I don't shop at Ghetto-mart. Something about the atmosphere there just doesn't appeal to me.

Lol not what i asked but ok... just wondering if any one has gotten anything good from their walmart EVER

I'm not snobby about buying plants and our Walmart always has a good selection - if you go early since things sell out fast here and sometimes aren't resupplied. A couple of years ago, I needed some Crimson Pygmy barberry and Walkers Low Nepeta because deer leave them alone. Walmart had nice healthy specimens of both. Have also gotten Birds Nest spruce, a peony or two, and a white bleeding heart. All have done well - as have the annuals I sometimes buy there.

I did buy some Dahlia tubers there this year. All are doing great.

I used to work for Wal-Mart and I hate to shop there...but it's hit or miss. You can find great things sometimes, but you will probably never find them again. They were one-time buys.

That's been my experience. In general, not where I choose to look for garden plants.

Today I was looking for salvia coccinea, and surprised that even Lowe's didn't have that little annual. I'll have to hit a real nursery next week and see if I can find some annuals to add some color.

I know some Walmarts can have pretty darn good garden centers. Sadly, mine does not. It used to have a halfway decent one, especially if you happened to get there just after a delivery. I actually bought quite a bit of sedum kamschaticum there which has done very well. I think I also bought some hostas and daylilies, which are tough and do well anyway. Can't think of anything else, although I'm sure I've bought a few other things on impulse. I did buy seasonal mums and annuals there too.

The last three years or so the garden area has gotten smaller and smaller and last year was downright pathetic. A few sad plants that looked like they should be put out of their misery.

Dee

I can't. My garden beds are lovely and full but not thanks to WM. It's been my experience their selection isn't particularly wide and I was rarely tempted by whatever they offered for sale.

I had better luck with bare-root perennials from Costco.

On impulse, I bought a bag of bare root peonies from WM's orphan barrel to add to my existing peonies. They were nice tubers with good eyes. They actually grew like gang busters and bloomed the first season. The only problem - they were misidentified (as is often the case with their bag-o-bulb type things). However, the single whites are gorgeous; the others fine too. Not what I was led to believe by the label that I was buying for my $4.98, but what a bargain surprise anyway.

Thanks for all the replies! The only greenhouse here closed because they are building a popeyes ... and right after that happened walmart got TONS good of plants. i think they know they are one of the main garden centers now...so they stepped it up!

Hi
I'm a frequent shopper there not because I go looking for plants but because my wife is buying groceries lol
I usually check out the "deaths door" orchids tropical houseplants and annuals . i bought a "bat plant" Tacca species for 4 bucks and got a free sign that said "BOO! lol
Have also bought gesneriads , caladiums , holiday cactus nepenthes.
The trick is to not ask any ?? know a bargain when you see one . I do buy pine bark fines there as well as top soil .half the price of competitors and better quality
All this and it saves me from looking at canned goods and baby clothes lol gary

Gary, I think the sign that said "Boo!"" was worth the 4 bucks alone, lol! Thanks for the chuckle!

;)
Dee

Two years ago in the spring, I got two bags (5 each) of peonies for $1 a bag because they were from the fall before and were very dried up. I planted them and some came up that year but they were tiny.

Today, all 10 are up and growing great. I even think I will get blooms this year from them. It will be fun to see what color they are.

You will get hits and misses from just about any place you buy your plants. If you are a careful shopper and look at the plants carefully, you can get great bargains at Walmart.

There were some nice Hellebores at one of the WMs this spring...also nice Lilacs (presumably 'Miss Kim', though there was no tag). Last year I spotted what I am fairly certain (again, no labeling) was a 'Flames of Passion' Geum.

