Gardening Express Reviews

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

1.2 Rating 1,729 Reviews

3 %

of reviewers recommend Gardening Express

Company Reviews

Questions

Metrics

1.2

Based on 1,729 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 24th May 2025

Mrs Jill CROSS

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

628

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

“First and last time I order anything from this company. Bulbs arrived 12 days after ordering, were mouldy and some even rotten. Some others were ok but packed in a shop plastic bag with a knot and no name on them. I sent a message in their website with lots of pictures of the damaged and they emailed back more than a week later saying that they saw the pictures and the bulbs look ok. Seriously?! One of the fritillaries I ordered is black and mushy (and it smells bad) you can clearly see that bulb is not going to make. Tulip bulbs covered with green spots and brown damage on the flesh! Their Facebook page has a lot of hidden comments, so I guess a lot of silenced unhappy customers. I’m not even going to bother to write there because I know they will delete the comments. You have been warned people! Do not buy from them!”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“I am a retired nursery owner. I spent in excess of £200 on advertised special offers before reading some unpleasant testimonials. My plants arrived today 12 days after ordering and I am delighted with everything. Strong bare root roses, excellent sturdy lavender and rosemary plants, 150 hyacinth and tulip bulbs just beginning to sprout and completely sound. Excellent value. Beautifully packed. Will definitely deal with this firm.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Not impressed at all I ordered 3 plants on the 13th January. Today is the 20th and still no order. Despite advising them via several emails that I would like to cancel 2 days ago, they are now telling me that my order is in process (but not dispatched)! I wish I had read the reviews prior to ordering but will not be accepting any packages that arrive at my address. I have since ordered from another company and received my items 2 days after ordering! 22nd January 2021 So despite sending them emails and cancelling my order 4 days ago via their so called logging system, this company has ignored my wishes and decided to send the items via Hermes which are due to be delivered today between 2pm and 6pm. Unfortunately I will be out as I have a meeting but it will be interesting to see the state of the plants that have been out for delivery for several days. Absolutely shocking that they ignore your requests and send the item anyway! Absolutely disgusting company. Finally got my items and surprise, surprise, they are not what was advertised. The plant itself is ok but the pots in the advertise do not reflect what I have received. Needless to say, I WILL NEVER order from this company again. Keep the money because it is only a matter of months before people work out that this company are here to scam people and this company will surely go bust very soon!”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“very pleased with citrus trees i purchased, was a little concerned after reading reviews but need not have worried, only thing wrong was one pot was damaged so no trouble to replace pot. Thank you very much.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Truely awful customer service and no way to contact anyone to discuss. Was sent badly damaged plants and despite sending multiple photos, no one responds. Have had to chase on their chat several times, again poor response just asking for even more photos. Now the chat has been disabled 'due to Covid'. Either a one man band or the most hopeless company out there. Avoid.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“One star is the minimum i am permitted to give. they do not deserve one star! We ordered 6ft tall palms. They arrived at 3ft, they refused to accept them back and offered a 25% discount. will never ever buy from them again. They do not respond to emails, they have no phone number, you can only get them on Chat. Appalling.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“This firm is a con and I found out the hard way how disgusting their service is. I would not recommend them at all. Don’t order from this firm you will only receive shoddy products! A very dissatisfied customer.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“I bought different plants, some in offer and others not. The bulbs in offer came completely rotten! It was a waste of money. One of the orchids came with mold, and other plant came with the pot broken. I send them an email two weeks ago and they haven´t got back to me. I assume that the customer service is awful. Before buying I check the reviews in the website and al of them were 5 starts. After rating them with less starts I realized that my review hasn´t been uploaded into the website, so -based on my experience- it seems clear that they upload only the reviews they like. I will not buy from them again”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Do not buy from this company- purchased a pair of plants one turned up and was already failing despite countless emails and was told the plant was ok they have basically died.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“I ordered 2 totem pole trees from this company in lockdown.When they finally arrived they were dreadful. Not fit for sale. I contacted them and sent photos. It took months for them to contact me and asked for photos again, which I sent.That was October 2020, in January 2021 they answered me and said that they would need the plants back in original containers with original tags and I had to pay for them to be sent back! Disgusting! they can see from the photos from first arrival that they are very poor. Don’t order from this company!”