If you own a house, you know that landscape is crucial in front of the house and in the back. There are some written HOA and unspoken neighborhood rules that expect houses well taken care of, even if you don't spend much time outside enjoying bushes, flowers, and bees.

There are two categories of people - department store and fashion shoppers versus those of us that could spend our afternoons at Home Depot or Lowe's choosing a ceramic planter or a new closet light.

We have been wondering about the best US home improvement store for a while and finally decided to do some investigation and comparison between the four most popular ones. Three, really, but Harbor Freight can't be forgotten even if it can't rival the biggest three in selection. It sure can in price though.

Lowe's has been around since 1920's and started as a small hardware store in North Wilkesboro, NC. They sold everything from sewing and horse supplies to dry goods. The owners changed a few times through the decades and so did the scope of offerings, but the retailer remained strong and expanded to all 50 states. Lowe's, as we know it today, is one of the most popular home improvement stores, focusing on hardware and building supplies.

Lowe's doesn't waste time on Black Friday anymore and goes straight to Black November. This means that great deals will be aplenty all month long and you will reap enough savings even with the store closed on Thanksgiving Day itself.

We all have to visit those two retailers from time to time whether we love small DIY projects, enjoy some gardening, or just need new light bulbs. Most of us also enjoy getting a few discounts whenever we can, and those two stores are ripe for that if you know what you are looking for.