How do I choose plants and trees that are on sell for half price?

Hi Judy!

Ask your local nursery if they have a guarantee. My daughter and her husband bought a young red oak for their back yard, and they had a one year guarantee. Unfortunately it didn't make it and they honored the refund. It was also marked down. Some are marked down due to the growing season is coming to an end. Ask them also when the best planting season would be and consider planting during that time in your area. Best of luck!

Hey Judy,

It also depends on the environment you are planning to place plants. In asking for help from the seller, you'll need to know about how much sun (mainly morning or afternoon sun, filtered by branches or full sun) the area in your yard receives, the type of soil you have (sandy, mostly clay, etc.), and how much time you want (or don't want) to spend tending to the new plants. Most nurseries (and even those in the Big Boxes) have people who are able to help you make a well-informed decision. If you have a cellphone/tablet/laptop and wi-fi, you could take it with you and look up some info while at the nursery and make some great decisions and save some money.

Great question! I usually buy up any perennials, shrubs and trees that look good on the discount racks. There's no guarantee they will live through the winter but a few tips to pick good ones. Look for plants with healthy roots - not necessarily leaves. The bigger the roots the better the chance the plant will live. Plant it in the ground as soon as you can so that any fall rains have a chance to water it in and it has a chance to develop more roots. Good luck and have fun.