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Avoid this company, like the other people here my order was never delivered, their customer service is non existent and they wont refund my money - you have been warned. Don't trust the few 5 star reviews on here because they do not reflect what this company is about and your credit card company may refuse to refund.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“My wife purchased 2 bicolour budlieas 1 half of on died 3 weeks later raised a ticket and that was a problem on its own only to have it dismissed a couple of months later with no explanation. I would not buy a light bulb from this shower as that would probably die A very disgruntled custom”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“First of all this is the first review that I have ever written and that is because I am completely disgusted with the poor quality of the plants and even more disappointed with the lack of communication from customer services, I bought 3 house plants to give for Christmas presents and they arrived on 23rd December. They were in such a poor state I could not give them away as gifts. The orchid was covered in insects and webs and had to be washed on arrival and the flowers dried up and dropped by 30th December. There were very few buds on the Christmas cactus and these all dropped off without blooming and the African violet had few leaves and many flowers that were dried up on arrival and had to be dead headed again by 30th December. So I emailed a complaint and sent photos on 30th December. I got a reply referring to the purchase of a tree so I emailed a reply with more photos and have not even had a courtesy reply. I emailed to say I was disappointed to not have received a reply. Still no reply by today 8th January”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“BEWARE!!! plants took 4 months to arrive and then were dead. Totally ignored request for a refund despite months of emailing and contacting. WOULD NEVER USE THIS COMPANY AGAIN!!”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM THIS COMPANY I have been in constant touch this company since June 2020 regarding a replacement Acer under their so called 5 year guarantee. They have either totally ignored my request for a replacement or said it has been passed onto the Horticultural Manager (do not think they have one) who will be back in contact shortly. Either way you do not hear anything else from them. I have submitted 4 support ticket requests the first two were deleted by them after 2 weeks with no action at all. The fourth one is still on their system and has been since 11 September 2020. I have asked for numerous updates as to what is happening without any response. The shrub was of very poor quality when it arrived in `November 2019 but despite careful care and attention has not developed at all. Avoid them at all costs as you cannot communicate with them. An excellent website to look at but it is all a scam.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Was concerned by previous reviews but decided to go ahead and am pleased i did. I ordered a Winter Jasmine and it arrived promply, is of good quality and size, was well packaged and a good value. Will use again.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“I have ordered several times and always happy with the plants. They are well packed and arrived at the time stated. If you order at the wrong season then you will wait, but I knew this, so not a problem. I have just ordered some dwarf fruit trees and in doing so came across all these negative reviews. A bit shocked, hope my trees arrive and are healthy like previous orders. These reviews could ruin this company, I would not have bought if I’d seen them first. Just hope not exaggerated as small business are finding it tough enough. Well done Gardening Express on my purchases so far and I really hope any satisfied customers take the time to post good reviews. I think reviews may be only posted when bad, and the dozens of happy customers don’t think it is necessary”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“I ordered several plants. When they arrived they were much smaller than expected. In fact 2 rose trees were £7.50 each half price ( so in theory worth £14.99) they were SO SMALL.. definitely not the size advertised. Like other reviewers I have had a couple of polite replies to my emails..but no action. I would not buy from them again”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“DO NOT USE this company. I dont often do reviews but just felt I should warn others. Terrible service. Plants arrived in terrible condition and I've complained using the ticket system but 5 months later and after complaining 4 times it never heard anything.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Avoid, avoid, avoid. Dreadful experience during the year. I ordered two plants (wisteria) - they never arrived. Yet my customer account said they had been dispatched, so please wait 2 weeks. Please wait another two weeks. Ridiculous ticket system for contacting them - no phone line or chat function. 10 emails later, still no satisfactory resolution. During the correspondence they apologised several times, and said they would dispatch again - but no plant ever turned up. Nor refund. It was just a process for fobbing off the customer. Fast forward to December, and my brother-in-law asked "Secret Santa" ffor a citrus tree which he had seen advertised by Gardening Express for Christmas present. Stupidly I thought, "surely they couldn't be as bad again". Wrong. It's now 21 Dec and 10 days since I placed an order which they said would be despatched in 3-5 days. Looks like brother in law won't be getting his gift, and I have lost more money Company now has a chat function as well as their "ticket system" - BUT it only operates three days per week. And still no phone line. This company deserves a County Court judgment against it. Maybe that's the only way you can get your money returned.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Gardening Express is rated 1.2 based on 1,729 reviews