Is Lowes Or Home Depot Better For Plants?

Being a plant lover, you must have visited Lowe’s and Home Depot. Both are well-known plant stores with a huge collection of plants and multiple varieties. But which one is better? Let’s understand. 

Both lowes and home depot can be a good choice for your plants, depending on the location. In some locations, Home Depot is better than Lowe’s; in others, it is the opposite. So, one cannot guarantee which one is better. You must visit the store and check the plant quality before buying them.

To know why one is better than another, read this article till the end. Though there is not much difference, it will help you understand the stores’ goodness. However, the difference strictly depends on the location.

Is Lowe’s or Home Depot better for shopping plants?

Both Lowe’s and Home Depot are ideal for buying plants.

The difference lies in your residing region.

These two stores have a lot of branches, and the availability of the plants, their varieties, and qualities completely depends on the location. 

Some locations have better plants in Home Depot than Lowe’s, and some have better plants in Lowe’s.

The purchase rate in Lowe’s and Home Depot is around 24% and 23%, respectively.

Let’s see which one is better.

Which store has better prices for plants?

Both Lowe’s and Home Depot compete in prices.

They give each other a tough fight in expenses daily.

If all other stores have a little higher costs, these two will more or less have the same prices. 

Since both compete in pricing regularly, it is difficult to say which is better in prices and offers. 

Sometimes, Lowe’s goes cheaper, and sometimes Home Depot goes cheaper.

There is rarely any change because both have great competition. 

I found out that Lowe’s sells the plants at 26% lower than the average rate, and Home Depot, 29% lower than the average rate.

But is it worth it? Let’s find out more.

Also read: Buying Plants From Home Depot Vs Nursery

Which store stocks good plants?

Home Depot and Lowe’s have huge collections of plants. 

Home Depot has lesser plant varieties compared to the Lowe’s store. 

Lowe’s has a deeper collection and varieties than Home Depot. 

Home Depot does have plants, but the varieties are not in a very wider range.

They collect multiple plants in the same variety. 

So, if you wish to collect multiple varieties, Lowe’s is a good option. 

The qualities are good in both the stocks.

Both the stores will have some crappy products and a huge number of good products. 

I have visited both the stores.

Once I saw the Lowe’s plants had discolored leaves.

On the contrary, the plants from Home Depot were stunning and green.

I found that another store of Lowe’s had all lovely healthy green plants. 

When I visited another Home Depot, some looked pale, and some were good.

So, you cannot comment and declare about the plant quality.

Sometimes, it is good and sometimes bad.

Besides, Home Depot has more shrubs than other varieties.

Lowe’s has all varieties, annuals getting more places than others. 

All these things greatly depend on the location.

In some locations, it could be the opposite. 

Which store is better for plant sales?

If you are waiting for the sales, you should check this section to know which store to visit.

Home Depot

If you wish to collect plants from Home Depot, you should know when the plants go on sale.

You can get good plants at a better price. 

Usually, the spring, end of summer, and the beginning of fall are some of the best times to find plants on sale in the Home Depot. 

Depending on the region, the store can start the sale a little earlier or 2 months late because of the weather differences. 

During the sales, Home Depot keeps the less defective plants with the good plants on sale to clear their stocks.

It allows them to get more space to introduce new stocks. 

Sales can happen at different times, depending on the seasons.

When fall is about to arrive, the store is in a hurry to clear the stocks, especially the summer-loving plants, to add new plants for the fall. 

During the fall, many plants grow very big because of early maturity.

So, the store is always trying to sell off these matured plants. 

The store also tries to clear the annual plants because they stay alive for one year.

If they are not sold, they will die, and the store will have to dump them.

It is one kind of loss, but it gets managed when these plants come back as compost. 

June is a good time to get low prices on the annuals.

It will last up to the end of summer.

You can go for seeds in the Home Depot.

They come at a cheaper price.

Though it requires a bit of effort while growing, buying a whole plant means you are paying for a professional producer along with the plant. 

Lowe’s

Usually, Lowe’s goes for sale every Monday after new plants get stocked on Fridays.

There are other options too.

Since new plants get stocked on Friday afternoons, the store may declare a sale in the evening so customers can collect new plants. 

Sometimes it is unavailable because the employees need time to organize and care for the plants. 

The sale also goes on weekends, when most office workers get free time to buy plants.

But, there’s a lot of crowd during the weekends.

That is why Monday is a good choice.

Sometimes, the sales go on Wednesday and Thursday, the day before new stocks come.

Here, the store puts the good plants along with the old and almost dead plants. 

These withered plants are put on the sales floor to get the last chance to get sold.