I've gotten a number of things there. The ones I can remember off the top of my head:
Anemone blanda, Iris reticulata, purple smoke bush, and a 'Touch of Class' Polemonium (pic below)
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CMK

Now, why should I go to my local nursery and get the same white alyssum for 35-50% more? I do that with the commoner things that I plant each year. Also it's the main store near us besides Menards that has flowers (and the folks at WalMart are nice and most of the customers are... no more odd that I am except I don't have on pajama pants and terrycloth slippers.... BUT there is a very nice greenhouse/nursery out in the country that I go to when I feel like my heart is strong enough to take it. WOW, the planter combos they come up with are outstanding! Lotsa variety on annuals; I bet they have at least 40 varieties of coleus. I do not purchase these tho, but I sure look them over. My garden is dry and very windy, so I buy and try certain things that catch my interest.
If you find what you want at WalMart and it looks healthy, take it home and take care of it...

I bought some blue and white hyacinths for 98 cents a piece from there in late March and they were beautiful and smelled amazing, but they only lasted a week and a half because they were in full bloom when I bought them. But I believe they're perennials so we'll see if they come back

"Now, why should I go to my local nursery and get the same white alyssum for 35-50% more?"

Because by doing so one supports the local nursery.

Your hyacinths are perennials. Let them grow where they are and next year, you will have another bloom.

Now im going to have to support the local popeyes...lol

It depends entirely on who is doing the buying for the nursery.

In one town, the buyer actually knows what will grow and what won't ... they have vegetable starts at the right time of year and a lot of plants from local suppliers. They have very few totally unsuitable plants.

In another - the buyer has no clue about plants and it's as though they think whatever SoCal is sending must be OK for Phoenix.

I got some blackout lilies from Walmart on clearance in 2012. They did nothing or near nothing the first year. Last year (the second year), they were GORGEOUS. I was shocked and beyond happy. I will try to remember to add pics. They are back this year and have babies, too. :)

I also bought starsister dahlias. They did so-so the first year. Some came back last year and did a little better. Three came back this year, and I think they will do very well. Considering dahlias are annuals in my area, I am happy.

I bought a light blue lobelia last year also. Not only did it bloom very nicely, but it dropped more than enough seed for another round.

I also bought what I call baby daffodils from WM last year. Four out of five came back, and they were much larger this year. I bought more this year. :)

I have had other things from there not come back, but I think they were mainly clearance bulbs. The selection is not great and flowers are often not great, but I still check occasionally. There are certainly plenty that look sad.

Starsister dahlias are my absolute favorite WM plant! Mine from last year didn't come back though, so I'm hoping they get them in again this year. I LOVE them.

Got some autumn joy sedum and bare root daylilies as well. About 75% of daylilies were mislabeled, but I was expecting that and don't care.

Big bag of daffys and another couple bags of tulips - all of which keep coming back except some purple ones that disappeared. For tulips, I thought that was awesome.

I've noticed in the last few years a shift towards more perennials. I think that's a good thing.

Oh, and a decent - sized windmill palm for 12 bucks!

I've bought annuals from Walmart, as long as you get them early, they are fine. I notice the Walmart garden center is not great about keeping them watered. I don't buy too many there, simply because they are no cheaper than my local nursery, which carries a larger selection and takes better care of them. I do buy my daffodil and tulip bulbs from Walmart and all have performed well.

Like most have said, its really hit or miss. Last year they lily bulbs bag, the ones that have 3 or 5 to a bag for a dollar. I got 3 or 4 bags. As far as the plants go, I rarely buy plants there anymore. With Lowes, Ace Westlake hardware store, farmer market, Kaw valley and Grass pad, I can better deals than Walmart. They have a wide selection and much better customer service.

One of the problems we run in to here is plants come into the Big Boxes and garden centers - even the good ones - too early for optimal planting conditions. And even some of the very reputable places will be glad to sell you zone inappropriate or iffy stock - not exclusively a WM trait. In past seasons, I've notices many of WM's garden center plants come from no farther away than Michigan, Wisconsin and southern Minnesota. After an extended and extremely harsh winter like the one we're slowly emerging from, people are anxious to buy and get their hands in the dirt.

Here it is, May 7, still snow piles here and there and the air temp is only36 o. I could buy early, house things in the garage and by Memorial Day or the week after have all kinds of stressed out and root bound things. This is a part of the country where the calendar isn't your best guide.