Gardening Express Reviews

Name: Gardening Express
Address: Gardening Express, Chelmsford, Essex
Rating: 1.17

1.2 Rating 1,711 Reviews

4 %

of reviewers recommend Gardening Express

Company Reviews

Questions

Metrics

1.2

Based on 1,711 reviews

Shipping & Delivery
Delivery Methods	Courier
Average Delivery Time	Over A Month
On-time Delivery	Greater than 16%
Accurate And Undamaged Orders	Greater than 31%
Customer Service
Communication Channels	Email, Live Chat, Telephone
Queries Resolved In	Over A Week
Customer Service	1.1 out of 5
Returns & Refunds
Refunds Process	Difficult
Returns Process	Could Be Better

Phone:

08448 044 253

Location:

Gardening Express, Chelmsford
Essex
CM1 4UA

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Gardening Express 1 star review on 6th April 2025

Anonymous

Gardening Express 1 star review on 6th March 2025

Anonymous

Gardening Express 1 star review on 28th October 2024

Mark Ramsden

Gardening Express 1 star review on 2nd September 2024

Olga

627

Anonymous

Anonymous // 01/01/2019

Sort by: Most Recent Most Recent Highest Rated Filter: None None 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Stars Helpful

“Rubbish product, non existent customer service.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“I wish I had Checked them out before buying as my experience with Gardening Express is so similar to the other reviews here. I have been advised that the plants look healthy by them which is far from true. Would not buy again from this firm. Do not recommend. Avoid”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 14th March 2022

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Posted 3 years ago

“Bought three indoor plants in December 2021. All 3 plants were sent in same box. The two ferms dod not look too clever, but thought i would give the plants time. Notified company within 3 weeks plants were dying (with Christmas and new year in-between). Sent in photos of the dried up leaves plant they told me plants looks healthy and it was after the 14 days. But on Ebay there is a 30 day return window. I believe the plants were infected and they just don't care.”

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Posted 3 years ago

“No way to contact them 08448044253 is 'unobtainable' about the issues of a delivery, no email, no chat available, NO GOOD AVOID AVOID AVOID I will try to upload my pics an evergreen with no foliage at all. A magnolia, main stem broken 3 hellebores ... yellow they have been out of the light for so long 2amyrillis... never seen them this tiny 3 paoeny ... dried and shrivelled up WHY DO GOOGLE list them??”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“Last year in autumn I purchased a clematis from Gardening Express, and was very disappointed in the condition it came in, as it should've been healthy in the month I received it, yet all the leaves were dead and falling off, and I was just left with grey dead looking woody stems. I reported the problem straight away, and upon request of the GE chat agent, I cut a couple of the stems to see if there was any healthy looking sap in the stems. There wasn't. I sent photos of proof, but was told to wait until this year (March 2022) to see if it would come to life. The plant still has no signs of life, so I approached Gardening Express through chat again, and was just told to send it back...Not happy about that, having already spent £17 for a dead plant...Ridiculous that their policy insists that the customer has to pay return postage costs, even for a plant reported dead on arrival. I will AVOID in future...”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 9th March 2022

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Posted 3 years ago

“Horrendous just received 2 dead conifer boarder trees no customer service can’t get through on portal”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 7th March 2022

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Posted 3 years ago

“Dreadful after sales experience following one poor Yucca Purpurea plant which had some bent leaves which they wouldn't do anything about it. I also ordered at the same time (Oct 2021) 2 Yucca Adams Needles which on arrival had some lower leaves cut off. Apparently they don't like alot of rain although they are outdoor hardy plants so I put them under my gazebo for some shelter. Recently I noticed one had rotted off so I used their chatline and I received a patronising email which ended with Goodbye. I was not impressed after sending photographs they were most unhelpful, I have now binned the Yucca plant. I have spent around £150 over the past 6 months and I will not be buying anymore. Their customer service is outrageous, do not buy from this company as once they have your money they leave you standing.”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 6th March 2022

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Posted 3 years ago

“Paid around £170 for 3 out of 8 plants, the fact I’d been chasing for a month wasn’t their fault. If the delivery doesn’t happen as they have to do 1000s of orders. Given a refund as they don’t have the plants. Did not care and would never of checked or dealt with it. Also takes 30 minutes of waiting on the phone to be dealt with.”

