When Does Costco Mark Down Plants?

Almost every aspect of successful gardening boils down to timing and patience. Whether it's watching for the first frost or determining whether your lawn needs watering, it's all about reading the signs so you can move when the moment is right. It's just as true when you're planting seeds as it is when you're shopping for discounted plants. To get the best deals at Costco, there's no fixed markdown schedule, so knowing what signs to watch for is more important than shopping on a particular day. The signs to look for are the same ones used when Costco marks down TVs, and they're hiding in plain sight right on the price tag.

When you're looking for inexpensive places to buy plants, Costco is on the list of places to go, and while some people say that Markdown Monday is the best time to shop for deals, Costco employees say it's not a weekly event. It happens sporadically, so you have to keep an eye out for markdowns.

When markdowns do happen, start by looking closely at the price tag. If the end of the price ends in a 7, that means it's priced for closeout. As examples, a price ending in .97 is widely recognized as a Costco clearance price. Some warehouses also use other endings, but .97 is the most consistent indicator shoppers rely on. If there's an asterisk (sometimes called the death star), that means the product won't be restocked, so this is your final chance.

Once you've spotted the signs that Costco has marked down plants and you've managed to catch them on sale, the real question is whether you should buy them or not. To answer this question, we need to consider the type of plant. Most late-season annuals that are marked down can be skipped, since they're only going to live to the end of the season anyway. In most cases, by the time they bounce back, the growing season will be over. Hardy fall annuals are an exception, though.

Buying perennial flowers during clearance sales is one of the best ways to get cheap plants, but they may take the rest of the season to get established. While they probably won't do much this year, next year they will be in all their glory. Throughout the season, purchasing perennials on clearance is a good idea as long as you can get them in the ground at least six weeks before the first fall frost.

Sadly, not all plants can be saved. A couple of signs that you should just leave them on the shelf include sun scorched leaves and severe wilt. You should be able to find at least some healthy foliage, and the plant should be pest-free. WAlthough you can't always inspect the root system, a sour or decaying smell coming from the pot can indicate root rot, which spells certain death for most plants. If you do, it's not worth buying.