I get plants from all over, but my estimate says that I reserve the right to sub appropriate plants if necessary to complete the project on time and on budget.

Offer them the choice to substitute or wait. If they want to wait, reduce the final payment by the price of the plant, then have them pay you when it finally comes in. Definately have something in your contract that spells out this arrangement, otherwise you may be waiting months for the final payment because of one back ordered plant.

If you only provide design services and not design-build, there can be a significant lag time between turning over the design and its installation. It is not uncommon for plants to be temporarily unavailable or even out of season. And this is not unique to just design-only situations - plant availability and seasonality are factors as well for installation contractors, even in my area that has a year round gardening and landscaping climate. Unfortunately, many clients are instant gratification types that require a completed garden design immediately. I always provide alternate choices for any significant plantings and maintain a tickler system for clients still needing rather unique or very seasonal items and then call them when those plants become available. It is a bit more work but helps to maintain the integrity of the design, reduces inappropriate substitutions and prevents the design from becoming unnecessarily mundane.

Of course it helps a lot to have a large number of nurseries at one's disposal as well as a very broad plant palette to work with :-)

Even the most common stuff varies in availability, due to unforeseen mishaps at the growers if nothing else.

Well, I called the nursery, and they should have the plants in a couple of weeks. That should coincide with the install.

The last two clients I've signed up specifically asked for 'something different' for plant material. So I'll probably be running into this problem again. I have offered to go to a perennial nursery for a client if her contractor wouldn't get the specific plant.

It's interesting to read how others do things, though. I guess that's the value of a forum, huh?

It helps to have a nursery affiliated with your install business. I don't do landscaping, but my daughter does. When a plan is OK'd, she scours and gets it and we keep it in our own nursery until the installation. It also allows us to pick up interesting specimens with future designs in mind.

It helps to have a working relationship of this sort, and it doesn't have to be "family". She also works well with another couple landscapers, and when one of them is on a buying trip, they'll occasionally pick up stock for the other. There is a lot to be said for considering others in the trade as allys.

I do design/build, work with a landscape contractor who I get along with. I also manage a nursery which supplies only my business with perennials, shrubs, etc. We propogate as well. This allows you to make an income from those clients who already have to buy plants and makes it easy to complete a job.

I'm very aware of what plants I recommend. Is it important to the customer that you recommended 'a' or 'b' or did they just go along with your suggestion? I find that I make my life a lot easier by steering customers to the path of least potential issues. I often have an inventory of plants that I've bought on sale, dug up to remove,etc. I prefer to use these not only so they don't go to waste but also because I simply have them. Why suggest red rose 'a' when 'b' is more or less as good? There may be a good half dozen small specimen trees that would suit a location. Why not chose the easiest one to obtain?
In general customers look to us for specific plants and I take full advantage of that from the earliest planning. I want them happy with results and the less stres the better on my end. In my earliest years I spent as much time 'puting out fires' as doing the initial job. Now I go the path of least resitance and sleep better at night.

>Why not chose the easiest one to obtain?Lack of diversity. This is a problem because it a) creates boredom, b) monoculture with possible losses to epidemics, c) favors mass production operations which already have a nasty habit of taking over and dumbing things down.

Plantcomposter:
"I find that I make my life a lot easier by steering customers to the path of least potential issues."

Excellent advice. We're the professionals and we're suppose to know what works to get the job done on time, on cost and have a happy customer at the end of it all.

I also agree with all those who have some type of substitute clause. This clause, however, shouldn't be a crutch to be sloppy in meeting the expectations of the customer.

My clients might like nandinas in one spot and ilex crenata around the a/c unit. But I'm not going to landscape the whole yard with coneflowers, coreopsis and daylilies -- they'll see the same plants all over their neighborhoods.

I've learned through trial and error that the best way -- for me -- is to tell them in advance that I will recommend some substitutes on the plant list, so if the nursery is out, the client and my installer know there's another good plant for the space. They don't know a heuchera from a hellebore, but they know their neighbor's yard doesn't look as good as theirs nor have as interesting plants -- my clients want something unique as well as attractive, or they would not have hired me.

I decided on this policy at one point when I couldn't find azalea 'Mandarin Lights' -- I ended up subbing flame azaleas, and just wished I'd told that client beforehand that I might. Fortunately, they are in bloom now, and she loves them. Whew!

By the way, check out www.thegardenforums.org -- I like it -- a good supplement to gardenweb.

J.