Where is "around here"? Many nurseries have already had sales. I bet most of the mail order places have had after-spring sales already.

Oops! Nashville area.

You can always frequent Lowe's. They usually have a couple of carts of clearance plants including annuals, perennials, shrubs, and trees. You just have to go and see what they might have put out. I think some better deals will be available in July when they really begin to discount their plants.

I'm not familiar with the nurseries in Nashville, but it might not hurt to ask for discounts at smaller nurseries. I won't say where, but there's a nursery here in east TN that I frequently get good deals at, even during prime season. I'll tell the owner or manager what I'm looking for and ask them if there are any at a lesser price. They'll look around and find one with a broken twig or one that needs to be potted up soon and offer those at better prices. Usually, the plants I get are ultimately as good as the others being sold at full price. If you buy many plants, get to know the people (owners or managers) that run your area's better small nurseries. You may be surprised at the deals you can get.

I look for the clearance rack at any store I go in that has plants.

I really love all the plants I've gotten from Gardens of Babylon. They're more expensive, but oh so healthy. I was talking to them about sales the other day, and you can go to their Web site and sign up for their newsletter to get the heads-up.

Another little nifty secret I've discovered this year is, some perennials are sold as annuals at nurseries because they are supposedly marginal for this zone. Dusty Miller is always tagged as an annual, but I've read anecdotal reports that it's hardy to Z5. I picked up some small 4" pots of Homestead Purple Verbena for $2 apiece, and that too is perennial here I believe. You should see the growth those little plants have put on just this year. Almost scary. :)

The box stores tend to have their discount racks fairly soon if not already. Sometimes they just want to move out stuff to get other stuff in. At this point in the year if it's not on discount I don't buy it until fall.

Home Depot had some of their gallon perennials for $2 when I was by there today. There was nothing I needed, but the Autumn Joy sedums looked good.