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

“The quality of plants is very hit and miss. Some are good and healthy; some poor and very weak. And in each of the two deliveries I've had items have arrived rotting, which means when they were packed they were already severely damaged. But by far and away the biggest issue with Gardening Express is the appalling customer service; it is by far-and-away the worst I've experienced.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Placed an order over 4 weeks ago, nothing delivered, no communication. Have tried the webchat a few times and just get told my order is being processed over and over again. Asked to cancel the order which is not permitted as being "processed" which it clearly is not! Just be honest with your customers and give realistic delivery times to manage customer expectations! Whilst all this is happening get constant offer emails - if you can not manage the sales you already have why the constant sales drive? Perhaps handle the backlog of outstanding orders instead!”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“I will NEVER use this company again. Truly appalling. Plants do not look at all like the images on their website. Better value at the local garden centre. Customer service slow and useless, Extra expense for me to return the plants they sent.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Plant late, £16.00 plus 5 pounds delivery for a clematis no bigger than 50mm high , absolutely disgusted, this was bought as present for a client I was so embarrassed when it was opened I took him to the garden centre and bought him one at 450 to 600mm high £7.99, will not use again!!”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“absolute rubbish company, will never use again, plants not in pot no reply to my photo or correct complaint procedure, no reply to my chats. very unproffessionel.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Weak looking, dried out, tiny, poor quality plants. Took 3 weeks to arrive. Disappointed all round.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Bought two chic-et-choc homeysuckle for £20 a few weeks ago, despite them being for sale in Morrisons for £2 each - i went out of my way to support a gardening business. Anyway, both dead. Sent photos and they won’t give a refund. So that taught me to never ever support a business like this again because they will take your money and not care about the product they give you. Go shop at Morrisons instead.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“less thasn half the size of smae plants in any decent garden centre and slightly MORE expensive too. See photos of PInk Salix (a stick for £13) and 15 inch high single stem cleamtis and honeysuckle - com[pared to my local garden centre same cleamtis exactly same price but 4 times the size!”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 7th April 2021

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“I received three small twigs in large plastic pots and no instructions. Looking nothing like the other photo with three large plants in the same sized pots. Absolutely rubbish! I do not recommend at all”

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Posted 4 years ago

“Dreadful wait for plants and now delay with Hermes. By the time the plants arrive they will be dead!!!”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Ordered two bay trees as a gift for my parents. Did not look anything like those shown online. Poor quality and mismatched. Tried to contact the company through the chat box, included pictures and explained the issue. No response whatsoever. Appalling. Would not use this company again.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“DO NOT BUY FROM THIS COMPANY!!! I ordered £190 of plants and all 7 of them were not as described, probably a 1/10th of the size they were advertised as! I have written several emails asking to return them but they just don’t reply. I will be seeking legal advice on these scammers and persuing them to the ends of the earth... Vermin.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“What went wrong? More like what has gone right, answer absolutely nothing. My son ordered an outdoor Palm for me as a Mother’s Day gift, a week prior to Mother’s Day, I chose it having read it was on offer and was IN STOCK, however didn’t arrive within their time frame, wasn’t too concerned initially, but then the excuses, delayed because of delays due to current events, then it was being chosen in the nursery and be shipped and packed in lovely packaging, and now the latest excuse WE ARE REFRESHING STOCK! Time lapse now is close on five weeks, and still no plant. I told my son to claim a refund and I will go to a local nursery, and don’t think theway they operate is little chance of that. Wouldn’t touch this company ever again.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Plants arrived today, one pot only seems to contain weeds, pots were bone dry, have not seen water for weeks, the buddlia is so small I doubt it will survive. Do not waste your money with this company, just a flashy web site with pictures that may not be theirs, I have raised a complaint, but will not hold my breath”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 1st April 2021

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“If I could give less stars I would. First of all my delivery was in two parts which is not a problem it was on the first delivery the box was so damaged, open no delivery note no indication what plant was, the plant was not to bad but had been really over pruned but it was ok, my second delivery was much better but not both the plants were what was expected or what was discribed, especially the blue magnolia it looked like a stick stuck in a pot, the pruning was awful as the top had been snapped of also and the plant was not even 2 foot tall all the little buds the had attempted to grow were brown and dead only one small shoot was growing but half dead barring in mind this plant was £25 on a half price offer, I am sure no one in their right mind would accept this especially if they had paid full price, the plant was green on doing a bark test but this is not the point the plant was in very poor condition and not as healthy as it should of been considering the company. The last plant was very weedy and not what I expected but was health and should grow ok but was still very small considering the price they ask for them. I contacted the support team and although they were lovely they didn’t seem to understand that this plant was not worth the money they were asking for it and totally disregarded that the top had been snapped of and told me as long as it was alive it would flourish not that the condition was poor or that it was not what was discribed. Very disappointed and urge people not to order from this company if they can help it as they only seem interested in the money and not the health of thier stock and how it is handled and delivered to the unaware paying customers. There are other sites which are not as big but supply better quality for far less even up to over half the amount of money this company changes for the very same plants.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Spent over £175 with them. 4 plants arrived totally dead. Set up support ticket, sent photos etc and they closed down the ticket with no explanation, no refund or replacement. This has happened twice now. Don't go near them.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Three clematis arrived all dead. Sent emails no replies got no refund Dreadful sent pictures still no reply”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 27th March 2021

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“I had 4 orders from this company spending a considerable amount of money some plants arrived dead the others died within weeks/ a month or so. No phone number to contact them sent several emails no response. Raised a number of forms on website, got the excuse of them being busy, my case has been referred to the horticultural manager to look at my case never heard back. On checking the status on my case i found the jobs had been closed without it being resolved. Disgraceful joke of con artists. Avoid this company if you don't want to wait weeks for your delivery and get dead plants, they guarantee the plants yet don't refund you with pictures of the dead plants. If you want to order plants online use dobbies, excellent quality and service”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Absolutley appalling customer service, I purchased 2 planters at a cheap pricepoint, they were extremely sub std, and damaged, even at this price. I would have returned them but the cost to return would have amounted to the cost of the items. So I raised a ticket on their system to complain, the ticket was closed, without them making any contact with me. I have sinced raised several more tickets with the same results. I feel they have dumped these unwanted stock and are now totally ignoring my attempts to complain. If I treated my customers with the contempt they are clearly showing me and ignored my customers issues I would be sacked. DO NOT USE IF YOU VALUE CUSTOMER SERVICE.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Do not use this company, brought an Acer tree specifically 160cm - 200cm priced at £129.99 they sell different height trees at different prices they sent one out with the packaging & pot total height 118cm Acers are slow growing trees this was a very young tree. They were selling 120cm - 150cm at £59 then one below £29.99 so basically the only category this tree actually fitted into was the £29.99 one not £129.99 plus delivery. Messaged them with no response & raised support tickets no response so I've contacted my bank. I would encourage anyone who's had the same which appears to be A LOT of people judging by reviews to contact there bank to recall the payments if they don't respond.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Gardening Express is rated 1.2 based on 1,790 reviews