Comments on: Confession: I buy plants from Big Box stores

By: Bruce

Bruce — Sat, 14 May 2011 23:22:05 +0000

I live in the good old U S of A and will buy wherever I darn well please.

By: Megan

Megan — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 13:30:50 +0000

I used to love Target’s garden center, before I was connected with the wholesale nursery hook up. Don’t feel bad. Today I head to San Rafael for work, and I might just have to take a detour to the Home Depot. Thanks Michelle for the tip!

By: Michelle D

Michelle D — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:13:57 +0000

Why discriminate ?
Spread the love and the money.
I live 12 miles from one of the best stocked nurseries in the North Bay area of San Francisco,…. guess what nursery it is ?….. guessing…. guessing….
“The Home Depot in San Rafael , Marin County.”
Those in the “horticultural know” from Berkeley to S.F to Sonoma and Napa routinely make this particular Home Depot on their ‘Must Go To’ list because the nursery manager, Charlie Rossi, a 40 year horticultural veteran, orders some of the most unique plants at wholesale prices.
This past summer the San Rafael Home Depot had the biggest baddest succulent offerings outside of the big growers in San Diego. HUGE selection, Great quality, Fantastic prices. Service sucks. – guess you can’t be great at everything.

By: allanbecker-gardenguru

allanbecker-gardenguru — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 23:41:17 +0000

There are certain kinds of perennials, in reasonably good health, sold at Home Depot, in large size pots, at small size pot prices, that are not available anywhere else. I support my local independent nursery as much as I can, but good value is paramount and I will take it wherever I can find it. No gardener should be embarrassed for getting the best bang for their buck. The money that doesn’t grow on trees doesn’t grow on plants either.

By: Megan

Megan — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:41:49 +0000

Well, it really depends. This year I purchased from both small business greenhouses and big box store greenhouses.

Big box stores are excellent if you arrive right after a shipment (normally if you ask the staff, they’ll be able to tell you when new shipments arrive – even if they aren’t at all knowledgeable about the plants themselves). Recently I filled up a newly dug area in the front garden with plants purchased at Home Depot. I got 3 big lavender plants, 3 ornamental grasses and some sort of shrub for about $40 altogether. I can guarantee this would have cost $100 at the greenhouse.

You have to be careful though because sometimes it is actually cheaper to go to a greenhouse – for example, in the Spring it was cheaper to buy flats of pansies at the greenhouse and it ended up being cheaper to drive to a farm outside of the city to purchase trees.

I’ve run into problems from plants purchased at local greenhouses as much as ones purchased from big box stores – last year I purchased house plants from the greenhouse and came home with an aphid infestation that ended up murdering many of my existing house plants – so you never know.

By: Christine B.

Christine B. — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 04:44:53 +0000

Good grief. If shopping at Home Depot is a garden sin, it’s way, way down the list in my case. There is, quite simply, a dearth of choices (and small independant nurseries) in my state. So I buy healthy and unusual plants wherever I find them. If that means Home Depot, so be it.

I do find that I apologize to other gardeners for shopping there though. I wonder why that is? During one of my presentations on ornamental grasses, I recommended HD as a source for a rare grass prefaced with the phrase “I know it’s not fashionable to say so, but you can only find this grass at Home Depot.”

Now if I were still using synthetic fertilizers on the (small) lawn, or letting my cat out into the garden to make doo in the neighbors veggie garden and stalk wild birds, then I’d be ashamed.

Christine in Alaska

By: Denise

Denise — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:58:12 +0000

The BBs seem to be able to keep succulent plants going, but most of their plants look miserable. Not your JM though! What a beaut. If I’m there for building materials I always check the plants out but mostly avoid the BBs and will even pay more for potting soil at independents. Something about the lighting at the BBs drives me nuts. But then I never have to buy plants in large numbers.

By: Laura

Laura — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 04:45:03 +0000

I do a little shopping at my local big box. If I’m there for something else, I can’t help but swing by their plant area. Occasionally I’ll find a good deal. Something I can rarely pass up! Generally though, my time is split between the local nurserys. I’m a dreamer!

By: Blackswampgirl Kim

Blackswampgirl Kim — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 01:44:07 +0000

I mostly shop the independents… but when I’m going to a HD or Lowe’s to buy house stuff, I of course run through the plants. And if they have a succulent or tropical–or a new variety of perennial, for that matter–at about half of what I know I’d pay at the independent? You know it’s going into my cart!

By: Rebecca Sweet

Rebecca Sweet — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 22:20:43 +0000

As do I. But like Loree said ‘everything in moderation’. Too bad Target’s closing their garden centers – they were even cheaper than the big boxes when it came to throw-away plants. I’d go in there and just CLEAN UP sometimes….