I went to Lowes and they had a much better selection than HD. I almost bought some roses there.

I did buy 8 azaleas for $1.97 each!

I have also found that lowes has a much better selection in the garden center. Having a friend that works there in the garden center is also nice too!

I'm sure that different locations of either store might be better or worse than another. Just by visiting different HD stores (I don't care for Lowes so I don't go there), the variety of stuff above the ordinary can really vary.

I really like the HD Landscape Supply store in Woodstock - now there's a place that you can find stuff and find it in different sizes to boot. When I was looking for variegated yucca last year, it was there (and plenty to choose from).

See that's the thing though you're looking for different stuff than a lot of folks. HD and HDLS always has more coastal plain plants, magnolia G., wax myrtle, yaupon, palmettos, sabal minor and things like that. Whereas Lowes seems to carry a wider assortment of tranditional McFlora. Hydrangeas, Roses, Shade and flowering trees etc etc etc. I found some rather large virginia sweetspire at lowes for around $17. I have to give HD some credit though. Their selection seems to be improving. Saw a Colorado Blue Spruce at the Buford store not long ago.

I'm near Atlanta and I wish I could find wax myrtle anywhere!

Elisabeth, I have gotten wax myrtle (both species and dwarf) at Buck Jones. There is a location north of Roswell on Hwy 140 and another one in Grayson (Gwinnett). And you might be able to ask a local nursery to order some for you. Don't just depend on what's in stock.

Quirky, you're right ... we all have our own special criteria in deciding who has "good" stuff. HD had 3 gallon Henry's Garnet sweetspire for $14, but just a few. Of course they had rows and rows of juniper, boxwood, pieris, hollies, ligustrum and all the usual evergreen stuff that most people crave.

And they had one gallon azaleas for $1.50 including some nice Formosa ones with lovely purple blooms. And blooming jasmine - what a fragrance!

I saw wax myrtle today at Kilpatrick's (Buford). Small ones. I think I saw them yesterday at Pikes Wholsale buford too.

esh- remember I am suffering from reverse-zone denial and the plants that are the most appealing to me are those that don't remind me of the tropics. Just a matter of different tastes. And that's what's great about gardening here is you can go either way. I just try to use plants that will not grow in z8b or below.

We have some very good nurseries here but often they carry the same old plants as everyone elese. Just more of them. I like Lowes...I usually find interesting plants if I look frequently enough. I bought 7 of those 1.97 azaleas today and may go back for tomorrow for more.

The HD Landscape (in Duluth) usually has a better selection, especially if you want a larger or larger volume of plants. I'm going there this weekend to get manure and pine bark mulch to do my rose beds.

This is why I have been avoiding them. But this weekend is going to be so beautiful I will probably break down and go buy a bunch of stuff.

I love the idea of reverse zone denial! That's a good one. I live in a constant state of shade denial - always pretending I have more sun than I do. Not to mention weed denial.

Quirky, where is Kilpatrick's in Buford. I'd like to check them out if you recommend them.

Over here in the Birmingham area, I find great variance between individual Lowe's and Home Depot stores in terms of selection. The closest Lowe's to me, for example, has the most boring selection of plants imaginable. There's a Home Depot in the southern suburbs, though, that always has a lot of interesting stuff. In fact, I really need to make a trip down there! A lot of my native azaleas were purchased from HD's, including two Rhododendron austrinum with variegated leaves ('Dodd's Variegated'). I also have two nice-sized 'Athens' sweetshrubs that I purchased from HD. I also noted this year that a couple of the HD's are selling Tom Dodd nursery selections of Pieris japonica that are supposed to be better suited for our climate. As if we need something ELSE to want!

I love living dangerously (at least as far as plants go) so I'm off to Hastings, unfortunately I always find something new there that I've just got to try.

I was at HD yesterday afternoon. The plants were beautiful! In fact the were unloading a truck while I was there. Fresh!
But they were selling tender Annuals. There was a rack full of Caladiums. I might push things, but caladiums? Accuweather says we're going to have lows in the lower thirties next week. I don't know how accurate they are, but it's a possibly.