Home Depot Launches Spring Starts Event with AI Tools and Seasonal Deals

Home Depot is pairing its biggest seasonal sales push with a notable expansion of AI capabilities, using the Spring Starts event to showcase new digital tools alongside promotional pricing on plants, outdoor power equipment, and patio furniture.

The two-week event, running March 19 through April 1, covers both professional contractors and DIY customers. Deals span plants, Miracle-Gro soil, mulch, lawn care essentials, pressure washers, lawn mowers, tool kits, grills, and exclusive patio sets, available in stores nationwide, online at homedepot.com, and through the company's mobile app while supplies last.

Billy Bastek, executive vice president of merchandising, framed the promotion around pent-up project demand. "Spring is when homeowners and Pros head back outside and start tackling the projects they've been planning all winter," Bastek said. "We're offering the best in innovation, value and inspiration to help our customers tackle every item on their to-do list."

Rodes Bazzel, senior vice president of merchandising for hardlines, pointed to the breadth of the seasonal lineup. "Spring deserves to be celebrated, and that starts with inspiring customers early and helping them plan the projects they look forward to most — whether that's planting the perfect garden, furnishing the back deck for outdoor hosting, or giving the entire house a deep clean," Bazzel said. "The Home Depot has the seasonal essentials at the right price and the expert know-how to ensure customers are ready for our favorite time of year."

The AI component is arguably the more consequential development for workers on the floor and customers using the site. Home Depot has introduced new artificial intelligence capabilities on its website that allow customers to create lawn care plans, visualize outdoor projects, and identify plant health issues. Coverage has also referenced an AI tool called Magic Apron in connection with lawn planning features, though the company's own press materials have foregrounded other named products: the Material List Builder AI, launched January 26, 2026, which converts project details into complete, ready-to-order material lists within minutes. That tool is aimed squarely at Pro customers trying to keep jobs on schedule and on budget.

The AI buildout has been months in the making. Home Depot and Google Cloud announced a partnership on January 11, 2026, to deploy agentic AI tools designed to move customers and associates from project research to project completion. Before that, on November 19, 2025, the company launched AI-powered Blueprint Takeoffs, another Pro-facing tool pitched as a way to reduce time lost to manual material estimation.

Spring Starts will not be the last promotional window before summer. Home Depot has scheduled its Spring Black Friday event for April 9 through April 22, giving shoppers a second wave of seasonal deals roughly a week after Spring Starts closes.

The announcement landed as Home Depot shares sat well below recent peaks. The stock closed at $342.58 the day before the press release, up 1.05% on the session but trading 19.72% under its 52-week high and below its 200-day moving average of $375.96. The company has also implemented a modest 1.3% dividend increase in recent months, a detail market analysts have noted alongside the heavier investment in AI and seasonal promotions.

For store associates, the expanding AI toolkit represents a shift in how customer service gets delivered, with more of the initial project scoping moving to digital self-service before a customer ever walks through the door.