Backyard to Big Production

Introduction

Hi everybody. Welcome back! Today, I'd like to share a story about a particular flower and its journey. This flower, the Morpho Pink Lily, was hybridized in a backyard but eventually reached commercial production in the Netherlands.

The Trend of Backyard Hybridizing

There's a growing trend in seed collecting, hybridizing, and backyard flower collections across the country and the world. People at home are developing unique products. These can enhance small businesses or, as with the Morpho Pink Lily, lead to international growing programs.

From Hobby to High-Stakes

This summer, I saw two sides of the lily world. On one side are large greenhouse hybridizing facilities in the Netherlands. On the other side are backyard hobbyists breeding lilies in their neighborhoods and showcasing them at national shows. These two worlds often intersect in unexpected ways, driven by a hybridizer’s willingness to explore new possibilities.

The Journey of the Morpho Pink Lily

The case study focuses on the Morpho Pink Lily. This lily, bred in a backyard, was presented at a lily society show. Buyers from the Netherlands visited the show to see what people were creating. They purchased this variety from the local hybridizer, moving the Morpho Pink Lily into mass production and making it available worldwide.

For someone working at a backyard level, achieving mass production is nearly impossible. Selling the bulb of their new variety to a company capable of tissue culture multiplication brings the flower to market faster. This also provides financial support for the hybridizer to continue their work and potentially introduce more varieties.

Exploring New Opportunities

The connection between backyard breeders and commercial production is unfamiliar to many. Anyone can engage in hybridizing at home, whether it's with zinnias, dahlias, lilies or pretty much anything else. You can collect seeds from most flowers and cross them to create unique varieties.

Call to Action

If you have any questions or are interested in hybridizing flowers, feel free to reach out. A similar scenario might involve someone taking a new variety to a Dahlia Society show and connecting with larger scale buyers for potential deals. This approach offers new possibilities for flower growers, beyond the traditional farmer-florist model.

Conclusion

There are many ways to approach flower growing, appreciation, and running profitable businesses. It’s exciting to consider opportunities beyond the standard farmer’s market model. I'd love to hear your thoughts or questions. Until next time!