Shopping for outdoor plants at a local garden center can be a great way to get acquainted with various types of flora. However, in today’s world of online retail, making a physical trip to the plant nursery is no longer necessary. Home gardeners can now order their favorite plants online and have them shipped directly to their door, taking some of the effort out of creating and maintaining an outdoor garden.
While selecting plants virtually may seem like a challenge, the best places to buy plants online offer several features that make the process smoother. Shoppers may find a wider variety of plant types online than they would at their local garden center, and many sites offer informative recommendations and expert advice to help buyers make their decisions. They may also offer innovative shipping methods and customer satisfaction guarantees to ensure the plants arrive intact and ready to thrive.
If you can’t find your favorite outdoor plant at your local nursery, try taking advantage of this modern-day avenue for selecting and purchasing live plants. Below, we’ve rounded up the best places to buy outdoor plants online, from big box retailers to smaller online nurseries.
1. The Home Depot
Price Range: $ to $$$
Our Top Picks: Blue Pacific Juniper Evergreen Groundcover Plant for $21.16, Dark Purple Reblooming Lilac Shrub for $26.97, or Eclipse Hydrangea Shrub for $24.84.
Step inside the garden center at The Home Depot and you’ll find perennials, annuals, grasses, fruits and vegetables, bushes and trees, ground cover, and more. If you can’t get there in person—or if you prefer the convenience of shopping online—the retailer has plenty of plants and seeds available for online ordering and delivery.
The Home Depot lets you filter your search by specific features that are important to your yard, whether you’re looking for low maintenance plants, dog- and cat-safe plants, or butterfly attracting flowers. While you’re shopping for outdoor plants and/or seeds, you can also snag everything else you’ll need for your garden, from soil to fertilizer to gardening tools. It’s a one-stop shop.
2. Lowe’s
Price Range: $ to $$$
Our Top Picks: Autumn Bonfire Azalea Flowering Shrub 2-pack for $42.98, Purple Diamond Loropetalum for $24.55, or Multicolor Hibiscus Bush Flowering Shrub 2-pack for $46.39.
Lowe’s makes shopping for outdoor plants online easy. You can browse thousands of plants, bulbs, and seeds, whether you’re looking for dogwood trees, rose bushes, or marigolds. To help you find what you’re looking for, the plants are broken up into detailed categories, like drought-tolerant, safer for pets, light and water requirements, zones, and even growth rate.
3. Tractor Supply Co.
Price Range: $ to $$$
Our Top Picks: Red Diamond Loropetalum Shrub for $37.99, Green Giant Arborvitae for $24.99, or Drift Peach Rose for $44.99.
Tractor Supply Co. is a haven of all things lawn and garden—including a bevy of outdoor plants. You can browse flowers, ground cover plants, edible plants, trees, bushes, vines, and climbing plants. The retailer also carries tons of seeds, whether you’re looking to plant fruits and vegetables or annuals and perennials.
You can sort your results by features like drought-tolerant or disease-resistant, along with sun tolerance or bloom color. Tractor Supply Co. also has a whole line of organic plants, if that’s important to you. You can have your plants delivered to your home—there’s even a same-day delivery option for eligible products—or opt for curbside pickup at your nearest Tractor Supply Co. location.
4. Burpee
Price Range: $$ to $$$
Our Top Picks: Lemon Basil—200 seeds for $4.45 or plant for $24.96, Baby Cherry Tomatoes—25 seeds for $7.95 or 1 plant pack for $24.96, or Hibiscus, Pink Swirl—15 seeds for $6.95 or plant for $16.95.
Burpee began selling seeds from a mail-order catalog in 1881. Now the largest seed company in the world, it has grown to include live plants, bare roots, and bulbs alongside its massive seed selection.
Burpee offers annual and perennial flowering plants, herbs, vegetables, and fruit-bearing shrubs and trees. It also features heirloom varieties of flowers and vegetables, as well as vegetable seeds and plants that are certified organic. To say its inventory is extensive would be an understatement. On Burpee’s website, gardeners can access instructional how-to videos as well as informative articles on a plethora of gardening topics, problems, and solutions. Keep in mind that the plants’ availability varies per season.
