Winter Won't Last Forever
Well, even though Japanese maples are still very much dormant, it's getting close to the time where the business of selling them starts to wake up. And this is exciting because not only do I enjoy caring for and sending my trees off to their forever homes, but every season brings new varieties I've not carried before. This season is no exception. Like 2024, this year I have many new (to SJM) varieties coming this season but nothing will be confirmed until March.
One of the goals I set for this business in 2021 was to be able to secure my own supply of trees as much as possible. This meant being able to graft trees, utilizing the wide variety of trees I typically carry. Grafting Japanese maples is no easy feat as I have discovered through some abysmal grafting results, however, I am fortunate to have an excellent supplier whom like myself, appreciates the the wide variety of maples available and does their best to supply a wide variety. Once I get a little mentoring from some seasoned growers, I'll start to secure more of my own supply AND this brings me to my point. At that time, I will know more definitely what will be available each season, and sooner in the timeline.
Shifting gears, 2024 was a good year for the business. I set out to increase the varieties available, and I set out to see the response from customers to also increasing the quantities of trees available. On both fronts, it was a success. I haven't analyzed the final numbers, but I think I sold about 75-80% of the approximately 600 trees I started with. I don't expect 100%. Sometimes you sell trees you have from a previous season, which contributes to the bottom line, but I don't expect to sell 100% of trees in a single season. That doesn't happen in the nursery business. But 2024 was the third year of the business and the biggest amount of available inventory so it only further provided evidence that people love Japanese maples, they are finding my business, and like the product and service I provide. All good news.
So, I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing. I always welcome your gardening stories, pictures, comments and suggestions. Simply Japanese Maples is not a corporate behemoth but just a guy who loves Japanese maples and loves sharing that love with others. Here's hoping for a great 2025!
Chris