Around here, Lowe's has fantastic clearance plants all year, it seems. I remember at the beginning of the season they had racks and racks full of less-than-perfect plants that were marked down HEAVILY. It just takes a person with an ounce of confidence in their gardening skills to grab some great deals.
Home Depot's clearance rack was, unfortunately, far more sparse. I can't blame them, though, I have to imagine Lowe's is losing their shirts on all of the mark-down items...unless they are making bookoo (sp?) bucks on accompanying supplies.