5. Bluestone Perennials
Price Range: $ to $$$
Our Top Picks: Hibiscus Syriacus Purple Pillar for $22.95, Hydrangea Wee White for $24.95, or Rudbeckia Indian Summer for $14.95.
Bluestone Perennials is a family-owned business based in Madison, Ohio, best known for flowering perennials and shrubs. It also features a large selection of chrysanthemums, ornamental grasses, and flowering ground covers. Its inventory exceeds 1,000 plant varieties.
The growers at Bluestone Perennials sow their plants in 100 percent biodegradable pots made from coconut husk fibers. Customers receive their plants in these breathable pots and plant them directly in the ground—pot and all. Over time, the pots become part of the soil, eliminating the need to disturb the plants by transplanting them. Plants develop robust root systems in plantable and breathable pots, allowing them to get off to a healthy start in their new garden homes.
6. Brighter Blooms
Price Range: $ to $$$
Our Top Picks: Thuja Green Giant Arborvitae Tree for $18.99, Little Miss Figgy Fig Tree for $81.99, or Fragrant Tea Olive Shrub for $26.99.
It might seem odd to purchase a living tree from an online source, but Brighter Blooms offers a vast selection of fruit, flowering, evergreen, and shade trees in an enormous array of tree varieties. Customers can select a shipment of trees between 2 to 3 feet tall and 6 to 7 feet tall.
Brighter Blooms’ website also offers a wealth of information, ideas, and suggestions for gardeners. Based on climate, soil, and space considerations, the growers guide customers to select plants that will thrive in their environments. With detailed instructions for planting, pruning, watering, and caring for plants, Brighter Blooms provides the necessary information for even beginning gardeners to succeed.
The company ships from its nursery in Fort Mill, South Carolina, and is not open to the public. Each plant is shipped to the customer with a 30-Day Happy and Healthy Guarantee.
7. Etsy
Price Range: $ to $$$
Our Top Picks: Cherry Brandy Black Eyed Susan for $14.49, Lemongrass Plants (2-Pack) for $19.97, or Giant Ball Onion Allium seeds for $4.99.
Esty is a marketplace for creative vendors who produce unique, handcrafted items for global sales and distribution. The creativity that goes into plant cultivation and propagation is not overlooked on Etsy, which has an abundance of live plants available.
You can search Etsy for live plants by name or by type. Sellers offer various annual and perennial flowering plants, shrubs, and vegetable bedding plants. Gardeners may purchase flowering and fruit trees as cuttings, bare roots, or seedlings. Numerous varieties of ornamental grasses and vines round out the plethora of live outdoor plant options on Etsy.
8. Great Garden Plants
Price Range: $ to $$
Our Top Picks: Drummond’s Pink Creeping Phlox for $15.99, Black Scallop Bugleweed for $14.99, or Dolce ‘Wildberry’ Coral Bells for $15.99.
Great Garden Plants offers perennial shrubs, flowering plants, evergreen trees, and climbing vines for color and foliage. Throughout the website, the growers offer advice for plant selection based on specific needs, such as container plantings, rain gardens, privacy screening, landscape fillers, and a wealth of other gardening objectives.
To ensure that plants thrive, the folks at Great Garden Plants recommend gardeners shop for plants according to the agricultural zones in which they live. The website is replete with information and recommendations regarding various gardening goals and problems. These include small-space considerations, deer resistance, maximizing color, sloping terrains, heat or cold tolerance, wet or dry soils, and more. You’ll get a no-risk 30-day customer satisfaction guarantee for your plants, shipped in amply sized containers.
9. Heirloom Roses
Price Range: $$ to $$$
Our Top Picks: Sunbelt Plum Perfect for $55.00, Golden Celebration Roses for $65.00, or Pretty in Pink Eden Climber for $63.00.
Growers at Heirloom Roses, located in the Willamette Valley region of Oregon, do not engage in the common practices of grafting or budding to create new plants. Instead, they employ a process known as “own root.” Each plant shipped out to customers is a first-year cutting on its roots, grown from a leaf derived from a mother plant. They are small when they arrive, but gardeners find that these plants quickly catch up to grafted roses.
