Gardening Express Reviews

Name: Gardening Express
Address: Gardening Express, Chelmsford, Essex
Rating: 1.16

1.2 Rating 1,790 Reviews

3 %

of reviewers recommend Gardening Express

Company Reviews

Questions

Metrics

1.2

Based on 1,790 reviews

Shipping & Delivery
Delivery Methods	Courier
Average Delivery Time	Over A Month
On-time Delivery	Greater than 16%
Accurate And Undamaged Orders	Greater than 30%
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 2nd September 2025

Varese

Gardening Express 1 star review on 24th July 2025

Anonymous

Gardening Express 1 star review on 27th June 2025

Anonymous

635

Anonymous

Anonymous // 01/01/2019

Filter: Rated 1 None 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Stars Helpful

“Categories Blog My Reviews My Settings Help LOG OUT karen deane GB For businesses Your review counts! You reviewed Gardening Express Add photo karen deane 1 review 1 star: Bad Updated just now Extremely disappointed… Extremely disappointed by the quality of the plants (which have died) and the very poor after service. The online chat has a wait of around 2 hours and all they do is send a scripted reply. No understanding for genuine complaints that could so easily be resolved. I will not be using this site again and wore others to be cautious.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“I really wished I had read these reviews before. Unfortunately it appears I am not the only one experiencing such dreadful service. The on line chat is a joke. Just tried again, 2 hours wait. I've wasted enough time of my life trying to get in touch with these people. Spent a considerable amount of money with them. Some plants were ok but others just rotted in pots and some I am waiting to see if anything comes of them. Still waiting for last plant to arrive, ordered in May! Recommend them .... you are joking. Wouldn't use them EVER again.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Dishonest, deceitful, a total con! Their guarantee is worthless, they do not take phonecalls, they do not answer emails, they ignore complaints. They shouldn't be allowed to trade or steal our money. I ordered a shrub from Gardening Express in Feb 2021, described by them as 'established and bushy'. That was a lie. I got a twig 7" tall with 3 spindly 'branches'. I complained immediately and was told to give it time, it would thrive come spring. It did not thrive, it languished and slowly died. I sent many emails with photos but they ignore them. Their website now states that, for a refund or replacement, they need the dead plant returned, in its original pot(!), with the original label and proof of purchase and at my expense. That is ludicrous and just means the guarantee is useless. I am currently waiting on their chat facility, have been for 42 minutes and the only thing I see is "currently replying in under 2 hours"! My advice is clear: YOU SHOULD NEVER BUY FROM THIS COMPANY.”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 8th July 2021

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Please do not use this company, you will be disappointed, out of pocket, and with nothing worth planting in the garden”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“never again purchase from this company they duplicated my order and charged me again the chat help is a joke supposed to receive two palm trees got 2 root things”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“dreadful service receievd a dead tree sent 3 letters special delivery no reponse do not use this company, am contacting rip off britain and trading standards”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“DO NOT BUY, it is a scam, they take your money, make you wait 3-4 weeks then send a pile of rubbish you cannot get a refund from. Go to retailer disputes and raise a dispute for a refund, if enough people complain in this way they will have their merchant credit card facility removed and will not be able to trade.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Ditto everyone else’s comments poor service dead plants no aftercare”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 6th July 2021

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Just like everyone to know that Gardening express are happy to send out dead trees and when you try and resolve the issue they will go back on their 'replacement promise' and refuse to offer anything.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Waited three weeks for plants to arrive and they were dead on arrival. Complained, sent photos and wanted to return goods for a refund but I have been completely ignored. DO NOT ORDER FROM HERE!”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 3rd July 2021

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Terrible Company. I waited months for a peach tree costing £30 when it arrived it looked very poor but I attempted to "revive it " but it was dead . Complained several times with no reply. Do not buy from this company.”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 2nd July 2021

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“No customer service, plants are nothing like they advertised or described. Half dead tiny sticks of plants arrived along with a plastic bag of roots and no idea of what they are, at £109,00. Disgusting, do not ever buy from this company. No point in trying to return as you can’t talk to anyone.”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 1st July 2021

