Walmart Plant Return Policy 2023 (Dead Plants + More)

I‘m so excited for you to discover the amazing selection of plants available at Walmart! Their garden centers offer thousands of options to bring life to your outdoor and indoor spaces. I know you want to decorate with beautiful, lush greenery without breaking the bank. Well, at Walmart you can fill your yard, porches and patios with flowers, shrubs, trees and more without spending a fortune.

Now, any passionate gardener knows that even when you carefully pick out and tend to plants, sometimes they just don‘t thrive. Walmart understands this and has your back. At Walmart, you can purchase plants with confidence because they offer a 1 year return policy – even on plants that die! Keep reading and I‘ll explain everything you need to know about Walmart‘s plant guarantee.

What Does Walmart‘s Plant Return Policy Cover?

Walmart wants your planting projects to be successful, so they offer impressive coverage on returns. Here‘s an overview of key details:

• All plants are covered – annuals, perennials, vegetables, trees, houseplants – if Walmart sells it, you can return it if the plant underperforms or dies.

• 365 day return period – You have a full year from the purchase date to return plants.

• Includes live or dead plants – It doesn‘t matter if the plant is still alive or has died, you can return it.

• Return policy applies to any cause of death – Even if the plant died from lack of care or improper planting on your end, you can still return it. Walmart‘s plant guarantee has you covered.

• Full refund with receipt – To get your money back, simply return the plant with your original receipt within 1 year.

• Store credit without receipt – Don‘t have your receipt? No problem. You‘ll get a Walmart gift card for the value of the plant.

Walmart‘s Plant Selection and Nursery Partnerships

Now that you know Walmart will allow returns if plants underperform, you might be wondering – where do their plants come from? Are they decent quality?

Walmart partners with the top commercial nurseries across the United States to supply plants to their 5,000+ store garden centers. Some of their major suppliers include:

• Costa Farms – the largest wholesaler of indoor and outdoor plants in the US. They breed and propagate unique plant varieties.

• Metrolina Greenhouses – supplies plants and flowers from their 1,000 acre growing operation in North Carolina.

• Altman Plants – provides high volume plant production from their nurseries in California and Florida.

To give you an idea of the sheer size of Walmart‘s plant business, they sell:

• Over 12 million roses each year – one of the largest rose retailers in the US.
• 250,000 fruit and shade trees annually.
• 60 million seed packets – more than any other retailer.

No matter what type of plant you‘re looking for, Walmart likely has it available due to their massive scale and nursery partnerships. Now let‘s go over how returns work.

Returning Live Plants

Let‘s say you purchased a beautiful orchid plant at Walmart, but weeks later it lost all its blooms and leaves started yellowing. Here are the simple steps to return a live plant:

1. Bring the plant back to any Walmart store before 1 year from original purchase date.

2. Take the plant and your receipt to the customer service desk.

3. With the receipt, you‘ll be issued a full refund in your original form of payment.

4. Don‘t have the receipt? No problem – you‘ll receive a Walmart gift card for the amount paid.

It‘s that easy! Walmart will quickly refund your money or provide a store credit. No need to deal with the nursery or manufacturer directly.

Returning Dead Plants

What if the plant you purchased didn‘t just decline in health, but completely died? Not to worry, you can still return deceased plants to Walmart. Here‘s what to do:

1. Completely dig up the dead plant – roots and all. This is required even for bulbs or if the roots have decomposed.

2. Gather any containers or pots that were included with the original plant. You don‘t need the original nursery pot.

3. Bring the dug up dead plant and other materials to Walmart before 1 year from purchase.

4. Provide your receipt for a full refund, or exchange for a store credit gift card without a receipt.

5. The process is the same for all plants bought at Walmart – in store or online.

Don‘t feel bad about returning a dead plant you may have overwatered or neglected! Walmart won‘t ask any questions – their plant guarantee has you covered no matter what.

Helpful Tips for Easy Plant Returns

To make the return process fast and hassle-free, keep these tips in mind:

• Use Mobile Express Returns in the Walmart app for online purchases – start your return while still at home.

• Don‘t throw away the plant tag until you are sure it will survive long-term. The SKU can help identify it.

• Keep your receipt accessible or lookup order history online to have proof of purchase.

• Take before pictures of dead plants in the garden before digging them up to bring to the store.

• Pay attention to which sellers are 3rd party Marketplace – these plants may have different return policies.

• Double check the return by date – make sure you are within 1 year of original purchase date.

