Gardening Express Reviews

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

1.2 Rating 1,803 Reviews

3 %

of reviewers recommend Gardening Express

Company Reviews

Questions

Metrics

1.2

Based on 1,803 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 7th December 2025

Anonymous

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

636

Anonymous

Anonymous // 01/01/2019

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

“Appalling company. On Monday I received my gardenia plant which had been purchased as a gift. It arrived with dead and browning leaves that I’ve already had to pick off but more importantly only half a plant. Half had been trimmed away before shipping to presumably get rid of the dead. According to the description it was supposed to arrive in bud ready to bloom. I’ll be lucky if it blooms next year! It’s taken 3 days of constant Tweeting, messaging and using their chat facility to come up with being told plant it in the ground for a month to see if it survives. They didn’t take into account that it was a gift that had been purchased and what was I supposed to do, give them half a gardenia with browning leaves and say gardening express say plant it in the ground for a month and see if it survives. They even tried to insult my intelligence by saying that I’d left it still in the nursery pot. Of course I had I’d been waiting for a response for 3 days as to know what I’d got to do with it!!! Appalling customer care however it seems I’m not alone. There are a few people on Twitter which have been delivered a half dead or even in some cases a fully dead plant and Gardening Express have refused to do anything to rectify the situation. Please think twice before using this company. If your plants arrive in poor condition and not as described they don’t care and won’t give a refund or replacement!”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 23rd June 2021

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Do not buy from this company- they are a shambles! Supplied a dead plant no replacement or refund!”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“like previous customers unable to contact order not complete .If you are thinking of buying from this company my advise DON'T”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“I have tried to chat on there help and nothing. I have been held on waiting for over an hour and a half when they say reply in under 40 minutes. The pictures below are of the standard three coloured Hibiscus I bought. Its been planted for a month now, and not signs of any growth. The after sales service from this company is abysmal to say the least.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“diabolical experience. 2 dead plants arrived. Whole load of palaver with uploading photos and getting a response from their 'chat' facility. Hardly a 'chat' facility when you wait 2 hours for a response. Finally they agreed to refund one and asked me to wait a few weeks to see if the other revived. No refund arrived. 2nd plant still dead. No response to chasing, no response on 'chat'. Appalling customer service. No other means of contact which I expect is deliberate. Wish I'd looked on here first. I cannot understand how they are still operational. Truly a waste of time and left with a really sad looking corner of the garden - which I had hoped to transform with two statement plants!”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“AVOID THIS SCAM, FRAUDULENT OUTFIT LIKE THE PLAGUE! My wife paid the princely sum of £28.96p for a GIANT Hydrangea. A TINY plant upside down in a GIANT and damaged box arrived via Hermes. We rejected the delivery and then discovered that this so-called reputable company doesn't provide any phone numbers at all for customer support and your only hope of obtaining any kind of post-sale communication or a refund is by jumping through a covoluted myriad number of hoops. We then read countless negative and jaw-dropping reviews on Google. We also discovered that Gardening Express has also been the subject of the BBC's Watchdog programme. CAVEAT EMPTOR!”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“I have placed 2 orders. One plant was dead from the first order, that I didn't pursue due to lockdown, but this time I a pursing a damaging half dead tree. Like others I have spent 3 days waiting for their chatbot to no avail. Will not buy from them again, and make a claim through chargeback.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Dreadful company. Customer services difficult to contact and when you do get through to complain via their only route - online chat (hours later) they have obviously had training in how to avoid any refund. Plants I received were much smaller (in 0.5L pots rather than the 1-2L pots advertised) so missold but no refund or part refund offered. Really disappointed, it will be 2 years before they reach the size advertised if they actually survive! Never buy from this company!!”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“My advice from personal experience DON'T purchase any plants from GardeningExpress. I only wish I had read previous reviews before purchasing from them. I paid £24.00 plus delivery for a pot of twigs. What I found most upsetting and frustrating was the almost impossible task of speaking with anyone about my complaint. I spent two days and hours waiting on the website to have a 'chat' and when I finally got to communicate with a member of the team I was advised that it wasn't the right time for Hydrangeas to be in bloom and to wait for up to two months to see if the plant grew! There was never any apology. I sent photos of what I was led to believe my plant would look like and what was actually delivered, they couldn't have been any different, again I was advised it was the wrong time to expect anything more, if you read the blurb on the sale of the plant it clearly states blooming June - September. Its an appalling way to treat customers. It has left me feeling not only cross and very frustrated but also so sad that any company would feel this is an acceptable way to behave and clearly not for the first time reading the reviews below.”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 16th June 2021

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“DO NOT touch this website. I paid £15.95 for a plant which is dead. I have tried to contact them but it is impossible. They are eager enough to take your money but will not allow you to complain. They don’t even deserve one star.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Shockingly bad plants, mostly dead. Paid £180 for 30 lavender, lucky if two survive. They were badly packaged in boxes that were not robust enough, took far too long to arrive and were piled up any old how in the Yodel delivery van. I have already had one bad experience with two half dead marguerite plants. They don’t respond to ‘Tickets’ being raised. Managed to get someone on chat finally but she said she couldn’t see my ticket or photos. Don’t know what else to do. I will just make sure I tell as many people as I can to avoid like the plague. I will have a go at contacting them again tomorrow but don’t think I’ll get anywhere. An absolutely shocking company.”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 15th June 2021

