Forgetmenot,
I am not sure what you want to do but among my various ways of adding a little income is selling starter plants. This time of year is no good for garden plants where I live but I have spider plants that I take the "babies" from and repot three to a hanging basket (which I get from people throwing out their summer plants...hanging basket and all). I sell the baskets for $5.00 each. In the spring I plant seeds in the seed starter containers and sell them for a dollar a piece. I have even sold vines that I took cuttings from and rooted. I just put a sign out in the front yard saying garden plants for sale or houseplant sale with the plants close by.
Penny

Thanks Penny, good idea. What I have in mind is growing my own flowers and drying them to use in wreaths and potpourri for craft shows. I'm not sure what the market is now for dried flowers but I'd like to combine the two things I love (growing flowers and making flower arrangements) and try to make a little extra income.
Re: magnolia pods, sorry you don't have the beautiful magnolia trees where you are, I love mine even tho they are a bit messy with all the big leaves and pods.
Thanks for writing.

A friend of mine used to make her own potpourri. She would dry the flowers and then mix them with the different oils and spices and seed pods. She made potpourri balls and sachets and sold them at craft shows and did quite well. She also purchased the refresher oils and resold those so that people could refresh the potpourri. Another thing she made were tussy mussies (stiffened cones made from doilies, etc) with potpourri enclosed in a mesh bag inside the cone and topped off with dried and/or silk flowers which could be hung on a wall.

I have also seen small pressed flowers like violas, impatiens, pansies, etc. arranged and matted in picture frames at some of my shows.

Another girl used various "finds" from yard sales, salvation army and other thrift shops to plant her dried arrangements in...small china teacups and saucers, candy dishes, baby shoes, boots, mailboxes, old ladles, miniature picket fences with a little window box attached to the base, various styles of old hats, etc. The more novel the container the more she sold and she sold a ton.

Hope this helps a little. I know how hard it is to find ways to supplement an all to meager income.
Penny

Hello all! Just found this! But have been on the gw for awhile now.

The dried flowers are coming back into style. Yeah!

I garden and sell at market very near home. Been playing at it for years but now am getting real with it.

Came from a shop recently and the public love flowers in any form. But the dried are coming back with a more upscale feel to it.

I do alot of heirloom blooms. Love it. Love it. This next year I will offer potted plants and I hope topiaries. Garden crafts as the garden gives to me. I've done seasonal tussie mussies for years and they have always sold well.

TTFN
tfl

I highly reccommend a book called called The Scented Room :)
It is the best book on drying flowers I know of :)

Heidi S~

I have my own floral design company (fresh) but started out doing dried wreaths and crafts at home. A good way to sell your stuff is to have a once or twice a year open house "craft show" at your home. Maybe you have some friends who like to make jewelry, baskets, hand-knit items, holiday baked goods etc. Invite them to set up little "kiosks" within your house for these events. Serve up some cookies and punch or wine and cheese, then make up some flyers and give them to everybody you know as well as to whoever they know who would like to attend. You can also sell your things at craft consignment shops or through florists, church festivals or the local farmer's market. Best wishes!

Forgetmenot I do lots of dried flower wreaths. I sell most at the farmers markets I do. You can make more money from fresh flowers though. Most of my 8 clamp wreaths go for $16 a wreath. Using Salal, Roses, Peonies, Larkspur, Artemesia, Lepidium, Statice, Globe Thistle, Pineapple pods, Twigs, Celosia, Solidago, Sunflowers, Nigella, Lavendar, Grasses, Lamb's ear, etc etc etc. They do pretty good. You can also try selling them to local floral shops. Good luck. Bryan

I make big dried flower wreaths,They use enormous ammounts of flowers to make.I do have tobuy some I dont grow that many so whatever I spend x2 is what I charge.Mine are gorgeous wreaths.I make all kinds too not just dried flowers.As gifts I usually give wreath.