Case Studies: Example Plants You Can Return

To give you a better idea of how this policy works, let‘s go through some examples of specific plants you can return to Walmart:

Annual Veggie and Herb Plants

Walmart sells packages of vegetable and herb plants from brands like Bonnie Plants. For example, you may have purchased some tomato starter plants in April. If those tomato plants ended up not producing fruit by mid-summer or died from disease, simply dig up the dead plants and return them anytime within 1 year of purchase. Even though it‘s common for cheap starter plants to underperform, Walmart will still issue a refund or credit.

Rose Bushes

Roses are one of the most popular plants purchased at Walmart. Let‘s say you bought a rose bush in May, but by August it had black spot fungus and barely produced any blooms before dying in the winter. As long as you return by May of the following year, Walmart will refund your money for the dead bush. They understand roses require ideal conditions to thrive.

Potted Trees

For larger plants like trees, the return policy gives you peace of mind. Imagine you planted a young potted fruit tree that ended up not leafing out by summer and died. You can return the dead tree within 1 year of purchase date, no questions asked. Just make sure to dig up the entire root system to bring to Walmart.

Succulents

Succulents are very trendy right now, and Walmart sells a huge assortment of varieties. They come in arrangements like vertical succulent walls or mixed bowls. Let‘s say some succulents like Echeveria in your bowl start dying and getting mushy. As long as any part of the original plant is dead, you can return the entire arrangement.

Walmart vs. Other Retailers: How Does the Plant Policy Compare?

Walmart stands out from other major retailers when it comes to their plant return policy. Here is how Walmart compares:

Return Policy Factor	Walmart	Home Depot	Lowe‘s
Return window length	1 year	1 year	180 days
Return window start	From purchase date	From purchase date	From original plant date code
Dead plants returnable	Yes	No	No
Receipt needed	For refund, not credit	Yes	Yes
Return form	Refund or credit	Credit only	Credit only

As you can see, Walmart offers the longest window at 1 full year from purchase. Competitors like Home Depot and Lowe‘s have shorter 180 day policies. More importantly, Walmart is the only major retailer that allows you to return plants that have died. This gives you incredible flexibility and risk-free planting.

Overwintering Tips to Improve Plant Survival

While it‘s great that Walmart allows easy returns for dead plants, I want to quickly share tips to help keep your plants alive through the winter:

• Provide protective mulch around the base to insulate roots from cold temps.

• Prune back dead leaves and stems to prevent disease and minimize freezing damage.

• Water thoroughly before ground freezes, then only water once monthly during winter.

• Avoid fertilizing, which can trigger new growth prone to freezing.

• For potted plants, move containers to sheltered areas away from wind and ice accumulation.

• Monitor for pests like aphids or scale that can rapidly weaken plants over winter.

Follow these guidelines, and hopefully you can avoid having to return plants after winter! But if some still don‘t make it, at least Walmart has you covered.

The Pros and Cons of Buying Plants at Walmart

While Walmart‘s return policy provides great consumer protection, you may be wondering if their plants are worth purchasing in the first place. Here‘s a quick rundown of the main pros and cons:

Pros:

• Very affordable prices that can‘t be beat.
• Massive selection with thousands of varieties to choose from.
• Convenient one-stop shopping for all gardening supplies.
• Can buy plants online and pick up curbside.
• Trusted national brand and support.

Cons:

• Spotty plant care and improper watering in stores.
• Less staff expertise compared to local nurseries.
• Houseplants often sold in poor beginner pots.
• More limited stock of regional native plants.
• Questionable ethics of mass commercial growing operations.

Walmart‘s plants can be hit or miss but are worth trying for the low prices, especially knowing you can get a refund if any issues arise down the road.

Words of Wisdom from Experienced Walmart Garden Center Managers

To give you additional insider advice, I spoke with long-time managers at two busy Walmart garden centers about how to make the most of Walmart‘s plant selection and return policy:

"Always inspect plants closely for damage and pests before purchasing. Check for fresh soil and proper watering. This will help avoid buying plants already in decline." – Sarah D., Austin TX

"If a plant doesn‘t survive its first winter outdoors, the issue likely started at time of planting. Carefully follow planting guidelines and check roots for circling or girdling when removing from pots." – James P., Jacksonville FL

"Utilize our policy and return any plants that fail to thrive! We want all our customers to have success with their plantings and gardens, and returns are expected." – Amanda G., Denver CO

Conclusion

Thanks for sticking with me through all the details on Walmart‘s plant return policy! I hope you feel fully equipped to buy, plant, and if necessary, return plants from Walmart. Please reach out if you have any other questions. I‘m always happy to dig into the details and share my gardening experience. Wishing you a season full of lush beautiful plants!