While plant shopping is an exciting time for gardeners, it comes with its challenges, namely, what plants to buy and where to buy them. Depending on what you’re buying, you might want to shop at both online plant retailers and local garden centers. Here’s a look at the benefits of each type of retailer and tips about what plants are best to buy from each place.
- Sandra Mao is the author of Vibrant Harvest.
- Rhonda Kaiser is the founder of Southern Home and Farm and author of The Vintage Farmhouse Garden.
- Justine Kandra is a horticulturist with the Kemper Center for Home Gardening at the Missouri Botanical Garden.
Benefits of Local Garden Centers
From getting specific gardening advice to inspecting the plant yourself, there are many benefits of shopping for plants at a local garden center.
1. You Can Inspect the Plant
It’s hard to beat the experience of going to a local garden center or nursery and seeing, touching, and smelling the plants yourself. You have a chance to inspect each plant, assess the health of the roots and stems, and ensure it’s pest-free before bringing it home. Plus, you can pick out the plant that you think will do best in your garden. For example, you might pick an annual plant that’s not yet in full bloom, so that you’ll get to enjoy more flowers after it’s planted in your garden.
2. Plants Are Larger
Another benefit is local garden centers typically have larger plants. “Local nurseries tend to carry larger and more mature plants than those shipped online, which is perfect for gardeners looking for instant impact with full-grown blooms or established veggies,” says Sandra Mao, author of Vibrant Harvest, which will publish in December 2025. If you’re searching for large shrubs and trees, these are likely only available at your local garden center because they’re too heavy to ship.
3. Local Gardening Advice
If you’re new to gardening, you can get valuable advice from the garden staff at your local nursery. Because the staff is knowledgeable about your specific growing zone, they can help you decide between different plants or figure out what plants to put where.
4. Better Adapted Plants
If you opt to shop at a local nursery or independent garden center, they typically “grow their plants on-site or source them from nearby growers,” says Rhonda Kaiser, founder of Southern Home and Farm and author of The Vintage Farmhouse Garden. “This often translates to hardier plants that are already acclimated to your local climate and gardening zone.”
Benefits of Buying Online
Aside from the convenience of online shopping, there are multiple benefits to ordering plants from a website or app that may make you reconsider always going to garden centers.
1. More Diverse Plants
Online retailers, especially specialty retailers, can be a better source for rare plants that local nurseries are less likely to carry. For example, if you want to add heirloom or extra colorful vegetable varieties to your garden, Mao recommends searching online. You’ll be able to find eye-catching plants that your garden center is unlikely to carry.
2. Easier Shopping Experience
If you are seeking out a particular cultivar or variety, online shopping might be a good way to go. “Older cultivars might only be available online since garden centers typically focus on selling the latest and greatest new cultivars,” says Justine Kandra, a horticulturalist with the Kemper Center for Home Gardening at the Missouri Botanical Garden.
If you are relatively new to gardening and are hoping to create a certain type of garden, you may find shopping at online garden retailers easier since they often group plants by themes. “Online shopping allows you to shop by category, growing zone, or even specific garden goals, such as pollinator gardens, tea gardens, or shade-loving plants,” Mao says.
Where and What to Buy Online
“I usually recommend purchasing online for staple landscape plants such as perennials, shrubs, and groundcovers,” Kaiser says. “These tend to be hardier and more resilient in the shipping process.”
Before purchasing plants online, ensure the retailer is well-established and reputable. Check reviews and take a look at their shipping and return policies. Find out if they offer guarantees about product quality. Mao also recommends checking their social media accounts for customer interactions that show transparency and customer engagement.
Above all, make sure you’re buying from a retailer that’s knowledgeable about the plants they are selling. “A reputable online plant retailer will only sell plants and other garden-related products,” Kandra says. “Read some recent customer reviews and verify that plants usually arrive in good condition with moist soil and sturdy packaging.”
Weighing the Costs
While plants online may appear cheaper than ones from a local nursery, remember to factor in online shipping costs before completing your purchase. Even a great deal may turn out to be more expensive than what you can find at your local nursery.
Keep in mind that when it comes to plants, cheaper may not always be better. “In my experience, investing in higher-quality plants, whether online or from a local garden center, is generally worth it in the long run,” Kaiser says. “Healthier, more vigorous plants typically establish more quickly, produce more flowers or fruit, and are more resistant to pests and disease.”
