3 Garden Supplies to Shop for in March (Yep, March!)

by | Updated: Mar 7, 2025

The best garden supplies to buy in months like February and March

I’ve been feeling conflicted about sharing this week’s gardening tip.

I firmly believe that you do not need a lot of stuff to be a successful gardener.

When I moved into my home, I was fortunate to inherit a few, basic gardening supplies from the previous owner. She was downsizing to a townhouse and was ready to say goodbye to her small collection of shears and shovels. I still happily use most of her tools and supplies today.

But every now and then, I’ll reach a point during the gardening season when I think:

“It sure would be nice to have…” a cute (but affordable) flowerpot, hail netting, etc.

What I’ve discovered is:

Some garden supplies can be surprisingly hard to find when you need them during the garden season.

Others are time-sensitive.

So, in this week’s tip, I want to share a few items that are helpful to track down NOW, rather than waiting until summer.

Do you prefer to find used garden supplies rather than new ones? Awesome! I’ve included “reuse” ideas too.

Packets of flower seeds

If you’ve played with the idea of planting flower seeds this year, now’s a good time to shop for them. For just a few bucks, you can grow really pretty flowers in your garden from a packet of seeds. And there are many flower seeds that you can spread directly in the ground — like the colorful Cosmos flowers below.

No fancy growing equipment needed!

Colorful pink cosmos flowers that have been grown from seed

What’s the catch?

Your timing matters. Your flowers are more likely to bloom when you want them to bloom — like in July and August instead of October! — when you follow the recommended timing for planting your seeds.

Often times, these seeds need to be planted 2 to 4 weeks before your “average last frost date.”

What’s an “average last frost date?” What does that mean? It means this is the point when there’s now less than 50% of a chance of getting a frost. You can search online to find the average last frost date for your area.

In Denver, our average last frost date is in early May. If we need to plant 2 to 4 weeks before this date, it’s best to plant these seeds in early- to mid-April.

Other seeds need to be planted even earlier.

You can find flower seed packets at local, independent garden centers. You also can buy seeds directly from seed companies like Botanical Interests. They’re a Colorado company. (This is not an affiliate link. I’m just sharing it for your convenience.)

Packets of flower seeds on display at the garden center store

Look at the back of the seed packets — or read the online descriptions — to find out when you should plant your seeds for the best results.

Affordable flowerpots

I’ve come to appreciate that flowerpots are like a nice pair of shoes or a stylish piece of jewelry. They can really elevate the look of a container garden.

Examples of pretty flower pots

They also can be surprisingly expensive.

If you’d like pretty flowerpots without the shock-inducing price, now’s a great time to look for flowerpots at stores like HomeGoods (TJ Maxx) and even Costco.

If you prefer to re-use rather than buying new:

  • Look for used flowerpots on Next Door, OfferUp and Craig’s List.
  • Check out estate sales. They’re another good place to find outdoor treasures like flowerpots and garden tools.

Pro tip! When choosing a flowerpot, look for pots that have hole(s) in the bottom. A flowerpot without a hole is like a bathtub without a drain. You’ll save yourself extra steps later when you buy a pot that already has a hole in it.

Hail netting

I know this is a weird one for March. But while we’ve been shoveling snow, scrappy gardeners have been proactively searching the Internet or visiting local garden centers for supplies like hail netting (also called, “anti-hail netting”).

Hail netting collects hail and protects plants

This is one of those items that when we roll into thunderstorm season, the demand is so high, it’s usually sold out.

Translation: When you need it, you can’t get it.

By the way, there are plenty of things you can use in your home to protect your flowers from hail. I have a friend who uses shower curtain liners to help protect her flowers from hail. You can get creative.

So please know, you do not need to buy hail netting.

With that said, now’s the time to look for hail netting if a hailstorm trashed your flowers last year and you want to up your hail protection game. Sometimes, you can find hail netting at your local, independent garden centers. You also can find it online from garden supply companies and Amazon.

Related topics that may interest you:

Guide: 10 of the Best Long-Blooming Flowers for the Semi-Arid West

© 2020-2025, Go West Gardener, All Rights Reserved
You’re welcome to share a link to these articles, but no re-use in any form without written permission.

You may also like …

Ann from Go West Gardener with her flowerpots and garden

Hey there, I'm Ann

I’m a professional garden writer, master gardener and Colorado girl. I help flower lovers in the Intermountain West get more beauty with less effort. More about Ann>

Long-blooming western perennial: Blanket Flower

Get MONTHS of color with these 10 waterwise perennials

Heat tolerant annuals for Colorado flowerpots

Discover 12 annuals that can take the heat

Recent posts

“What Do I Do With Tulips After They’ve Flowered?”

“What Do I Do With Tulips After They’ve Flowered?”

The tulips in your spring garden have given you gorgeous color. But what do you do with tulips after they've flowered? They're done blooming, and now your tulip leaves are turning yellow and flopping on the ground. They don't look so great. (This is normal, BTW! You...

“Why Aren’t My Ornamental Grasses Growing?”

“Why Aren’t My Ornamental Grasses Growing?”

Have you noticed... ... that some of your plants are overachievers in the spring—eager to emerge from the ground in all their leafy glory? Meanwhile, other plants don't seem to be doing much AT ALL. As plant lovers, it’s natural for us to look at the latter and...

12 Waterwise, Blue Flowers: Perennials for Western Gardens

12 Waterwise, Blue Flowers: Perennials for Western Gardens

Confession: I love blue flowers. There’s something about them that makes my heart sing. In Colorado, Utah, and similar states, we’re lucky to have a variety of waterwise, blue flowers available to us as perennials (plants that return for multiple years). Here are 12...

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This