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Why has trading standards not shut this company down? They don't care about customer service, they give you the standard phrases that there's nothing they can do and continue false advertising. Their revenue stream is from substandard plants at high prices. Hope they end up in court!”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“I bought a collection of fruit trees and one of them died after just one season. As every plant description page has a logo stating '5 Year Guarantee If any plants should fail to establish within 5 years we will replace them free of charge, provided they have been looked after correctly.' and the special deals page has a banner on the top stating '5 Year Guarantee On all hardy plants'. I thought I'd be covered but I wasn't , even though the description page for this collection had the 5 year guarantee logo. turns out when you find the small print page 'We therefore guarantee all hardy nursery stock (Product codes prefixed with the single letters T, P, B or S, and double letters FT) for FIVE YEARS. As far as I can see not many items have these prefixes . Avoid.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Where to start. Order no. 601040644 Having spent over £50 on plants that I expected to be towards the end of the season as they were 'sale items', I'm seriously shocked. I've received one Lavender that looks healthy. Firstly, I don't have any problem with receiving individual deliveries, but unsure why this has to be the case with sale items! The echinacea were a mass of roots with no discernible evidence of a plant albeit some rotting debris and twigs. The helenium, what I could find within the package, were a needle in a haystack. Found some rotting bits. Worst of the delivery. The iris has some signs of life and I've planted those. They did not come as a rhizome, but rather roots with some evidence of life and I want to give them a chance of such. Tiny little things...finger's are crossed. Courier message today said they couldn't deliver, yet I was in and no-one called. They're coming tomorrow with the dahlias, so cannot comment on their condition. Not holding my breath for a good outcome. OWNER: CHRISTOPHER BONNETT STOCK CONTROLLER: ANDY TOWNS Would they like to respond to this Review? Or anyone else? The pictures draw you in with hope of a beautiful garden...albeit in my case at bargain basement prices 🤔 They are promising the dream and delivering a nightmare. Shame on them and the people who are making monies off the back of this inferior enterprise. Are the Trading Standards aware of their malpractices? I shall endeavour to find the answer with them. I'm unsure if their practice of making it almost impossible to deal with a Customer Service interface via telephone is legal. Nor their practice of making the Buyer responsible at their own cost to return items. GE ask for photographs, but how can this be provided in a reasonable timescale if they have no means of contact other than 'chat'. Needless to say, I only saw the 'Reviews' when I tried to establish how to get in touch with GE. Disappointing experience, which I do not intend repeating 😞 I cannot strengthen my review with photographic evidence as I am sure you know what soil and roots look like. Rotting bits too.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Received a notification to say that willow plants had been delivered. no plants have been delivered and the courier is unable to provide evidence of this. wrote to gardening express on their live chat and have been ignored. will have to challenge with my credit card company. nightmare.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Delivery was supposed to be 5-7 working days. I received my order 15 days later. I ordered a mimosa tree of 70-100 cm, it was in reality a very sad looking stick with some floppy leaves. Not an healthy looking plant. The advert advised it would be delivered with plenty of buds, this was just a naked stick I received. Briefly attempted to contact them online, quickly realized there is no way to speak to them and it would be a lost battle to try. Won't be ordering from this company again.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“I purchased 2 small Standard roses, they arrived 1 looked okay the other looked dead but I planted them both in the same compost, unfortunately only the one that looked okay survived, I tried to contact them eventually I was able to email them and explained the situation asking if they could replace the one that died. I did not get any response so I have decided NEVER to buy plants online”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“DO NOT buy from Gardening Express. They are labelling plants incorrectly and taking consumers for a ride. I purchased some English Munstead Lavender 12 in total. They arrived, and were planted whilst I was away. On return I realised quickly they were not the correct lavender but Lavender Ardeche Blue (the supppier label still in the pot that is printed Lavender Ardeche Blue). The only way to contact them is via a chat service. I spoke to Suzanna who was totally rude and denied that these were the incorrect plant. She was insistent that they were right, even though the label in the pot clearly had ‘Ardeche Lavender’ on the ticket, they had been labelled by Gardening Express as ‘Munstead Lavender’ either by mistake or in an attempt to con people? I sent lots of photographs with links to both plant so they could see the difference and photos of the plant I had received where you can clearly see it isn’t Munstead Lavender. I was abruptly told that if I wasn’t happy then to send the plants back - but at my cost?! It’s totally unreasonable and illegal what they are doing. I am shocked and cross to have been treated with such rudeness!”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“It would be a minus score if available.Pathetic very poor specimen plants. Pathetic service.Would certainly not recommend them.Rip off. Order from them at your own risk!”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Gardening Express is rated 1.2 based on 1,790 reviews