Get the Best Deal on Plants

These shoppers in a Southern California nursery benefit from the expert advice of a trained staff member (right). A display garden in the background shows what plants look like at maturity, which takes some of the guesswork out of choosing plants.

HOME CENTERS OFFER great prices on common plants, but you must act quickly because plants in good shape sell out fast and those that remain aren't well maintained.

Shopping by catalog or on the Web isn't as risky as it sounds -- most plants arrive in good shape. Though plants are small and some are shipped bare-root, they'll catch up in size with nursery plants.

The short, stocky annuals, on the right, with few open flowers, are a better buy than lanky plants, on the left, nearing full bloom

The thick coiling roots, on the left, indicate a shrub has been in it's container too long. Compare it with a healthier plant, on the right, with thin, fibrous roots throughout the soil.