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

“This company is not fit to trade. How did I ever order from them!!! No way to communicate with them. Take your money and run company. I may get my plants when it's too late to plant them.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“Terrible service. I bought it on Gardening Express because I wanted a tree. Somehow I ended up buying three more plants. My plants arrived 20 days after my purchase (instead of the 3-5 working days promised while I was navigating the website) in very poor condition, half-dead and my tree never arrived. I contacted customer services (be aware, they don't have an email or phone number) it took me all day and when they finally engaged with me they ignored my complaint. I will contact my bank and VISA to be refunded for missing items and damaged goods, hopefully, my bank will be professional, differently from gardening express.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“Shocking company, bad customer service and even worse plants. £60 spent on tat and missing plants”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 25th August 2021

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“Awful company! Ordered large specimen hydrangea costing £40. The ordered turned up two weeks late in a battered box. Once opened I found the Large specimen was in fact a stick with a few leaves on. Completely ripped off and unable to contact the company. In the photos below are the plant delivered and a photo I bought at a garden centre for the same price. DO NOT ORDER ANYTHING FROM THIS COMPANY!”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“Delayed delivery, poor plants, not as described or shown on website - I would not order from here again, nor do I recommend. I posted a question about the hydrangeas not being as described, no response as yet. V poor service.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“It's been weeks and weeks since I ordered my plants and still I've received nothing. I've had almost no communication from them. It's impossible to speak to or contact anyone. No email address or phone line and their poxy chat service is awful. This is the worst customer service experience I've ever had. No plants, no answers and no information. Rubbish company. I wish I had never ordered from them in the first place. Please do not shop with this company!!! I will be contacting trading standards very shortly if I don't receive my order. Absolutely dreadful.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“My order took weeks to come! When the plant arrived the packaging was badly damaged so I didn't hold out much hope for the plant being in good condition. On opening the plant was full of disease and looking really sick. It was impossible to return the item or get hold of the company. The rest of my order is no longer coming and they say they have refunded. Do not use this site!!!!”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“Terrible 3weeks to deliver then ferns arrived poorly packed and crushed and 1 of 3 was barely past the spoor stage-i doubt very much they will survive-Rubbish”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“Sent the wrong plant. Can't get hold of anyone online, via email or phone. Will not use this site again.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“Do NOT use this company! Recently paid £80 for a single climbing shrub which not only arrived much later than expected, but was also virtually dead when it finally arrived. Not surprisingly, despite my best efforts trying to restore it, it has since completely died. I tried to contact gardeningexpress via their online webchat several times (they don't give a phone number or email address!) and have not received any reply at all! I then got a standard message to review my purchase, using a points system 1-5. The only problem is that this system is clearly set up not to accept any low score; I have tried tried several times to submit my score of 1 from different tablets and at different times and it comes back every time, claiming to have a database error!! Clearly rigged to weed out negative reviews! If you don't want to waste your money, DO NOT USE THEM!”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 21st August 2021

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“I bought a bare root tree and planted it the day it arrived. No sign of any growth after a few months but checked gardening websites and it said bare root trees take some time to develop. After 3 months of the tree showing no signs of growth I contacted Gardening Express but was told the purchase was not covered by their 5 year guarantee and I should have contacted them within 14 days of delivery. I tried to explain it wasn’t possible to know in 14 days if there was a problem as bare root trees take much longer to show signs of growth. I am waiting for a reply as I asked it to be referred to a one of their supervisors but no response to date. Another dissatisfied customer who will not be making any more purchases from Gardening Express. .”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“Shocking service. Plant arrived half dead. Didn't reply to email. Tried 3 times to chat online over 2 hour wait, managed third time but had to keep line open for over 45 mins. You said plant healthy from pictures. How can you assess a plant from a picture? The leaves were crispy and dry to touch. All replies from your operator were pre printed replies. You are a scam company, selling dodgy plants making it virtually impossible to get hold of somebody to complain. You said I could send the plant back but I would have to pay for all the postage. WILL NEVER USE YOU AGAIN AND WILL MAKE SURE I LET OTHERS KNOW ABOUT YOU TOO, VIA WORD IF MOUTH AND REVIEWS. Bet you don't publish this one though. You should be ashamed of yourself, conning honest people.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“Plant quality is appalling. Plants described as bushy were small and spindly. Others plants were half dead (in Gardening Express speak 'half alive'). Some plants were completely broken but after sending photos I was told that they were delivered alive and to lump it, in cleverly worded text: "I can confirm that your received plants are alive and once planted out and allowed to settle into their new environment, your plants will thrive.". If you're not satisfied, you'll be asked to return the plants within 14 days knowing full well that the cost of returning them more or less equates to the cost of the plant, so it's not worth the bother. Buy from this company at your peril. I will never buy from it again.”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 17th August 2021

