Flowers - Annuals

[Soulsearching]

I'm ready to plant my annuals, particularly Wave Petunias and Million Bells.

Maybe some of you can help me out.

I just love them and plant them everywhere!

Budget wise, should I be buying them at Lowes or Homedepot?


Or do you have another suggestion?

 

[herdtoDisney]

There is a large open-air farmers market in a large city near me, where on weekend mornings, they sell flats of annuals at really good prices. If there is something like that in your area, you might price them out. Or, perhaps a local nursery might have them reasonably.

 

[Purseval]

Our Lowes has a distressed plant section in the back where they sell the stuff for 75% off. Usually all the plants need is a bit of TLC and they are like new in a couple of days. This is how my wife replants her annuals every year plus she will get the occasional hibiscus or mandevillia. Last week she got 4 hanging baskets. You have to check every day or 2, which is easy for us because it's only 3 minutes away.

 

[MEM]

While Lowe's or Home Depot may have a better price, I find the quality of annuals are far better at a tiny local nursery in the town next to mine. In the long run its a better value to pay more for higher quality plants.

 

[briand1023]

I would usually agree that the local farm has better quality, but the other day I watched the truck deliver the annuals to Home Depot and it was from a local farm in Cromwell CT(I am in RI) so they are getting them from a farm and they are cheaper at Depot.

 

[Purseval]

While Lowe's or Home Depot may have a better price, I find the quality of annuals are far better at a tiny local nursery in the town next to mine. In the long run its a better value to pay more for higher quality plants.

Your nursery only has them for the short time it takes to get them large enough to sell, the rest is up to you. A good gardener can do far more with a dying plant found next to a dumpster than a poor gardener who pays top dollar at a nursery, plonks them in the ground and forgets about it. Over the course of a growing season the place of origin will mean nothing.

 

[CinRell]

I find Home Depot and Lowes to both be very over priced. I go to a local nursery that has great prices... and better plants... or a discount chain by me called Marc's... very nice little plants that are dirt cheap...

Like previous posters have said, the sales tables with plants that may just need a little help are great deals.... I"ve brought back to life many of these... veggies too. I got a ton of great peppers from plants that nobody would buy because they thought they were "too dead"... about a buck a plant and lots of yummy hot peppers

 

[leadfootlevi]

I've found coupons for local garden stores. Buy one get one free, $2 off a flat, etc. I go to a few places and use up the coupons - only buying the minimum. If I need more after that, walmart. If I need a bunch more, Lowe's with a 10% off coupon.

 

[Purseval]

I got a ton of great peppers from plants that nobody would buy because they thought they were "too dead"... about a buck a plant and lots of yummy hot peppers

The largest habanero plant we have was given to us for free at an Ace Hardware store just to get rid of it.

 

[SandrA9810]

I've gotten some cheap, under a buck, plants at the box store cause they were "dying". It just needs a bit of love and TLC. However, that won't always be the case.

And each box store handles things differently. At my ex's old home depot store, any broken bag of garden stuff was tossed on a pallet. Rocks, mulch, dirt, and a rare occasion ferterlizer. They'd sell the pallet for $5, and I'd just have them drop the pallet on the back end of the truck bed. Fit perfectly in the Ranger.
Some of it was good stuff, some of it not so great stuff. I'd take what I wanted and give the rest away on free cycle.

Now the home depot store I worked at in Orlando did no such thing. Like it was a crime against humanity. So you just have to talk to the department head and see how they mark things down.

As far as plants go, each store orders locally from different nurseries. And some of my favorite nurseries in South Florida, weren't in Orlando. Although there are some nationwide nurseries, I think Bonnie is one of them. About half or more come from local nurseries.

I've bought most all of my vegetable plants this year from the flea market. Most of them were really cheap and a lot better than the box store. And around here there's nurseries a dime a dozen, but of course this is almost all agriculture out here.

 

[swilshire]

Check your local high schools. Three of ours have FFA clubs and greenhouses. We buy lots of veggie and flower plants from them. Very inexpensive.

Sheila

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Also try Kmart and Walmart.