Although many rose varieties form the basis of Heirloom Roses’ business, the company also offers an array of complementary shrubs. These include flowering perennials like crape myrtle, blueberry bushes, hibiscus, and wisteria. Heirloom Roses does not sell vegetables, trees, grasses, or other types of plants.
10. Nature Hills
Price Range: $$ to $$$
Our Top Picks: BiColor Butterfly Bush for $29.90, Tiny Monster Geranium for $49.79, or Patriot Blueberry Bush for $49.90.
Claiming to be “America’s Largest Online Plant Nursery,” Nature Hills offers an astounding array of live plants of numerous types and varieties for diverse gardening purposes. The nursery offers shade trees, evergreen trees, fruit, and flowering trees, as well as a large assortment of bushes and shrubs. On a smaller scale, it features numerous varieties of flowering plants—both perennials and annuals. Gardeners may also shop for an array of ornamental grasses, ground covers, and bulbs.
The website is well organized to make plant selection easy. Plants are categorized for multiple features, including flower color, zone hardiness, sun exposure, growth rate, blooming period, height and spread, and more.
11. Spring Hill Nurseries
Price Range: $$ to $$
Our Top Picks: Little Business Reblooming Daylily for $11.69, Grande Diva Jessye Wisteria for $209.99, or Midnight Marvel Hardy Hibiscus for $25.49.
One of the oldest mail-order garden centers in the U.S., Spring Hill Nurseries has been shipping high-quality plants to gardeners for 172 years. Featuring a large inventory of plant types and varieties, Spring Hill Nurseries offers ornamental trees, flowering vines, shrubs, perennial and annual flowering plants, rose bushes and climbing roses, and bulbs. Its curated collections include plants that work well together to complement or create multiple types of gardens. It does not sell plants for vegetable gardens.
Innovation and improvement remain high priorities for the researchers and horticulturists at Spring Hill Nurseries. They work continuously to ensure their plants perform well in gardens across the U.S. To this end, the Spring Hill team members collaborate with plant breeders and testing agencies, as well as botanical gardens and universities.
12. Cactus Limon
Price Range: $ to $$
Our Top Picks: Aloe Vera Medicine Succulent Plant for $18.50, Mammillaria Fraileana Cactus Plant for $10.25, or Euphorbia Tirucalli Fire Stick for $101.00.
Cactus Limon is a small, family-owned business founded 15 years ago and based in California. The owners have been growing cactus and succulent plants as a hobby since childhood. The website offers plant care tips regarding the appropriate light, water, soil, fertilizer, and other conditions for gardeners to enjoy success in growing the plants.
You can order individual plants or collections of succulents or cactus plants. The assorted collections are assembled and intended as giveaway favors for guests at weddings, parties, and conferences.
13. Plant by Number
Price Range: $ to $$$$
Our Top Picks: Bountiful Island from $170.95, Island with Centerpiece Tree from $279.95, or Property Line from $74.95.
Plant by Number has revolutionized the gardening experience with unique predesigned flower bed layouts printed on high-quality landscape fabric. This product streamlines the garden setup process by offering a DIY solution where users can easily position their plants in premarked spots on the fabric.
The “Available with Plants” collection from Plant By Number also excels in plant selection. These kits allow users to select from recommended plants that work in their gardening zone. Each predesigned flower layout also contains a local shopping card so gardeners can shop for plants at local nurseries if desired.
14. Logee’s
Price Range: $ to $$$$
Our Top Picks: Angel Wing Begonia for $14.95, Blood Orange Tree ‘Vaniglia Sanguigno’ for $49.95, or Banana Plant ‘Dwarf Lady Finger’ for $29.95.
Logee’s is a well-known nursery with many tropical and subtropical plants. Established in 1892 as a small greenhouse specializing in citrus and rare plants, the company has expanded to become a comprehensive garden center serving novice and experienced gardeners. Logee’s offers an extensive selection of plants online, including flowering plants, fruiting plants, and aromatic herbs, making it a top choice for those looking to enhance their indoor and outdoor garden spaces.
One of Logee’s standout features is its diverse and high-quality plant selection. The nursery is renowned for its collection of rare and exotic plants, such as citrus trees, passion flowers, and unique foliage plants, that are often difficult to find elsewhere.
