Hortfire does offer research services for businesses and nonprofit organizations. We drawn on experience and methods that have been proven effective to meet challenges ahead. The research program is broken into two parts: General and Horticulture. Below is a few examples of what each area can focus on.

General Research:

• Development and implement of fundraising programs.
• Literature compilation and analysis for a subject matter of interest.
• Strategic plan development for programs of a social political nature.

Horticulture Research:

• New introductions of native or ornamental plants for consumer markets.
• Ecologically sensitive and augmentative plans for land use (public or private).
• Plant breeding and Propagation technology.

We are selective in what projects we take on, because if the project is beyond our means, it is important to inform the potential customer of that, yet we are always open to discussing potential projects.

Some of our previous projects include:

• Wreckfish fisheries management plan for the South Carolina Seafood Alliance
• Development of low cost macropropagation system and methodology using recycled materials for woody plant production of maturated cutting wood.

Some of our current projects include:

• Evaluation and selection of Callistemmon rugulosus var violaceus L./ Melaleuca rugulosus var violaceus Pink-Violet color Bottlebrush Bush for landscape use in the United States.

(Update April 2019, we finally have blooms eight years after the seed have been sown. We will continue to monitor this selection for cold hardiness and adaptation to southeastern US climates. We also have chosen a cultivar name “HS18VRS,” our common trade name will be “Vada Rose Pink,” named after Princess V.)

• Evaluation and selection of Callistemmon pinifolius L. Pine Leaf Bottlebrush Bush for landscape use in the United States and ethnobotanical extractions of anti-microbial properties for use in soaps and cosmetics.
• Location, identification, and seed collection of Quercus geminata L. Sand Live Oak populations, within Charleston county, South Carolina. (Current identified populations, Wadmalaw Island, Seabrook Island, James Island, Downtown Charleston, Mount Pleasant, and Isle of Palms.)
• Water use modeling for various different plants with Evapotranspiration data in conjunction to soil types.
• Micro scaled marcopropgation for efficient cutting wood strategy.
• Experimental greenhouse and components design.

The integrity of the research process to yield the most accurate results based on data and other reliable information has been and will always be our firm guiding principal. This is another example of how we want to “Grow Forward.”