Ready to start your own cut flower stand? In this post, I will share my step-by-step guide to show you everything you need to know to successfully grow a mini cut flower farm and flower stand right in your own backyard.
What Is An Urban Cut Flower Stand?
An urban cut flower stand is simply a roadside flower stand in the city! You can either purchase a stand online, or create your own unique stand and display.
What I didn’t realize before I started my cut flower stand, was just how much of a community builder it is! I found it has been a way for me to connect with my neighbors and spread joy in my surrounding area.
I ended up making my own stand with the help of my husband and sourced the floral buckets from Michaels. The flower stand in total from the lumber to buckets and sign ended up costing roughly close to $300.00 USD.
You can really get creative and make your flower stand out of up-cycled furniture or even simply use a folding table and an umbrella!
I was able to find cheaper options on Amazon for the galvanized buckets and chalkboard sign similar to the ones I used below.
Do I Need A Lot of Space?
Absolutely not! I live on less than a quarter of an acre (0.25 acres) in an urban location and garden primarily out of 450 sq ft for my cut flowers. Even a single garden bed will produce more flowers than you can imagine! The key I found is to be strategic with the flowers you choose because some make excellent cut and come again flowers.
I’m A Beginner Gardener, Can I Grow Cut Flowers?
Yes!! Cut flowers are extremely forgiving and are excellent for beginner gardeners! I started gardening only a few years ago, and began by growing out of containers and a single raised bed.
Start by finding a sunny spot in either your yard, or even on a balcony if you live in an apartment or condo, that gets at least 6 hours of full sun a day.
Then research what types of flowers you are drawn to. Do you want to try selling only spring flowers like tulips in your raised beds? Perhaps you really want to try growing dahlias?
Once you’ve decided what you want to grow, start out with only a few seeds or a few bulbs. That way you don’t invest hundreds of dollars upfront!
How Much Does It Cost To Start A Cut Flower Stand?
Before investing a lot of money your first year, I recommend testing your market first and start small!!
The first year I started I painted a small sign using a piece of old lumber, used an old flower tray and crate along with recycled mason jars to sell my cut flowers.
Additionally, it really depends on what you already have.
Flower Costs
Growing your own flowers does not have to cost a lot! In a previous post I detailed how you can start a cottage garden for $0! Ask friends, family and your neighbors for any seeds they may have or visit a local library for free seeds!
If you’re looking to grow on a larger scale, I recommend using wholesalers like colorblends for any bulbs. They offer bulbs at a fraction of the cost than big box stores when you buy in bulk.
There are even wholesale flower options if you are not looking to grow your own flowers. A quick google search can show you local flower farms to you that offer wholesale options.
Stand Costs
Starting from scratch, a flower stand set up is likely going to cost you anywhere from $100 to $300.
On the other hand, by thrifting and upcycling you can cut that price way down!
How To Market Your Flower Stand
To make your flower stand appealing to foot traffic and cars driving by, it’s a great idea to either invest in signs or make your own!
Here’s a link to the template I made for this cut flower yard sign on Canva.
I also recommend using an umbrella to serve as not only a focal point, but to help protect your flowers from the harsh sun.
Social media is also a great tool for marketing your flower stand. I use Instagram to market when my stand is open, location, what bouquets I have available and how much I am selling them for.
How Do I Get Paid?
Choosing how customers pay you is very easy! You can accept only cash and use a cash box, or electronically through PayPal or a Venmo business account.
I found half of my customers like to pay in cash, the other half like to use my Venmo account.
What I found helpful with Venmo is after you set up your business account, they send you a kit including a handy QR code sign for your customers to scan. This has been super helpful with my repeat customers!
Additionally, if you are worried about cash being taken the electronic route is a great option.
How To Price Flowers?
When pricing flowers there are a few things to consider.
- How much did it cost you to purchase the seeds or bulbs?
- How much time does it take you to grow, harvest, package and market your flowers?
- What do local flower farmers and stands sell their bouquets for?
- How much does it cost for your packaging per bouquet?
I also highly recommend to review the USDA Flower Market pricing guide. This is updated frequently and is used by many flower farmers to price their bouquets. This helps to standardize the selling costs for everyone! I didn’t learn about this until about six months in of selling my flowers.
Will Anyone Steal My Flowers?
Unfortunately this can happen and is upsetting when it does. I will say out of the entire year of selling cut flowers, I’ve only had three people take a bouquet without paying and the third person took a bouquet AND one of my floral buckets from my display (which are about $15.00 per bucket).
The rest of my customers have been amazing and a few even pay a little more than what I have listed, which helps to make up for those who have taken without paying.
I just tell myself those who have taken without paying must have really needed those flowers.
What Are Some Easy Cut Flowers To Start With?
- Spring flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips.
- Easy to grow seeds like zinnias and cosmos!
- Prolific bloomers like dahlias.
How Do I Package My Bouquets?
This part you can get creative with how you’re wrapping your bouquets! I recommend starting out with a simple roll of brown Kraft paper and ribbon. It can add up very quickly when you do custom stickers, stamps and tissue paper.
Also, practice wrapping! I’m still practicing my arranging and wrapping of bouquets, it just takes time.
Year over year keep track of what are your best sellers. Are there certain colors or types of flowers that perform and sell the best? This will help to ensure your customers are happy and also less waste on your end!
Wishing you the best of luck and please tag me on Instagram @birchsalt with your bouquets!! I would love to see them.
Happy gardening! You got this!
This post contains some links to some products on Amazon I use in case you are interested! If you end up making a purchase I get a small commission, so thank you kindly for funding my garden! 🙂