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“I received a buddleia plant on 13the August in the most appalling condition. . I was told it was "thirsty". It's twigs and dead leaves. The customer services system is impossible and there is no contact number or email. I was told that I would have to pay postage and return it. Looking at reviews I gather that returns to them get mislaid and its a real palaver returning a plant. .”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“If there was a zero star I would give it. Disgusting, disgraceful, unemphatic, uncompassionate, rudest company I have come across. There are no ways of contacting them either by phone or email, just their silly online chat forum which takes hours for them to answer. They do not honour their 5 guarantee shrubs and trees, like Large 4-5ft Magnolia acuminata Blue Baby, they sent out a bare root and expect you to send it back in 14 days if it does not flower or sprout leaves. I paid £30 for this tree and left it for 5 months, did a bark test, and it was dead. They were very rude when contacted online (transcript copied for court purposes) and would do nothing cos I had to send it back in 14 days, cr*p, rude, unruly staff, disrespectful, unhelpful, the owner, CB is not interested in feedback even when contacted by LinkedIn. Disgusting, if they want to survive they need to change their business model for sure. Try well known companies like Suttons, or the RHS. This company is really for the dunster for certain. DO NOT BUY FROM THEM YOU ARE WASITING YOUR MONEY. I have now had to get CAB and Trading Standards involved as the item is not fit for the purpose and promise, will take them to court over this of needs be.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“Absolutely useless company, problems with half of the plants delivered. I could understand problems, but it's lack of ownership and zero customer service to fix these issues. 6 months and still no replacement plant!”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“Only one plant out of three ok the other was in bud and still is 3 months later! Obviously not going to burst into life now. Also order raspberry coloured hydrangea got a cream one. No telephone number to contact them message service a waste of time.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“Purchased numerous different Dahlia tubers for my elderly mum. Wasn't too sure when they arrived what they would be like as some were part of the end of season sale. Didn't need to worry, once planted they showed growth within days and are now nice plants, just waiting for them to flower. Very happy and would use Gardening Express again.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“Avoid these people!. They delivered the wrong roses. They were in poor condition covered in black spot. Its been impossible to get a response. Emails bounced. They have a fake chat system where they never respond. Give these guys a miss and save your money”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“Large circa 5ft Tricolour Hibiscus Tree DO NOT BUY THESE TREES!!! BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN DEALING WITH THIS COMPANY!!! The trees were delivered bare rooted (as expected) and I immediately planted/cared for them as instructed. Three months later (from June to August) there is still no growth whatsoever and when snipping a stem back, no green or sign of life. Upon contacting the farcical 'fast messaging service' (as this is the only way to get in contact) and waiting literally hours for a response, I am told that there is only a 14 day return policy (and you have to pay to return the plants yourself anyway too). When the instructions say that there will be growth in a month or two, how the hell is anyone supposed to know that they are dead sticks before then; and return them. The messaging agent was totally unhelpful and dismissive. These trees were not cheap, but forgetting about the money, the customer service from this company is point blank the worst I have ever experienced. PURCHASE AT YOUR PERIL”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

Gardening Express is rated 1.2 based on 1,711 reviews