For a long time, we were all worried that the big box stores were going to drive our local nurseries out of business. They didn't have a great selection, but they were buying things in such huge quantities that they could sell plants at a fraction of the cost at nurseries.
Well, that day seems to be over. Sue and I went to four or five nurseries last Thursday and then went to Home Depot and Target. The prices at the latter two were consistently and appreciably higher than at the nurseries. Home Depot, for example, was selling Cinerarias for $4.99, whereas King's -- a high-end and high-priced local nursery -- was selling them for $2.99.
The next day Barbara and I went on our monthly cat-food run to Walmart. It was offering potted Ranunculus plants (just one bulb per pot) for $4 each. Sue and I had seen these at all of the nurseries for $1.50-$2.50. Barbara and I went to our local nursery after we checked out of Walmart and found Ranunculus, with three plants in each pot, for $1.50 each.
This is great news for the nurseries. In the past, they could only compete with their more varied assortment, which wasn't of much value to the biggest buyers -- landscapers, but now they have competitive prices too.
