Good morning everyone. Let’s look at the bright side, the warmer weather has the old bones moving a little better. Letting us get out and see what the “half off” sales look like. Turns out most of them are half off the price, 5% of the selection, and 20% of the quality of spring. It’s ok, that’s what bargain hunting looks like. Today I hope I can save you a little money and time. Like everything I say, it has some opinion and some fact, but probably more right than wrong. Let’s play a little Buy This Not That

Everyone wants the next big thing.
It’s human nature. The newest plant, the latest tool, the product that promises to make your yard easier and prettier. For 30 years, my job was to sell those things. Not to deceive, but to work with how people naturally buy. To lean into beauty, curiosity, and trends.

Plant brands understand this game.
Proven Winners often holds back strong plants, releasing them year after year even when better ones are already ready. They know you’ll come back for the next one. You’ll spend $100 on a shovel that could survive a tornado, even though the real risk is running it over in your garage. Weedmat under mulch? Useless. But it sells. (And no, I never sold that.)

This isn’t snake oil. It’s retail.
Garden centers exist to sell. But what if someone could give you an insider’s look? Someone who tells you when the hype is worth it, and when there’s an old option that works just as well for less money?

Look at the Bloomerang lilac.
It reblooms in summer and sounds like a breakthrough. And it is. But a lilac called ‘Josee’ has done that for decades. It just never had marketing behind it. No big tag. No feature in the magazines. No Martha Stewart mention. If I put them side by side, most people would still pick Bloomerang. Marketing beats substance, even in the garden world.

That’s where I come in.
Today I’m going to share a few “Buy This, Not That” picks from an insider’s point of view. You might already know a few. But I’m betting at least one will save you money or make you feel a little smarter the next time you shop.

There will be some Amazon links of which I do make commission. Not asking you to buy, merely showing you examples of the product I’m discussing

Don’t Buy the Fuzz

You will often be sold on "premium" weedmat. The brand is usually called Pro 5. It’s a high-quality weedmat and it has a fuzz on the bottom side. You'll be told the fuzz is to help prevent weeds from coming through.

High quality weedmat does prevent weeds compared to the paper and cheap stuff you buy at the chain stores. You will regret buying the thin stuff. You want woven. But paying the extra 50 percent for the fuzz is a waste. Why? I talked to the inventor.

The fuzz was put there for slopes. It was meant to be fuzz up to give friction to keep the rocks from falling down a slope. Weedmat can get slick, and on any type of grade it would often slide off. The fuzz was put there to help.

Landscapers didn't realize this and started putting it face down. It sold so well that Dewitt decided to just let it happen, and it’s become a Mandela effect. So many people think something that now it’s become the truth. Unfortunately, it’s not.

Sunbelt from Dewitt is a fantastic product. Not cheap but much better value and I have 20 years of proof that it works

Buy: A Large Paperbark Maple

I can't tell you what size to buy, but don't buy a whip or a small container. It literally is one of the slowest growing trees you can buy.

It’s one of my top five favorite trees. Beautiful fall color, amazing winter bark, but if you buy small, don’t sell your house for 25 to 30 years or you won't get to enjoy it. Like a parrot, you'll have to put it in your will.

They say you can't buy time, but a Paperbark Maple proves otherwise.

Don’t Buy: An Expensive Shovel

Start by making sure the step on the top turns away from you. I can't believe how many people buy a cheap shovel that has the step turned towards you. That literally rubs against the back of the hole, meaning you can never dig a hole deeper than the blade of the shovel. It's worthless.

That being said, 99 percent of the people merely need a light shovel. Anything more is a waste of money. The carbon or fiberglass handle with the fancy head is a great shovel, but homeowners might put a few hours a year into it.

As I said earlier, you have a better chance of it falling in the garage and you running over it than you do utilizing the cost. You can break three $30 shovels and still come out ahead.

Sharpen a decent shovel every couple of uses, put a little oil on it, and clean it after each use and I promise it will be a fantastic shovel.

Buy: Your Dinnerplate Dahlias Pregrown

If you can find them, buy your dahlias from the garden centers that have started them early and already have them to two feet by May 1st.

A good dahlia tuber is $12 to $15 mail order, and if you plant it in the ground in late April, you're not getting blooms until late August or September if your ground is not perfect.

