Home Depot and its cousins in the big-box store category are what are called "best value" or "operationally efficient" companies. Their success lies in the fact that they can offer the lowest price. They work with suppliers to get the lowest prices that they pass on to the customers. They also keep other costs low including costs of labor. That means that overall, they don't hire truly knowledgeable staff to properly service plant-buying customers nor enough staff over enough hours to properly maintain the plant material. For those customers who appreciate "best value" and think of it as the most important criteria in purchasing plants, then Home Depot and the rest are certainly the places to buy. It behooves you (and other "best value" customers) to do your homework first -- read as much as you can about the plants you want to buy (yes, that means knowing what you want to buy first and what plants are right for your garden). It also means that you should know when their shipments come in to be there before the plants have a chance to sit around without proper care for too long.

Roger's -- and other good independent nurseries -- are what are called "customer intimate" types of companies. Their focus is on taking care of the customer (WELL BEYOND just saying "good morning" and "thank you for shopping"). They have extra costs that "best value" companies usually shave on, particularly when it comes to staffing. "Customer intimate" companies hire intelligent employees and more of them. Those costs are offset by the higher prices you'll find at such places. Customers that want top-notch service are willing to pay the higher prices. If you -- and other nursery shoppers -- need to know what are the correct plants, how to properly plant those plants, how to take care of those plants, and what to do with the plants if you have problems, then Roger's and other good independents are the place to shop. The extra price you pay is for the service. Consider it a tip at a good restaurant.

The quality of the plants at both Home Depot and Roger's is the same. And not. Home Depot, and most other big box stores, pretty much buy from the same main suppliers as the independents. What happens to the plants soon after arrival, though, can make a big difference.

Of course, Home Depot and the others big-boxers offer life-time guarantees: no matter what happens to the plant or why, they'll replace it or refund the purchase price. That means they don't want to bother helping you figure out the reason why the plant died and it's a small consolation for a lot of sweat that you've put into the plant.

Joe

If you know how to choose a healthy plant, don't need help with selection, design, or culture info, then it doesn't really matter. You aren't paying more for a "name", but you are paying for selection, knowledge and sales help when you shop at a "real" nursery.

That said, all growers are not the same. Some are better than others and most nurseries try to buy from the best.
Most of the time, you won't find the new or "unusual" cultivars at the box stores, but if you're landscaping an entire yard and need some of the more common plants (boxwoods, photinia, pittisporums, etc.), the box stores will have a much better price.

So the answer to your question would have to be yes and no. LOL

wanda

There are things you can do to make wiser choices... for example. I got to my local nursery, in which the staff is overworked and underpaid.... I buy a plant, I'd better haul it out of the pot and check and see if it is rootbound beyond belief, or other root problems... I have bought plants there that were too root bound and suffered because of this. I'd do this for either my nursery or Home Depot. I'd check for pests too, not nice to bring home an infested plant.

I always head to one of the local nurseries if I'm "on the hunt" for something special; but will occasionally buy something at HD or Loews if I trip across it and find it interesting. I go to the locals because they usually only carry what is going to grow in our climate, whereas this is not so at the big box stores -- who carry whatever the chain has ordered in large quantity. I also want to support the local merchants who already have trouble competing.... and I DO want them to stay in business.

Well said Joe. Additionally, the big box stores are likely to sell some plant material that won't do well in your area. For example, I bought an Apricot tree many years ago from a K-Mart nursery. I had no knowledge about chilling hour requirements for fruiting trees. Some years the tree produced some fruit and some years it didn't produce fruit. I later removed the tree when I learned about chilling hours and realized the area in which I live did not get enough chilling hours for that particular tree. A reputable nursery would know better than selling stuff that will not grow well in the area where the nursery is located.

I visit the nursery at the big-box stores while I am there shopping for other things. I don't mind the usual stuff there.... Impatiens, Agapanthus, and whatever I see that I've been wanting to get while I am there. But nothing beats a nice local nursery staffed with very knowledgeable people who love plants. In addition, I believe the local nurseries have a lot more to lose (like, the whole shop!) if shoppers stop buying plants there. The big-box places can still rely on their other goods to sell. Finally, at some of the local nurseries I see interesting plants that I just don't see in the big-box stores.

>

Actually, this is not necessarily the case. Many growers will not sell to the Box Stores. For instance, you won't find stock from Monrovia, Monterey Bay, Suncrest, to name a few, at the box stores. And in turn, many independent nurseries have stopped buying from the growers that stock the box stores.

wanda

I shop everywhere(too often my wife says). If I want a flat or two of bedding plants I usually go to a box store where I can buy Kawahara plants in bulk. If I need a large bag of peat costco has the best price,same quality.For the rest of my plants Emerisa,Cal Flora,Kings, or Harmony Farm all in the Santa Rosa area. Al