15. Fast Growing Trees
Price Range: $ to $$$$
Our Top Picks: Meyer Lemon Bush for $59.95, Phenomenal Lavender Plant for $24.95, or Hass Avocado Tree for $194.95.
Fast Growing Trees is a well-known online nursery that offers a wide range of trees and plants specifically designed for rapid growth. The company serves customers across the United States and takes pride in its diverse selection of species.
The plant selection at Fast Growing Trees is especially noteworthy for its variety and specialization in fast-growing species. Whether a customer needs flowering trees, fruit trees, privacy hedges, or perennials, this online nursery is equipped to cater to a wide spectrum of landscaping needs and preferences. Additionally, they offer an impressive array of houseplants, ensuring that they have something to offer for indoor spaces as well.
16. TyTy Nursery
Price Range: $ to $$$
Our Top Picks: Kwanzan Flowering Cherry Tree from $19.75, Chicago Hardy Fig Tree from $32.75, or Vernon Blueberry Plant from $16.75.
TyTy Nursery, located in Ty Ty, Georgia, offers a wide range of plants and trees through its online platform. The nursery is known for its diverse inventory, which includes everything from fruit trees to ornamental shrubs, catering to a variety of gardening needs. The nursery’s website boasts a comprehensive selection. It provides extensive details on the care and planting of its offerings, aiming to serve both novice gardeners and seasoned horticulturists.
The plant selection at TyTy Nursery is particularly noted for its extensive variety, featuring rare finds such as Kwanzan cherry trees and a wide range of fig trees. Customers can purchase unique and hard-to-find plants that can enhance any garden space.
17. Great Garden Plants
Price Range: $ to $$
Our Top Picks: ‘Ruby Slippers’ Oakleaf Hydrangea for $23.99, ‘Becky’ Shasta Daisy for $15.99, or ‘Opening Act Ultrapink’ Hybrid Phlox for $14.99.
Great Garden Plants specializes in a wide range of garden plants, from perennials and shrubs to evergreens. This company focuses on delivering healthy, garden-ready plants directly to your door. With a promise of a 100 percent risk-free guarantee, the owners strive to provide confidence in their product quality and customer satisfaction. Their user-friendly website aids customers in making informed choices by giving detailed descriptions and care instructions for all their offerings.
Great Garden Plants’ plant selection is extensive and includes best-selling and hard-to-find varieties. They offer various garden plants, including perennials, shrubs, ground covers, grasses, and more, catering to multiple gardening needs and preferences. Their collections are frequently updated to reflect seasonal availability and popularity, ensuring that gardeners can always find something new and suited to their climate and soil conditions.
18. Costa Farms
Price Range: $ to $$$
Our Top Picks: Tropical Hibiscus Apollo Garden for $34.99, Firefly Petunia for $54.00, or Lemon Top Pothos for $49.00.
Costa Farms is a 60-year-old company specializing in tropical plants and houseplants. They grow more than 1,500 plant species spread across 2,500 acres in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and the Dominican Republic.
Well-known for their easy-to-care-for houseplants and innovative Wick & Grow self-watering pots, Costa Farms also offers a wide variety of sun-loving plants ideal for porches, decks, and container gardens. Their online selection features many rare plant varieties (like the firefly petunia that glows in the dark), and conveniently categorizes plants by sunlight and water needs, making it easy to find the perfect match for your space.
19. Mountain Crest Gardens
Price Range: $ to $$
Our Top Picks: Sempervivum ‘Averil’ for $6.99, Sempervivum heuffelii ‘Henri Correvon’ for $6.99, or Sedum spectabile ‘Rosenteller’ for $6.99.
Mountain Crest Gardens specializes in succulents and is known for its extensive online presence, offering a diverse range of these hardy plants to gardening enthusiasts nationwide. The company is committed to quality and customer service. Its user-friendly website provides detailed care instructions and a wealth of resources for novice and experienced gardeners.
Mountain Crest Gardens offers an impressive selection of succulents, including rare and exotic species, meticulously categorized on its website for easy browsing. It provides everything from individual succulent plants to curated collections and kits, perfect for creating vibrant, low-maintenance gardens. The plant offerings are well-suited for a variety of landscaping needs, such as indoor pots, outdoor gardens, and green walls.
Our Best Advice for Beginner Gardeners
