Best Time to Buy Perennials
I’ve never been much of one to buy my plants from my local Wal-Mart, they usually don’t care very well for their plants and I end up getting diseased or sickly foliage. But, that aside, now is the best time to go perennial shopping! If your willing to hunt through the cast offs to find some better looking plants, you’ll end up saving quite a lot compared to if you waited until spring. You can usually find racks like this one in most general garden centers, and some of the better garden centers have several “must-go” clearance racks for a little more. Most places are pushing their bulbs and fall seeds this time of year, so don’t be afraid to ask where they hide the better deals. Most of these poor perennials are not in bloom, or are fading, so you’ll have to do a little digging to find out the color and normal bloom time. Also check to make sure the blooms aren’t necessary for re-seeding. If you are worried about planting these clearance perennials because they are fading, DON’T BE! If you had planted bulbs instead or waited till spring, they would have ended up looking just like these next fall anyway; it comes with the season.
3 opinions for Best Time to Buy Perennials
gw
Sep 13, 2007 at 11:23 am
I love the off season deals! The huge forsythia shrubs in our back yard were spindly fifty-centers on the clearance rack at Lowe’s when we got them four or so years ago. So many perennials you can just cut way back, anyway; that solves some of the diseased foliage issues, plus it makes the plants build strong root systems.
Rebecca Lehman
Sep 13, 2007 at 11:30 am
Thanks for the tip on pruning. I always get nervous when cutting back shrubs and plants. Like I’m giving it a buzz cut that will never grow back! Ah, but then if I do kill it I can just go buy another for a buck! ha ha.
9 Ways To Save Money In The Garden
May 4, 2008 at 4:29 am
[…] 6. Buy perennials in the fall when they’re on clearance. […]
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