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You are here: Home / Business / Bestselling Plants / Growing, Selling and Propagating Rhododendrons.

Growing, Selling and Propagating Rhododendrons.

Updated : June 17, 2024

13 Comments

Here’s the thing about Rhododendrons.

1.  I honestly believe they could make a motivated grower fairly wealthy.  Nobody is growing them, especially in zone 4!

2.  Rooting them is tricky and best done over bottom heat in the winter.  Warm roots, cool tops, 45 degrees or lower.

They hate wet feet, they hate heavy soil.  My place would be perfect for them, sandy soil, but at this age they would be a multi year project and I’m just not looking for that kind of commitment.

But if I were, I’d buy about 3,000 rooted cuttings, $2.00 each, line them out in beds 8″ apart, mulch them, water as needed.  Pinch them so they develop nicely then take as many cuttings as I could year after year after year.

Then I’d probably line them out in the field, get them to 30″ size and sell them to landscapers for a lot of money.  At least $30 each but maybe keep them longer just to get the cuttings, then sell them for $40 each.

I’d hire a professional digger to get them out of the ground.

I’d only do about 4 or 5 varieties.

PJM

Chinoides

Spring Parade

Roseum Elegans

Nova Zembla

I could build a multi generational business with those five plants.

I have more to add to this post as soon as I get some photos etc.

Take a gander at these posts...

  • The Golden Curls Weeping Willow
  • Lavender Twist Weeping Redbud Tree
  • Golden Curls Willow
  • Heuchera-Coral Bells
  • Java Red Weigela

Comments

  1. Tim Simounet says

    January 21, 2022 at 6:03 pm

    I just “semi” retired after 43 years in the Residential Retail/Landscape/Design side of the industry. I am helping a new start up Day Camp for special needs. My task is to layout a forest, trails and secret gardens for all levels of special needs kids to get outside with loved ones and enjoy life…..
    this will be a multi year process. We have 30 acers of rolling hills, woods and open areas of Northeast TN. Gray TN to be exact.
    We also hope to plant Pumpkins and perhaps a plant growing area for our own transplants. Possibly find anyone interested in putting a Greenhouse up for learning and growing.

    I am open to any advise. I opened this site looking for Rhododendron Starts. THANKS!!!

    Reply
    • Mike says

      January 22, 2022 at 7:20 am

      Tim,

      One of our members, http://backyardgrowers.com/join, just advertised some Rhododendron liners just a few days ago. Not sure if the ad is still up or not. Probably around $3 each, I didn’t look that close. He usually offers them several times a year.

      Reply
  2. Lee says

    October 16, 2020 at 11:34 am

    Do you have a referral for wholesale rooted cuttings available in the Five varieties you mentioned. Nova Zemba, roseum elegant etc?? I need about a 1000 total.

    Reply
    • Mike says

      October 17, 2020 at 8:32 am

      Lee,

      I do, but I only share wholesale sources in our members area. http://backyardgrowers.com/join

      Last I knew rooted cuttings were about $2.00 each, might be closer to $3.00 now. As a matter of fact I saw one of our members offering Rhododendron cuttings for sale just yesterday but I didn’t look to see what varieties Dave was offering.

      Reply
  3. Michael Bean says

    May 3, 2019 at 7:22 pm

    Mike,

    I would LOVE to grow Rhododendrons, all colors. I have one in my front yard thst has purple flowers each year.. i have two separate parcels one 2 miles from my house which is 5.5 acres but has heavy soil the first 6-9 inches is topsoil, then below thst is clsy.
    The other is 3 hrs away but has excellent sandy loam soil. The drawback is well, its 3 hrs away and it has wandering herds of elk that come through like locusts and eat almost anything eccept the scoch broom.
    Any ideas??

    Reply
    • Mike says

      May 4, 2019 at 7:50 am

      Michael,

      My advice is to start small, maybe a thousand plants, and put them in raised beds about 8″ apart. Then you can move them to the field and see how they do. The heavy soil is not likely to kill them but it will stall them. Or container grow them in a well drained potting soil, see my article on this site.

      Reply
  4. Makayla Morales says

    May 30, 2018 at 6:22 pm

    Hi Mike, I’ve been going through tons & tons of your YouTube videos and articles online. I’m 21, buying my first home, & wanting to turn my backyard into a profitable backyard nursery. Im crossing my fingers to get into the Growers group late June. I’m in Eastern NC. Zone 8. What plants do you recommend I start with? Buy large plants? Make cuttings? Grow from seed? Thanks for all the awesome info!!

    Reply
    • Mike says

      May 31, 2018 at 8:55 am

      Makayla,

      Do yourself a huge favor and join the growers group as soon as it opens. http://backyardgrowers.com/join, the members will help you and keep you from making costly mistakes. Buy liners from the members.

