mind is edible landscaping and particularly the interest in the production of aronia berries. These versatile plants have tremendous ornamental appeal while also sporting edible crops of highly nutritious fruit that can be used to make a variety of food products. Edible landscaping isn’t new, in fact it’s ancient. But it’s making a comeback, especially in an age of high gas and food prices where utilitarianism seems to trump aestheticism. Speaking of utilitarianism vegetables, by all foreseeable predictions, seem to be making a comeback after having faltered on the national market for the last decade. Gardeners across generational lines seem interested in producing their own food and having the peace of mind that comes from doing so. If you’re looking to establish a business in this sector, keep in mind that anyone can grow a tomato. Think of something novel or put a twist on something old. Command a presence on the market and make the niche you choose your own.