One of my go to places for plants is Home Depot. They can have KILLER varieties at great prices! It’s all about knowing what to look for. Here’s my essential checklist to buying plants from Home Depot!
1: Go frequently!
My first tip is to go frequently! Ask one of the Home Depot garden staff what day of the week restocks happen. It usually is the same day every week! Thursdays are the special day in my store!! And honestly, every time we go to Home Depot, I take a quick peek in the houseplant section. While I may not be consistent with anything else in my life, I will check the garden center like clockwork!
2. Picking the best plant
Some of my favorite plants are from Home Depot! The GIANT Monstera with leaves the size of UFO’s? Home Depot! In fact, my oldest plant is a Staghorn Fern that I found at HD! True story! You can order them online and they’ll ship right to your house!
With so much variety, and often a lot of the same ones (especially on shipment day) how do you find the best plant? I always look for 2 things. Healthy mature leaves, and new leaves unfurling. Healthy mature leaves show the plant has a good established root system. New unfurling leaves mean that the plant isn’t stressed. If it’s putting out new growth, it’s got a happy outlook on the world! Some leaves can have damage from being shipped, that’s normal, if you have the opportunity, just weed through the ones available and pick the one that speaks to your heart! These green Maranta Prayer plants are so beautiful, and when they are super happy they get tiny white flowers!
3. Shopping the right section
Do you know why a Fiddle Leaf Fig can live outside it’s entire life, but one that has lived inside that is moved outside can sunburn like a fleshy human? It’s because it’s leaves are adjusted differently to the conditions! Sometimes you’ll see plants that are in the outdoor section that could easily be houseplants as well. Think Birds of Paradise, Cacti, Succulents, etc. It seems like you should just be able to grab one of those and put it in your house, right?! Wrong. Plants that have leaves that are hardened off and adjusted to outdoor conditions will be super mad in your house where they are getting significantly less light. If you’re on the hunt for houseplants, stick to the houseplant section!
4. Checking the roots
I always check the roots of a plant before I buy it, but I only check the roots on a plant that I am committed to. Meaning, I will pick my fave, and then check the roots on it. To do this GENTLY hold the plant at it’s base and turn it upside down to pull it out of the planter. Healthy roots are light-colored and firm.
5. Appearance: What’s a big deal, and what’s not a big deal
Sometimes you’ll see plants that have large water spots or white haze on the leaves. While it may not be the most attractive thing right out of the gate, water spots can be easily cleaned off with Neem oil. And often the white haze on larger leaves is a pest deterrent that will just wipe right off!
Did you know that you can also buy online and pick up in store!? Even plants!! Homedepot.com has loads of plants that are both in store and ready to ship!! And you can shop on the Home Depot app using image search! Its so fun to find a picture of a plant online and upload it to see if the plant is available at Home Depot!
Moral of the story? Head to your local Home Depot and score some new plant babies!!
I’d add one more: Check for fungus gnats by tapping the pot to see if they are disturbed and fly out (I’ve unknowingly brought fungus gnats home from the store and then infected several plants). Try to isolate the plant when you get it home to keep an eye on it and preventatively treat for gnats with a Mosquito Bits soil drench that will destroy any larvae that are just under the soil surface.