How do I prepare a garden centre’s perennial stock for the sale period?

Perennials are living inventory, and their condition changes week by week. Choose a count date that makes sense with the buyer and expect the number to shift. Tag varieties, note size and health, and separate healthy plants from those that are struggling. Hiding weak stock tends to backfire.

Keep good records. Show what you bought, from which growers, and what has sold. Note any plants held for customers, special orders or deposits. Ask your accountant how the stock is carried in the statements so your count and your books tell the same story.

Think about care during the sale period. Who waters, feeds and protects the plants while paperwork is completed? Spell out who bears the loss if there is a cold snap or a pest outbreak, and put it in the agreement with your lawyer’s help. Introduce the buyer to your growers and share your seasonal care notes. Plan to be flexible on timing. Consider your own plan for the day of the sale as well. Bring in a neutral person to count with you, photograph the stock and agree in writing how losses between the count and the handover are handled. This heads off disputes over plants that did not survive or customers who did not return.

Key takeaways

• Count and tag perennials by variety, size and condition.
• Agree with the buyer how living stock is counted at closing.
• Decide who cares for the plants and who bears loss until handover.