Gardening Express Omdömen 

⭐☆☆☆☆ Extremely Disappointed – Poor Quality Plants, No Response, and Misleading Practices
I’ve spent over £100 with Gardening Express this year, but after my latest order I’ll never buy from them again. Several plants arrived in terrible condition — wilted, spent, and damaged due to poor packaging and squashed boxes. The Rudbeckia ‘Little Goldstar’ were completely past flowering and nothing like the “strong, healthy plants” shown online. Some Echinaceas and Polemoniums arrived with snapped stems and crushed pots.
When I contacted customer service with clear photos, I received a generic template reply demanding more pictures, labels, and paperwork that didn’t even exist in the box. Since then, I’ve had no reply or resolution at all. The company has simply ignored my follow-up messages.
To make matters worse, I’ve since learned Gardening Express has been featured on BBC Watchdog for exactly these kinds of issues — misleading product listings, poor plant quality, and avoiding refunds. Unfortunately, my experience aligns perfectly with that reputation.
Avoid this company at all costs. Their plants are poorly packed, customer service is evasive, and the whole process feels designed to wear customers down rather than put things right. There are far better online nurseries that deliver what they promise and treat customers with respect.

I’ve ordered loads from this company, often plants have been ‘on offer’ for really good prices, it’s been relatively hit and miss with the quality of things, but if somethings arrived and it hasn’t done as well as I hoped it would, I’ve not been too bothered because of the low price.

However I placed an order a few weeks ago and it arrived with an item missing - I contacted customer services who took over a week to get back to me asking for photographs. I sent them and they are now ignoring me (it’s been a month since I sent the pictures) - I have chased them but ultimately ended up doing a chargeback through my bank.

Incredibly disappointed in this company, their website insinuates a high level of quality customer service which simply isn’t true.

I won’t be ordering from them any more..

Ordered 8 heathers, two pansies, and two violas. Violas fine. Heathers out of season, despite being advertised as "studded with buds and flowers in season". Pansies not the right variety. Contacted customer service three times asking them to ship the correct pansies or just issue a refund. Got three bizarre responses via email from "Kit" who, is probably just a bot - first one asked to send more photos, which I did - no response. Responses 2 and 3 did not at all address my complaint and I got no responses to my responses. Never ordering from this sham business again and they should be investigated for shady practices. No phone number advertised for customer service tells you everything you need to know.

I bought 2 bare rooted plum trees in June. On arrival I notified Gardening Express that they seemed very dry. They suggested I gave them time, which I did.
They were potted into new sterile JI No2 compost in large pots and placed into the "nursery" area of my garden along with a pear tree, 2 hazelnuts and other new plants.
Everything grew strongly apart from the plum trees, one of which was clearly a "dead stick", and one which grew strongly, but only from the rootstock, not the scion.
I contacted Gardening Express on their contact page, and received a reply from someone called Dermot who asked for images of the plants which I sent by return. I have heard nothing since. I contacted their customer service director, and also a new claim via their contact page but have had no further contact.
I have had decent plants in the past from this company, but they will not enter any meaningful conversation about their warranty, which is clearly worthless.
I have given up trying to get any support and am currently writing an article to my local gardening society to suggest they avoid this company. I suggest you all do the same.

I ordered a magnolia tree as a gift for a 70th birthday present. So far I have received automated replies and one email sayingthey were prioritising my order. 24 hours later I have neither received dispatch or tracking information.I have asked for my money back if they are unable to fulfil the order. I await a reply. I am very displeased. Please don't use this company. They don't even have a phone number

I ordered a bareroot Magnolia tree, late in the season for bareroot cold stored trees but it was at a reduced price. On arrival I was disappointed as it was really just a twig and not what I expected. I was about to return it but saw on their website their bare root guarantee. So I foolishly decided to keep it to see if it would grow as I thought i would be covered by the guarantee. 2 months later after a very warm and sunny spring/early summer there was no difference and no leaves had formed. I contacted their customer service and was either ignored or told there was nothing wrong. I have provided pictures but have been told I'm not covered by guarantee. So basically I have paid for an overgrown twig. Do not use this company!

28/4 purchased 5 bare rooted fruit trees
5/5 planted up as instructed but only 1/5 grew
15/7 Complained,/ sent pictures under Guarantee fully expecting an apology and refund.
24/7 GE responded " not one of those plants covered by our Guarantees"
I responded That GE's own product description ( have copy) had clearly stated that they were covered by their "growth Guarantee" also their web site promotes " everything we sell is guaranteed" Their CEO actively promotes this fact ! ( Sun newspaper)
15/8 GE finally responded with apology , confirming they were covered but requested "Bark test & pictures" sent 1/9 but yet again NO Response...now + 3moths after initial complaint .
It is clear I am not alone with 94% of reviews to this site rating lowest possible customer service , many with issues on guarantee ..Even on the main site the average is 34% with terrible ratings from May - September this year! >60% one star!!!( see section "how company uses trust pilot)
Trust pilot indicates this company does not reply to negative reviews So I again invite the CEO of this company to respond and explain this terrible performance and misleading promotions which should be taken up by advertising standards If others have similar concerns?
They claim to be trusted suppliers to designers and exhibitors of a number of high profile events including BBC gardeners world live . Having been previously investigated by BBC watchdog on other issues , other complainant's , should consider sharing their experiences ( both good and bad ) so we get a Signiant improvement in service and GE honours its guarantees. .Please also submit your reviews to the main GE Trust pilot company site, so customers can see the true level of dissatisfaction with this company , which seems by far the worst of online garden plant companies.

