What Does Lowe's Do With Leftover Plants?

You might like getting your gardening essentials from Lowe's since it's one of the inexpensive places to buy plants. But have you ever wondered what really happens to the plants that don't get sold at the store? Though the company hasn't issued an official statement, anecdotal evidence suggests that Lowe's dumps its leftover stock to make room for fresh inventory.

The retailer may toss older plants more often than not, according to social media comments from people who claim to have worked at Lowe's. In the comments of an Instagram video, a former employee said warehouses receive a new shipment weekly. However, another alleged employee mentioned on Facebook that their store received deliveries multiple times a week, whereas someone on Reddit claimed new shipments came in daily during spring. 

In a Reddit thread about Lowe's throwing away plants, many users who said they worked for the store asserted that the retailer pays a commercial nursery only for the plants that get sold and has no incentive to care for leftovers or try to find them a new home. As such, workers are directed to either throw them in the dumpster or put them into a compactor whenever they need to make room for new arrivals. That being said, some stores may put struggling nursery plants on clearance.

The same fate may await the plants you return to a Lowe's store — whether you give them back within 30 days or after a year. For example, @sanantoniosoilsister posted a video on Instagram to discuss how, after returning plants to the retailer, an employee threw them in the trash. Keep in mind, though, that if Lowe's tosses away returned plants, they may do this because they can't be sure whether a plant is infested or diseased and don't want to sell something they aren't 100% sure about.

Though you might want to go dumpster diving to save precious plants and bring them home or donate them, it might not always be a viable option. This is because taking them out of the dumpster might count as stealing or proplifting, according to a Reddit user who said they worked for Lowe's and saw an employee get fired for this. Now, the corporation might let you off with a warning if it's your first time, but it's better not to search through the dumpsters. 

Some stores have such stringent policies on dumpster-bound plants that no shopper can buy them, even if they want to pay full price. A customer, Red Tail Ranch, posted on a Facebook group and described this exact scenario. Regarding what Lowe's does with plants, the customer said they "zero them out with the nursery they buy them from so they don't have to pay for them, and that is it." In response, several people commented that they had the same experience with Lowe's. One user related, "There was a beautiful full bloom 'rare' orchid I've never seen before. I offered to purchase it and they said not for sell, but would go to dumpster."

However, it's important to remember that not everyone had the same experience. Take YouTuber @plantheartbeats, for example. In a video, she shared how her local Lowe's gave her the dumpster-bound plants for free. She said it was shocking because she'd asked if they'd sell her the pots. But since the employee already marked them as "trashed" in the system, they couldn't sell them. Still, she could have them and the plants. Even if this doesn't happen at every store, one person mentioned in the comments that their local store keeps the clearance section stocked with older plants. You just need to know the best time to shop for plants at Lowe's.