      21 Plants that are Easy to Grow and Sell Like Crazy

      The following 21 plants are really easy to grow and they sell like hot cakes. They always have been really good sellers and they always will be really good sellers. And this list is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to plants that you can grow and sell that people want to buy.

      1. Forsythia
      2. Red Weigela
      3. Varigated Weigela
      4. Pink Flowering Weigela
      5. Red Twig Dogwood
      6. Fragrant Viburnums
      7. All Flowering Viburnums
      8. Potentilla
      9. Dappled Willow
      10. Pussy Willow
      11. Daylillies
      12. Hosta
      13. Huchera
      14. All kinds of Perennials
      15. Armeria
      16. Boxwood
      17. Japanese Hollies
      18. English Hollies
      19. Rhododendrons
      20. PJM Dwarf Rhododendron
      21. Hydrangeas
      22. Rose of Sharon
      23. Dwarf Alberta Spruce
      24. White Dogwood trees
      25. Chinese Dogwoods
      26. Blue Rug Juniper
      27. Gold Flame Spirea
      28. Gold Mound Spirea
      29. Ornamental Grasses of all kinds
      30. Crimson Pygmy Barberry
      31. Rosy Glow Barberry
      Okay, that’s 31 and I could go on forever.

      Here are some plants for warmer zones, 8,9, and 10

      Fragrant Tea Olive
      Gardenia,
      Camellia,
      Azalea,
      Jasmines
      Palm trees
      Tropical Hibiscus
      Burgundy Chinese Fringe Flower
      Bogainvilla
      Owari & Hamlin Oranges
      Satsuma
      Kumquat
      Azalea (out the wazoo down here)
      Crepe Myrtle (ditto)
      Lilies
      Camelias
      amaryllis
      hybrids such as Blossom Peacock and Papillo
      Japanese Pieris
      Satsuma’s
      Star gazer lilies
      Crape Myrtles of all kinds
      Gardenia varieties-evergreen
      Azalea varieties-evergreen & deciduous(native)
      Camellia varieties-evergreen
      Fragrant Tea Olive-evergreen
      Nandina varieties-evergreen
      Loropetalum/Chinese fringe flowers
      Chase Tree
      Abelia -so many new exciting varieties -good for zones 6-10!
      Viburnums
      Daphne
      Cleyera-evergreen
      Burning Bush/ Euonymus varieties…
      Spirea -especially Bridalwreath, Little Princess, Goldmound…
      Butterfly Bushes
      Jasmines (vines-Carolina, Confederate)
      Confederate Rose
      Lady Banks Rose
      Anise (check out Florida Sunshine)
      Holly-Soft Touch/Sky Pencil/Youpon/Burfordii….
      Crape Myrtles
      Japanese Magnolias(Saucer, Betty, Royal Star…)
      Southern Magnolias
      Dogwoods
      Red Buds
      Japanese Maples
      Evergreen hedge trees/shrubs
      Leyland Cypress
      Murray/Arborvitae
      Japanese Cedar(cryptomeria)
      false cypress(Chamaecyparis…)
      Junipers-Blue Rug, Sargentii, Blue Point,…
      Trees:
      Chinense Pistache
      Fruitless Mulberry
      Weeping Willow
      Live oak
      Red oak
      Catalpa
      Vitex (or Chaste Tree)
      Desert Willow
      Shrub:
      Nellie R Stevens
      Wax Myrtle
      Red Tip Photinia
      Korean Boxwood
      Radicans Gardenia
      Loropetalum
      Yaupon Holly
      Perennials:
      Salvias
      Sedums
      Butterfly Bush
      Reeves Spiraea
      Van Houtti Spiraea
      Vines:
      Honeysuckle (coral)
      Crossvine
      Star Jasmine

      Reply
  5. Ray says

    May 29, 2018 at 4:41 am

    I just found you. What I see has a 2013 date on it. Are you still running this business?

    Reply
    • Mike says

      May 30, 2018 at 8:29 am

      Ray,

      Of course I’m still running this business, this site is updated fairly often.

      Reply
  6. Margaret R Cordes says

    May 25, 2018 at 1:07 pm

    I am a senior citizen (75) and I Luv’ya gardening. I am what type of work you medium do you plant tomatoes in to grow in pots?

    Reply
    • Mike says

      May 26, 2018 at 5:59 am

      Margaret,

      Not topsoil but a light and fluffy potting soil.

      Reply
  7. Jennifer McMillan says

    May 21, 2018 at 8:49 am

    This is great. We have a herd of ten goats and we love to watch them.

    Reply

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