Home Depot Plant Sales in 2024: When to Shop for 50% - 70% Off

Hunting down the best plant sales is half science and half art. But it’s easy to master both with the right guidance. Home Depot has four major sales with guaranteed plant deals each year, starting with Spring Black Friday in April. But the hidden clearance finds in between seasons are also hard to ignore.

The first thing you need to know: scoring the best Home Depot deals on plants normally requires a trip to the store. Prices at your local Garden Center almost always beat online offers, even during major sales. But if you’re strapped for time, Home Depot offers free delivery on a large selection of outdoor plants.

Our KCL team of experts hunts for plant sales, freebies, and clearance deals at Home Depot every year, so I’ve laid out the best tips and tricks we’ve collected from first-hand experience.

Before we dive in, use these links to boost your plant savings:

• Download the KCL app and “favorite” Home Depot to get the best lawn and garden deals straight to your phone. 

• Coordinate your plant savings with the best mulch sales throughout the year.

Check out our comprehensive list of Home Depot shopping hacks to save more.

Home Depot plant sales start in April, but availability depends on where you live.

The first major sale on plants starts at the beginning of April. But if you live in more northern parts of the country, selections are generally slimmer.

The timing of Home Depot plant deals (and when you officially see a full selection) totally depends on your location. Stores located in warmer climates are always the first to stock up on plants for the season. That’s because each store schedules their plant inventory around the last frost date for the area.

You’ll start seeing robust plants (aka ones that are more frost-resistant) in the Garden Center about two to three weeks before your last frost date. Once that frost date passes, they’ll put out a full selection of flowering plants for spring.

You can use Almanac’s Interactive Frost Map to find out the last frost date for your area, and get a better idea of when you’ll see plants at your local Home Depot.

The best time to shop for plants is Friday mornings.

Home Depot releases a new weekly ad (with new deals) every Thursday. And because Home Depot often stocks up before the weekend crowds, you’ll have the largest selection to shop from on Friday mornings.

But if you’re looking for something in particular, ask someone in the Garden Center to find out when that item gets delivered. With that info, you can pick through products before they’re put out for display, getting the freshest and best-quality stuff.

KCL TIP: Home Depot usually waters plants first thing in the morning, so be sure to grab plastic for your car or you’ll face a muddy mess. There’s usually a bin with free plastic by the Garden Center checkout area.

Best Home Depot Plant Sales to Shop

Spring Black Friday Sale

The absolute best time to buy plants on sale is during the Spring Black Friday event in April, when discounts reach up to 70%. This is when Home Depot has the biggest selection of on-sale annuals and perennials — including marigolds, begonias, petunias, impatiens, dipladenia, hibiscus, and so much more.

Again, the deals and types of plants will vary by location, especially since it’s still pretty cold in northern parts of the country at this time. Mid-to-southern states will see the largest selection of flowers, shrubs, and trees on sale during Spring Black Friday. But even northern areas will get their fair share of deals, particularly in the second wave of the sale.

Best Plant Deals to Look For:

• Ground Cover — $1 (reg. $2.98)

• 6-pack Annuals — $1.50 (reg. $4.98)

• 4.5” Impatiens — $1.50 (reg. $1.98)

• Burpee Herbs and Vegetable Plants — $2 (reg. $2.98)

• Perennials, 1 qt. — $5 (reg. $6.98)

• Ferns, 1 gal — $7.50 (reg. $9.98)

• Dipladenia, 1 gal — $7.50 (reg. $12.98)

Memorial Day Sale

You won’t find the same variety of plant deals during the Home Depot Memorial Day Sale, but this might be a better time to shop if you live in cooler parts of the country. If you’re up north like me, May is when you start planning your outdoor projects for summer, which makes the Memorial Day Sale a great opportunity to save around 25%.

Best Plant Deals to Look For:

• Bonnie Vegetable & Herb Plants, 19.3 oz. — $4 (reg. $5.48)

• Seed Geranium — $2.50 (reg. $3.33)

• 12-Pack Annuals — $10.88 (reg. $13.98)

4th of July Sale

Home Depot’s 4th of July Sale offers about the same selection of plant deals as Memorial Day. But at KCL, we know this event to be one of the best times to buy hanging flower baskets (since they drop to half the price). You can also expect to save up to 50% on larger Bonnie veggie and herb plants (2.32 qt. compared to 19.3 oz. plants).

