economie

I shopped at Lowe’s and Home Depot for plants and outdoor essentials. The winner earned my loyalty all summer long.

May 31, 20240
I found that Lowe’s (left) had some better sales than Home Depot (right).

Terri Peters

One of my favorite things to plant in Florida’s warmer months is a collection of herbs and vegetables, so I looked for those in both stores first.

Both stores had Bonnie plants and had them on sale, but Lowe’s had a better deal. At Home Depot, three plants were on sale for $12, but at Lowe’s, three plants were on sale for $10.

Lowe’s had a great deal on tomato plants, but Home Depot did not.
Buying soil at Home Depot seemed convenient.

Terri Peters

At the entrance to Home Depot’s garden center, there were lots of different varieties of potting soil, top soil, mulch, and other garden needs stacked up for the taking.

Lots of different types of soil were on sale, and I liked that most brands were situated right up front, where it’d be easy to pull up and load the heavy bags into my car.

Lowe’s had a few varieties of soil on sale, but the rest were toward the back of the store.
Home Depot had a lot of furniture cushions but not a lot of chairs on display.

Terri Peters

This year, we have plans to replace our patio furniture, so I was excited to shop for things like outdoor chairs and backyard dining tables at both stores.

There weren’t many pieces of outdoor furniture on display at Home Depot, though. Although I passed a big section of grills, there were only a few dining tables and one chair and umbrella display assembled for customers to look at.

I find it tough to choose patio furniture without seeing it fully assembled, so I was disappointed.

Lowe’s won for its display of outdoor furniture.
My local Lowe’s (left) had some inspiring displays, but my Home Depot (right) kept things simple.

Terri Peters

Lots of end caps in Lowe’s garden center were turned into displays of DIY raised gardens or stone flower beds.

As someone who loves to walk through a garden center and dream of tasks I can take on in my own backyard, I loved seeing the inspiration sprinkled throughout the area. At Home Depot, there weren’t any DIY projects modeled.

Instead, Home Depot was well-stocked with pre-potted arrangements of succulents and flowers.

One of my favorite things about Lowe’s is its clearance section.
Lowe’s (left) had basic pots available. Home Depot (right) had some colorful options.

Terri Peters

Lowe’s had a lot more terracotta pots on display than Home Depot. Both stores had a big variety of pots, from plastic pots with built-in drains to whiskey barrels for making larger flower-bed displays.

Home Depot seemed to have more cute, patterned ceramic pots than Lowe’s, but the selection at both was plentiful.

I liked Lowe’s section of plants that do well in Florida.
I enjoyed walking around the greenhouse area at Lowe’s.

Terri Peters

I may not be a suburban woman in my 60s, but I definitely preferred Lowe’s to Home Depot for my summer outdoor and garden shopping needs.

In my opinion, Lowe’s plant selection just seemed better, from specialty blooms that excel in Florida to citrus trees to clearance finds begging for a loving home.

Both stores are about the same driving distance from me, but I’d return to Lowe’s over Home Depot this summer for the deals on plants and the impressive displays of outdoor furniture.

Plus, Lowe’s had many inspirational DIY projects on display that made me want to buy everything from stone pavers to raised beds to beautify my outdoor space.

Lowe’s felt more set up for beginner gardeners than Home Depot with its helpful signs and product displays, and I’ll absolutely return there throughout the summer for my outdoor and gardening needs.