Fall Clearance Sales

[ButterflyLady29]

I have a love/hate relationship with fall garden section clearance sales. Last week hubby and I went to Lowes and I went out to the garden center. They had square pots of pansies (the dark pink to white ones which I loved but could buy only in the pot at the cost of $13 per pot!) for 50 CENTS! So even though my fall gardening list was shortened by the few things I did get finished, I just had to buy those poor pansies which really wanted to come home with me. I bought all the car could hold, then later went back with the van and bought more. I have larger pots to put the potted pansies in and more empty large pots for the ones in 6 packs. I love pansies, they are so cheerful and wonderful when the snow is still on the ground and those pansies are blooming like it's spring. Their beauty is fleeting when compared to some other annuals but they give so much cheer to dreary fall and winter months.

Last year my potted pansies got drowned. We had repeated rain, freeze cycles and their pots got filled with water. I hope I've avoided the situation this year. Last time they were in pots with built in saucers underneath, this time the pots won't have saucers and drain much better.

And I still have other plants that need to be put in the ground including 2 butterfly bushes, one of which is in a very large 8 gallon or so pot. I dread digging that hole.

[imafan26]

Lowe's has good end of season sales. I usually get potting soil and some garden ornaments at the end of season. They have a rack all year round for the mark down plants and if I go regularly they are not in too bad a shape. Walmart's mark down plants are nearly dead and once they get on that shelf, it just goes downhill from there. Walmart and Lowe's do have good mark downs on patio furniture. I need to replace the seat cushions soon. I just have to find ones that will fit my bench.

[ButterflyLady29]

I love/hate Lowes. Most of my plants have come from the "please rescue us" rack there. I love them for their selection, availability, and prices but hate them because I have a serious weakness for cheap plants. They make me work much harder than I should.

I don't shop Wal-Mart's plant section very often. The stores here often let their plants die on the shelf. I've never seen so many plants dried up and wilted as I have at Wal-Mart.

[KeyWee]

Ahhh, the Lowe's "buy-me-I'm- dead" rack of plants. I have found many things for next to nothing and have had success with almost all of them (helps if you know what will pull through or not). Here's a tip ~ if you get to know someone in the garden center, they will mark the prices down even further! Especially if you say "okay, I'll take ten of these off of your hands". Try it and see. Yeah, and Walmart plants ~ only if I absolutely HAVE to have something they've got, which is never.

[rainbowgardener]

I just ordered some spring bulbs from a fall clearance catalog, more than half off the price. It finally occurred to me that I still had time to plant bulbs, being here in the South. We will see how they do with limited chilling hours. And I read where daffodils are a common part of an apple tree guild, which gave me an excuse to plant them!