Growing Woody Ornamentals for Profit

Woody ornamentals, also known as woody cuts, or simply "woodies," are trees and shrubs whose branches are harvested and sold for floral arrangements and craft products such as wreaths. Most woodies have colorful stems, like Red Twig Dogwood, unusual stems like Curly Willow or attractive berries, buds or flowers.

Unlike annual plants like flowers and vegetables, woodies can be harvested over and over again for many years. Most woodies have a lifespan of 20-60 years. New plants are produced from cuttings, so it's easy to replace older plants or produce potted woodies for sale to local buyers or the local garden center. Woodies can also provide a year-round income, as different species are ready to harvest during all four seasons.

Some of the well-known woodies include holly, nandina and wax myrtle in winter, pussy willows, forysthia and witch hazel in spring, smoke tree, nine bark, hydrangea and filberts in summer and boxwood and beautyberry in the fall.

Top 22 woody ornamentals for new growers.

Top 10 woodies that produce up to 100 stems per plant.

How to pick the best woodies for your local climate and soil.

Growing, harvesting and marketing instructions for each species.

6 best "value-added" products to double or triple your profits.

Wholesale sources for hundreds of hard-to-find cultivars.