Of course, it is tough to find all the great varieties already planted, but if you can find one for $30, do it.

If you can only get tubers, get them in as soon as you can. I would advise planting them in potting soil in a pot first and getting them to size, and then replanting them. If you want to go in the ground, then make sure you till the garden to a fine soil with some light compost mixed in. Make it perfect.

The dahlia farms are in full bloom right now, but they have perfected the soil. They are professionals. If you have less than ideal soil, you can add a month or even rot the tubers early.

Sidenote: Go Low Nitrogen on Dahlias. Nitrogen forces growth which puts the wrong emphasis on the foliage and not the flowering. An NPK of 5-10-10 is perfect

Corona for Show, Felco for Dough

All true gardeners want a Felco pruner at some point. They are the Ferrari of pruners. They cut like butter, you can get replacement blades and parts, and they truly will last a lifetime.

They also seem to disappear. They are the Hyundai of getting stolen or lost. I always have a pair of Coronas around for public use or general use.

By general use I mean cutting all the things I shouldn't be cutting with pruners. Branches too big. An occasional wire. I call them my stunt double pruners to bring in when I don't want to hurt the star.

Don’t Buy the Fourth Crew

Your weed company, your landscaper—almost any service company has multiple crews. Generally there are experienced team members and new trainees.

Don't judge by the age, but you can discuss with the company about making sure the A team comes to your house. Everyone is paying the same price, but not everyone gets the same quality team to your home.

Tell them you will pay more for the best. Nine times out of ten, they won't charge you more. Be nice about it, but let them know you are cognizant about the different crews and you truly appreciate them sending out a great team.

Buy: Tall Fescue Seed Over Bluegrass

If you need to match, get a blend of bluegrass and tall fescue.

The new breeding of grass has tall fescue with fine blades to match bluegrass. The difference is fescue has long roots and is much more drought tolerant than bluegrass, which has short roots.

Unless you have irrigation, bluegrass is going to look rough in the hot dry summer where tall fescue is going to continue to look lush and green with less water.

Buy: Flexzilla or a Similar Type Hose

There will never be anything more frustrating than a stiff, heavy hose that you have to fight to roll up.

I have cursed more on a cold day while trying to roll up a terrible hose than anything my kid ever did. My wife thought I was yelling at a football game where my team was losing, and it was just me trying to roll up the hose.

Buy: Nutricote Over Osmocote

Not all slow-release fertilizers are created equal. Osmocote is fine if you find it cheap or already have it on the shelf, and I’ve used plenty of it over the years. But Nutricote is a better product, and here’s why.

Most people think slow-release fertilizer releases nutrients every time you water. That’s not exactly how it works. These fertilizers are heat-activated.

In a hot summer, Osmocote can spike. It can release too much fertilizer at once when the soil temperature jumps, which stresses young or shallow-rooted plants. It usually doesn’t kill them, but it doesn’t help either—especially when the plants are already struggling with heat stress.

Nutricote, on the other hand, does a much better job of keeping that release consistent, even in hot weather. It’s something we noticed clearly in the nursery. I’m not going to say it’s been scientifically proven, but we were told this was the case, and we definitely saw the results in the field.

The problem? Availability and price. It’s harder to find Nutricote in bulk, and it costs more. But if you’re a home gardener using small quantities, there’s plenty available online in smaller bags.

If you’re going to give your plants a boost, use the one that treats them right when it gets hot out.

Buy: Brunnera ‘Sea Heart’ Over ‘Jack Frost’

I could write an entire newsletter on one plant versus another, and maybe I will. But let’s start here.

You’ll find both of these Brunneras priced about the same. Around $18 for a one-gallon pot. Both are attractive. Both are good plants. But if I had to pick one, it’s Sea Heart without question.

It has thicker leaves, which means it holds up better in the heat. It’s more sun tolerant. The leaf color is stronger, with deeper green and more prominent silver veining. It just looks healthier and stands out more in the shade.

Sea Heart is a fantastic alternative to hosta. It handles the shade, resists disease, and adds texture and color.

That said, I also like ‘Jack of Diamonds’ because of the bigger leaves. I’m partial to big foliage in shade gardens. I want things to pop. But if you’re comparing Sea Heart to Jack Frost—Sea Heart wins every time.

If you’re only planting one, make it that one.

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