Best Plant Deals to Look For:

• Annual Hanging Flower Baskets, 1.8 gal — $7.50 (reg. $13.98)

• Bonnie Vegetable and Herb Plants, 2.32 qt. — $5 (reg. $9.98)

• 4.5” Premium Annuals — $3.33 (reg. $3.98)

Labor Day Sale

The last major sale of the year for plant deals is the Home Depot Labor Day Sale, which happens in late August into early September. You’ll likely find a slimmer selection of plant deals compared to sales earlier in the year. But it’s your first shot at saving on mums for the early fall season. Savings usually range between 25% and 40%.

Best Plant Deals to Look For:

• Mums, 1 qt. — $2.50 (reg. $3.98)

• 8” Planter-Ready Annuals — $9.88 (reg. $12.98)

After the Labor Day event, it’s all about hunting down those fall clearance deals at your local Home Depot Garden Center.

When to Shop for Clearance Plants

Home Depot doesn’t clearance plants nearly as much (or as often) as they used to. Many of the sick or dying plants that went on the clearance racks end up in the trash these days.

But don’t give up the hunt. You can still score Home Depot plant clearance deals during seasonal inventory changes — usually 50% off the regular price.

The best times to look for clearance plants at your local Home Depot are July and September. In July, they’ll do a big sweep of spring flowering plants to make room for summer and fall plants. In September, they’ll slowly offload flowering plants altogether for the end of the season.

How to Get Free Plants at Home Depot

Get to know the workers at your local Garden Center.

All Home Depot enthusiasts will agree: having a friendly relationship with your local Garden Center employees is extremely helpful. You can start by asking simple questions, like when they typically expect plant deliveries to arrive (so you know when to shop for the best selection). 

Being a good customer is also important here. Employees are far more likely to give up freebies and leftover plant scraps to a friendly, familiar face. Don’t show up asking for free stuff without ever making a purchase.

Ask for a chance at plants they throw out.

Home Depot throws away a ton of plants each year — like dozens of cartloads of plants and flowers that are either dying or didn’t get a home. They have to make room for new inventory and the fresh, healthy-looking plants that are more likely to sell.

Employees aren’t supposed to sell these plants to customers, but if you get to know the workers at your local Garden Center, you may have a shot at free plants. Or, they may direct you to where they throw plants out so you can go dumpster diving (a dirty, yet rewarding game).

Look for broken leaves on the floor to take home and regrow.

Let me start off by saying there’s a difference between picking up broken leaves and stealing them. I do not at all suggest breaking leaves off of healthy plants or taking ones that could ultimately breathe new life. That crosses the line into theft.

Instead, look for broken leaves that fell on the ground or the tabletops of plant displays. Employees will likely sweep up and throw out these scraps anyway. If you take these pieces home, put them in soil, and give them the love and attention they need, you can grow entirely new plants for free.

Again — being on good terms with employees is important. They’re more likely to say yes if  you kindly ask to take broken leaves home, especially if you’re a repeat customer.

Home Depot gives you a full year to return plants.

Trees, perennials, houseplants, and shrubs have a one-year guarantee under Home Depot’s return policy. So, you have a full 365 days to return them — as long as you still have your receipt.

What’s not covered under the one-year plant guarantee: floral arrangements, cut flowers, and clearance plants.

Take advantage of bulk pricing to save more on plants.

Even during non-sale times, you can save 10% - 20% on plants with Home Depot’s everyday bulk pricing. They have a minimum purchase required to get the discount, but you don’t have to buy a truckload to save with bulk pricing.

The 10% bulk discount usually applies to multi-packs of annual flowers, single 4.5-inch annuals, and ground cover plants (like aztec grass or ivy). You’ll also find the 20% bulk discount on gallon-sized plants like rose bushes and ligustrum.

As you stroll through your local Garden Center, look out for the black and yellow bulk pricing tags on select plants.