Ordered 4 hibiscus trees, meant to be 3-4ft tall. Arrived 2.5ft tall from the bottom of the pot, so when I took them out they measured 2ft tall. I paid £160 for 4 of these trees!
I’ve been emailing useless Levi since August, it’s take 1 month to get 1 reply!
Then he’s finally told me today that the plants been 20% under is totally acceptable & that it’s measured from the bottom of the plant pot as well 🤯
Avoid at all costs!

8 days after ordering there's no update on delivery time at all. If I had know this online shop was so slow to dispatch and also slow to respond to emails I wouldn't have ordered.

First of all, the way the plants were packaged in the box was very poor. There was no protection for the foliage, which resulted in damage during transit as everything shifted around whenever the box was moved. They didn't even put a "Fragile" label on the box.

The delivery service used, DHL, was of course extremely disappointing as well. After I chose to pick up my order from a depot, the tracking number disappeared, and I was unable to track my order anymore. I tried to call DHL, but they don't provide an option to speak with an operator.

I wasted my time visiting the depot two days in a row before finally receiving my order, and I never received any notification from DHL at any point. In total, there was a three-day delay caused by them while the plants were damaged inside the box.

Plants arrived in a very poor condition. The heathers were nearly all brown at the bottom which they do not generally recover from. Some were also dry as a bone which is also very bad for them. They look absolutely nothing like the advertised image. Custoner services wanted me to return at my cost which contravenes consumer rights- quoted from ‘Which’:-

‘You should not be charged for a return if the item is of unsatisfactory quality, unfit for purpose or not as described.’

Do not bother with this company. Far better to go to a garden centre and see the plants for yourself.

I ordered a large hardy pomegranate tree in September and it has not arrived. I have sent numerous emails and have been ignored.
There is no phone number that you can ring, which is suspicious.
I do not know what to do now!

BUYER BEWARE
Late delivery, I had to chase them up
Poor quality plants, mostly dead and damaged stems, only fit for my garden waste bin which is where they ended up.
Appalling customer service, no phone number, and they do not respond to email. You might get an automated reply telling you if you keep chasing them up, your mail will end up in their junk mail.
I have had to accept that it was a big mistake using this company, and have written off my losses.

Sadly having ordered 2 Salix flamingo topiary trees having followed this company on instagram for a while I was appalled to see what was delivered as a gift!
Response was unacceptable when I sent a photo of what was sent next to what they advertised, they merely said that was how they should look but to get back to them in 2-3 weeks if no change! Highly unlikely that there will be as winter approaches.

While most of the plants were in good shape, 6 of them were severely damaged (broken stems, all soil loose in the box) and never got an answer to my emails where I asked for a replacement. This was a second bad experience, after an order where 2 expensive plants were sent all mushy, and even if I provided video and photos of it, I only received an unhelpful response after 14 days (!) asking for new photos in a very specific way. While it seemed a good deal when ordering, considering the losses, I paid much more than I would have paid in my local nursery.

Dishonest company and dishonest customer services. I was lied to and told to do a bark test to see if the plant was dead. It was and from then on I never heard from them again. This company has so many complaints they need closing down. Trading standards aware but say it will be a million pound law suit so gathering as much info as they can. Don’t use. Yes things cheaper but dead within months.

I raised an issue several weeks ago where two orders were only delivered in part. In one 5 sets of snips were missing and in another 5 plants have not been delivered. I have provided proof they got stuck in the yodel system. I have not had a resolution and am increasingly frustrated by the lack of customer service and there being no phone number to call them on to resolve. I won’t be recommending them again! And will have to go down reclaiming monies through my bank unless they want to resolve the issue when they read this.

I ordered 3 bamboo plants on arrival the packaging looked good my husband took the parcel in and when I arrived home after work and opened the box to see 3 almost dead plants not at all like the plants in the pictures when I contacted customer services I was told that the picture Id sent them was not enough information stay clear from these people they are bad news

I spent over £65 on plants. One parcel arrived, but the other was returned to the supplier due to a damaged box. I contacted them many times, and every time a new person replied asking for the same information, even though they already confirmed they could see the parcel was sent back.
After that, they completely ignored me. I never got my refund, and I never got my plants.
This company is dishonest, disorganized, and doesn’t care about customers. Avoid them at all costs — they just take your money and disappear.

I ordered 3 Premium Quality Topiary…
I ordered 3 Premium Quality Topiary Buxus PYRAMID - circa 100-120cm and a
PAIR of Topiary Buxus BALLS - Stylish Contemporary Box Ball PLANTS - LARGE. On 14th of September.

The plants were ok but the service has been absolutely appalling.

They only delivered the 3 pyramids and a single ball. I’ve contacted them immediately and today 26 October I still haven’t received an answer from them.

This is terrible service. You are ordering and pretty much praying all goes well, otherwise forget about something being sorted out…