If life is left in these plants, a plant owner can care for it and bring it back to life. It is a kind of clearance sale.

Sales occur after a long weekend or major holiday, depending on the time of year.

It is time to empty the new stocks. 

Sales also occur in the fall when the store needs to clear the summer-loving plants.

These plants won’t stay well in the winters. 

Lowe’s puts the plants on sale whenever they need to empty the stocks as per the seasons and plant conditions. 

The price during the sales will differ depending on the locations.

Lowe’s in Florida doesn’t have a better discount than that of Illinois. 

What do the stores do with dead plants?

Since both the stores have a huge stock of plants: perennials, tropicals, shrubs, trees, etc., all the plants don’t get sold.

Some of them will become old and die back. Let’s see what the individual stores do with them.

Both of them will put all their plants, both new and old, on sale.

However, Lowe’s has a better option here.

Lowe’s puts on their old plants for sale whenever they need to empty the stock. 

Lowe’s

When the plant’s condition is too bad, they still put that plant on the sales floor for a late time to get sold.

After that, the plants that become impossible to save are discarded and used as compost. 

Lowe’s stocks their new plants on Fridays.

So, they put their old and almost dead plants on a good discount offer every Wednesday and Thursday. 

If customers find a way to save the plant, they buy them.

Buyers can even bargain and receive the plant for a few bucks only. 

Customers even get plants at a great deal if any plant’s stem or leaves are drooping or wilting.

Also read: What Does Lowes Do With Old Plants? 

Home Depot

Home Depot sells the less defective plants at a discounted rate, and sometimes, they don’t give any discount. 

Other defective plants get their place in the dumping sites, get added to compost, and return to the store.

Sometimes, the defective plants and the shelves that remained unsold for a month will get their place in stock B.

These are sold at liquidation market areas to be killed and used as compost.

Unlike Lowe’s, you rarely get a discount on plants that have limp leaves or stems. 

At this point, I think Lowe’s can give you better plant deals than Home Depot.

Also read: 5 Reasons Why Not To Buy Plants From Home Depot

Which store has good plant experience and friendliness?

Both the stores have a good experience about the basic things in plants. 

So, they will be able to help you know about the basic requirements of the plants. 

In some areas, both the stores have gained popularity in terms of unfriendliness and poor customer service. 

On the other hand, both the stores have been famous for their friendly behavior and helpful staff members in other locations. 

I cannot declare anyone to be the best because it depends on the locality and people.

Which store is good for a plant’s return policy?

Both the stores have good return policies for plants. 

Home Depot

Home Depot gives the customers 90 days to return the plants like flowers and succulents.

It is one year for plants like perennials, trees, tropicals, and shrubs. 

If you are not satisfied, or the plant died within 90 days, you can return it and get new plants.

You need to have the receipt.

If you don’t have a receipt, the staff will find it with your credit or debit card.

Staff also have a refund verification system where they will need your photo and passport or state ID. 

However, if you often register the returns without a receipt, your refund won’t be successful.

If you ordered online and the plant was damaged when it was delivered to your home, you can return and exchange it.

You get three consecutive days to return the product.

And, you don’t have to pay delivery charges.

Lowe’s

Here also, you get 90 days to return plants like annuals.

For other plants, it is one year.

You can return them both online and offline.

The receipt is required. 

If there isn’t any receipt, the staff will find your purchase through your credit card, Lowe’s card, or phone number. 

If you have bought a clearance plant, you can return it to the store for the store credit for the price you have paid, but not the price of the real plant.

Summary

Home Depot	Lowe’s
Good quality plants, depending on locations.	Good quality plants, depending on location.
29% lower than the average prices.	26% below the average price.
Good return policies include 90 days for flowers and succulents and one year for perennial, tropical shrubs, and trees.	Good return policies, 90 days for annuals, and others, one year.
Defective plants are sent to liquidation markets.	Old and almost dead plants get a last chance on the sales floor and then dumped for composting.
Have lots of plant stocks but fewer varieties.	Have more varieties than Home Depot.
Experiences and helpful staff, depending on location and people.	Good helpful staff, depending on people and location.
Fewer pot options.	Good pot options are available.

Final thoughts

There is not much difference between the two. Both have good quality plants, good sales, good return policies, and everything is more or less fine. 

However, Lowe’s is better than Home Depot if you want multiple varieties. Another point that makes Lowe’s better than Home Depot is their pots. Lowe’s provides your plants with more fashionable pots compared to Home Depot.

Other than that, both are better for plants. You can also try alternatives like Walmart, Costco, or the local nurseries in your locality. These stores will also offer you healthy plants.

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Sources: Effects of Plant Growth Retardants and Pot Sizes on Plants, Pot size matters.