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Posted 3 years ago

“Bought a cycad advertised as 'HUGE… Bought a cycad advertised as 'HUGE GIANT Cycad'- EXTRA LARGE 80cm-100cm. barely reached 80cm in height including pot and will be considerably smaller when the leaves drop lower, as the they were held upright in the packaging. Unhelpful and uninterested customer service. Scam overselling of products, definitely won't use again”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“Have been a frequent buyer from this company for many years, exceptional quality and customer service given at every time that i have contacted them on their chat. Review sites can be very one sided so do not be put off especially as they are live plants and vary from season to season. I'm a very happy life long gardener.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“I posted a month ago about dreadful experience with this company. 3 pots of orchids, already dead upon arrival, 1 amaryllis bulb that would not sprout after two months, two dead cyclamens that lasted less than a week, and a big pot of narcissus which looked good at first but whenever it started to blossom, the pods went brown and the flowers dried up, and i was careful about watering. Rest of the order were 30 tulip bulbs, 20 daffodils bulbs and 5 hyacinth bulbs. Just when I thought at least these had sprouted, looking forward to spring flowers, I noticed the tulips which i was growing indoors were covered all over with tulip aphids, the infestation was frightening. I had no choice but to throw out all the other bulbs that had sprouted as well. My existing house plants are very healthy, i never had problems for years until these arrived, now even those plants may be in danger. I didn't bother to complain since one has to complain within two weeks of plants being delivered. In summary, my entire order from this company were not only useless, they wasted a lot of my time, emailing the company getting rude replies, cleaning up the various messes, and endangered my existing plants; and Money I could have used on a nice meal out, plus possible losses of other plants. I only wish I had seen all the reviews on this website before ordering from them.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“WHAT DIDN'T GO WRONG? PACKAGING FELL APART DUE TO COURIER LEAVING OUT IN RAIN. PLANT WAS SO DISAPPOINTING, NOT THE SUPERB SPECIMEN PROMISED. CHAT LINE ABSOLUTELY USELESS, OBVIOUSLY TRAINED TO REPEL CUSTOMERS ASKED FOR PTOTO AND WERE APPALLED I DON'T DO PHOTOGRAPHY. SAID IT WAS MADE CLEAR AT POINT-OF-SALE; NOT SO. SUGGESTED I RETURN PLANT, BUT COULDN'T SUGGEST ANYWAY I COULD ACHIEVE THAT WITH NO PACKAGING. ADDING INSULT TO INJURY, CHAT LINE GIRL HOPED I WOULD HAVE "SUPER" DAY. FAT CHANCE. NEVER MET SUCH RUDE, UN-HELPFUL STAFF; SHALL TELL ALL MY GARDENING FRIENDS AT THE CLUB TO AVOID AT ALL COSTS”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“Dreadful plants, terrible customer service. Save your money shop elsewhere. I ordered two Photinia standard topiary trees. The advert stated if bought as a pair they would choose closely matching specimens. After receiving 3 damaged/defective trees and having to endure dreadful customer service, this is what I have ended up with. How this pair will ever be closely matching is beyond me.”

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Posted 3 years ago

“Awful company. Delivered 2 bushes squashed into a box wide enough for one. Damaged, broken containers, dehydrated. Containers put on top of the box. Had to throw them into the bin. Even cello taped them together in plastic bags. Which damaged the branches and leaves. Yodel delivered the box upside down Rubbish customer service. Not answering or helping. Never mind, won’t be using again.”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 17th February 2022

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Posted 3 years ago

“bought £90 worth of plants, complained about most of them. VERY poor condition. I contacted them about the Magnolia that was dying and they tried to tell me that it was because they had gotten water on the leaves !!! Rubbish the whole plant is now DEAD. They won't give you money back even though I furnished them with photos. DON'T BUY FROM THEM IT's A CON”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“Ordered 2 standard photinia red robbin. As per picture, there were supposed to be standard plant with round ball on the top. They used some dying normal photinia, removed leaves from the lower part and sent us calling it standard. What a fraud. I tried to claim back and they rejected saying correct plants. Clearly they knew they are doing this fraud on purpose. HORRIBLE!!”

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Posted 3 years ago

“Very happy. 5 star”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“Bought 2 plants from these delivery servis very bad from yodel plants hanging out of card board packages they really should have sent them single instead of taped together 5ltr pots 6f plants driver stood at my front door with plants upside down .I pointed this out to him he said if I turn it other way it will fall out after he had gone I unpacked to find plant pots smashed soil all gone just two root balls tride to get in touch no joy won't answer emails in a que for phone for to long”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“Ordered a Daphne - left on door step in squashed box with leaves broken off and wilted leaves. Pathetic packaging and plant which looks unhealthy and dying. Definitely a complete waste of money!!!!”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“I received an order with three dead orchids, a number of bulbs and two very unhealthy looking cyclamen. I complained about the 3 orchid as soon as i received them, and got a refund. I couldn't really tell if the bulbs are ok, until they sprout, so now after two and a half weeks the amaryllis which was quite expensive, still hasn't sprouted, i contacted them. i wasn't even asking for a refund, i wanted advice, and they dismissed me with a RHS link and told me to go away because its after the two weeks, so its no longer their problem. When I said how could they treat customers like that, especially as its a bulb, had i contacted them after a few days they would have told me to wait. They told me go ahead to report them to trading standards, Yes, that rude, but on their website, they promise a 5 year guarantee. I didn't even mention the dead cyclamens. This company blame all the dead plants on poor delivery service, ie courier, but they charge a lot for delivery, twice what I would have to pay for bigger and heavier boxes with another company like parcel force or royal mail. I mention this because even after they refunded me for the dead orchids, I have still wasted money on the delivery since the orchids were my main purchase, the bulbs were secondary, and my other main interest was amaryllis which is also dead, and the cyclamens were dead too, so i paid the delivery charge for nothing. Thankfully i only bought 1 amaryllis to test them, turns out Gardening Express really is to be avoided. The plants in my experience are extremely poor quality, they don't care about how they are delivered or if they are dead and unhealthy on arrival. And they do not look after their customers.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

Gardening Express is rated 1.2 based on 1,711 reviews