Is Lowe’s Or Home Depot Better For Plants

One of my favorite things to decorate the house is plants and flowers. And one of my favorite times of the year is when spring comes around, so many of us get the urge to shop for new plants and flowers. You can go into any of the two biggest home improvement retailers and find an array of flowers. They look perfect and well taken care of all year long, particularly in spring. Their offerings are picture-perfect. But which of the two mage retailers, Lowe’s or Home Depot, is better when shopping for plants?

The two have an amazing selection, but Home Depot takes the medal here. In my opinion, there is no better place to find practically anything plant related you may be looking for. Home Depot’s offering is highly localized, has the biggest diversity, and has the best quality.

Stay, and I’ll review what each retailer offers their overall quality and sourcing secrets. Some will be pretty obvious, but for others, you will be surprised to find out!

Where Both Retailers Source Their Plants From

Let me start by saying that not all stores offer the same thing. The reason for this is that both retailers try to source as close to their store as possible, so clearly, a store in Michigan will have a bit of a different offering than a store in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The manpower needed to maintain the plants alive when dealing with non-regional types of plants would be unmanageable for the store. Additionally, they want to keep the customers happy, and selling plants that will not do well in a particular environment will be detrimental to customer service.

You may be surprised that both retailers source from the same plant farms! Yes, you heard that right. They don’t offer the same array of plants but depending on the specific plant; it typically comes from the same local nursery.

Plants are usually transported in non-refrigerated rigs, so travel distance from the nursery to the stores is important. They don’t necessarily have to be big nurseries; many times, they are smaller family-owned nurseries. As long as they can commit to the inventory in a certain region, they get the plant contract. 

The Plant Offerings at Lowe’s

On the more limited side, you can find Lowe’s offering. Here the retailer has tried to stay, for the most part, with the most common categories to offer in their garden section. Things like Perennials, Annuals, and House Plants are the typical categories. And to fill them, they offer a wide variety of plants and flowers. For the most part, the quality is good, and the setup is always on point. 

Like any big retailer, it may be a bit hard to find someone to help you on the floor while at the store, so I suggest doing some research on what you are looking for ahead of time and go straight to the point while physically there. That said, their online store is a good source for research ahead of time. There you can find plants according to their light requirement and a good graphical of the common temperatures in your area so you can shop for plants that will do well in those temperatures. 

The Plant Offerings at Home Depot

Cross the street, sometimes literally!… You will find the Home Depot store and its bigger and wider offering. Not only do they have what Lowe’s offers, but in addition to that, you will find Succulents, Bonsai Trees, Pond Plants, Trees & Bushes, and Edible Garden. Find the best plant nursery in your area, and Home Depot will be right there, neck and neck.

It’s been my experience that every time I walk into the Garden Section at a Home Depot, I find it more expansive than at Lowe’s. And all the plants look amazing, which says a lot about how well they are kept once they arrive at the stores. 

I have sourced many of my gardens and indoor plants from Home Depot, and I am happy to say they have all lasted a great amount of time. Of course, the typical annuals, like Petunias and Impatiens, but also beautifully sourced Bonsai Trees that will give you a delightful view for years to come.

Home Depot also has a great resource for plant information on its website. From shopping by flower color to amicable temperature plants in your region, Home Depot breaks it down for the customer.

What is the Pricing Difference Between the Two Stores?

It is not surprising that they are pretty much the same. They are competing for the same clients, not only on the plant offering and pricing but overall as retailers. They are each other’s main competitors. So the pricing is not substantially different. Although I cannot put my hand on the fire with this statement, Home Depot always has cheaper pricing than Lowe’s. 

When the Best Time to Buy the Plants is if Price is a Factor

If you are a plantaholic or just careful not to overspend in the Garden sector at either Lowe’s or Home Depot, I am sure you are wondering if the plants are ever put on sale.

And the answer is a resounding yes! As you can probably guess, they are live plants, so there are some losses that both stores take if they don’t get out of the inventory they have quickly enough. So they put plants on sale multiple times yearly to get rid of what they have before they die completely.

The timing differs a bit depending on the region because spring and fall may not come the same week, depending on the location. But for the most part, both stores will put plants on sale primarily before the fall and spring seasons.

I say primarily because they need to make room for the inventory of strong winter plants and the avalanche of inventory for the spring, which is generally the highest planting season. This, in addition to just regular times during the year when they will put on sale plants that start to wilt and very mature plants.

They would rather make some money by discounting them than throw them completely away, which is their ultimate fate if not sold. 

In general, both Lowe’s and Home Depot are good sources for your plant needs. But if you are a heavy-duty plant lover, I would inline more towards Home Depot. Overall the variety, quality, and pricing are much better than at Lowe’s. Buying your plants from Home Depot will bring you smiles year-round, both indoors and outdoors.