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Did not receive 2no. trees out of the 5nos ordered. Chased and after sending all the proof, the two trees were sent but half dead and much shorter than previous ones sent.. Not sure if the trees will survive. I wrote to complain about the conditioning the trees and never got a response. It is a total waste of £200 with Garden Express.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“After waiting nearly 3 weeks for my delivery for supposedly a pair of Marguerite Giant Daisy Trees. They arrived in a very poor condition, and nothing like the size or quality reflected. This is a clear example of product misrepresentation. I emailed Gardening Express immediately and included photos, I received an email reply referring to Damage via courier! it is difficult to navigate their system and receive any customer service.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Abominable, disgusting and any other appropriate adjective you can apply to this appalling company. Like many others, didn't think to read the reviews before ordering. Three weeks after ordering a 50cm tall arbutilon hybrid pink, ireceived a 25cm twig with 5 dead leaves attached, which promptly fell off. No answer to my email. And having now read the reviews, I am not returning it and incurring more cost, and then still not receiving a refund. So I will just have to accept it as a lesson learnt. SO PLEASE DO NOT EVER ODER PLANTS FROM THIS COMPANY. The trading standards should be looking into this company and its owner Chris Bonnett”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Received an email re 60 plus perennials at a special price,due to wet May, not in good condition, I will be amazed if many survive”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“I may have been unlucky in my dealings with Gardening Express but the quality of plants that I received were practically unusable. I paid £79.99 for a specimen star jasmin. It was supposed to be 6 to 7 feet. The plant that I received had less than 3 foot of growth and a lot of withered twigs. I sent photographs of the plants to Gardening Express. I contacted the company and they did respond to say that I could return the plants at my own cost and that I'd be responsible for the plants until they received them. They advised that I insure the transport, at my own cost. They had completely failed to deliver honestly. The plants arrived in 4 deliveries with no notification, apart from the first delivery. I wasn't going to waste further time and in packing the plants and returning them. I had little doubt that the company would not behave honestly. I would strongly advise against the use of this company.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Standard plant damaged unable to contact. No communication. Complaint Recess doesn’t workk. Avoid at all costs. Same as all other coomplaints. Wish I’d seen this site first”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Order #600994065 Lavander I should have checked Trustpilot and all rviws sites before I bough from this Appalling company. I also wish I could give this company 0 (zero) stars! I bought 10 Lavander plants FOR £40.00 and apart from 3 they are all dead. Trying to contact this company is a mission impossible as they make it virtually impossible for customers to contact them. They have a useless text message system on the website that is an absolute Joke. PLEASE DO NOT BUY FOR THIS SHODDY COMAPNY I sent an email 2 days ago and also sent a message on THEIR USELESS a messaging system with the following and no reply. “My order Your m arrived some days ago and despite being tightly packaged, the Lavander plants were looking very sad and dry, not much green or growth in them. I planted them immediately hoping that nature would do its magic. Unfortunately, apart from 3 plants, the remaining 7 are all dead!”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 11th June 2021

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“PLEASE PLEASE is there anyone human to speak to after trying to sort out my missing and damaged plants I STILL have had no response. You have made it virtually impossible to get any information THANK YOU FOR YOUR ORDER FROM GARDENING EXPRESS . Once your package ships we will send an email with a link to track your order. Your order summary is below. Thank you again for your business. Your order #600916709 Placed on 13 April 2021 14:18:05 BST Item Sku Qty Subtotal Pair of King Sago Palm Trees - Cycad - Cycas revoluta 50-60 cms with Flared Black Planters H76405 1 £59.95 Magnolia Black Tulip - RARE Deep Purple-Black Flowering Tulip Tree S5G002 1 £49.95 Magnolia Fairy Blush - Evergreen Soft Pink Flowering Magnolia DEAL800935 2 £39.90 Magnolia Genie - Amazing Purple Black Magnolia - Giant Flowered Black Tulip 120-150cm T20011 1 £89.95 Magnolia Black Tulip - RARE Deep Purple-Black Flowering Tulip Tree - LARGE 180cm SPECIMEN T20797 1 £179.95 Cornus stolonifera Flaviramea - Golden Dogwood - LARGE SPECIMEN SP90056 1 £34.95 Cornus Midwinter Fire - Winter Beauty Dogwood - Pack of THREE Plants DEAL16027 2 £59.94 Cornus alba Kesselringii - Black Stem Dog Wood S2E005 3 £47.85 Robinia pseudoacacia umbraculifera - False Acacia 160-180cms Standard Tree T21568 1 £59.95 Nandina domestica Lemon-Lime - Brightly Coloured Heavenly Bamboo S5I004 2 £39.98 Allium Pinball Wizard P21479 7 £90.79 Nandina Blush Pink - Sacred Bamboo S5I005 1 £19.95 Fragrant Evergreen Star Jasmin -Trachelospermum jasminoides - 150-200cm Specimen Plant + DEAL16087 2 £60.00 BECAUSE YOU'VE SPENT OVER £10 YOU QUALIFY TO BUY: Clematis montana rubens - Pink Anemone Clematis C20103ico 2 £16.00 Wisteria floribunda Domino ('Issai') - Large Specimen Plant 6ft+ T108081 2 £119.90 Allium Purple Sensation - Ornamental Onion Plant P10565 6 £77.82 Cornus florida - Flowering Dogwood - Large Specimen Plant SP20020 2 £159.90 SPECIAL DEAL - PAIR of Premium Quality Standard OLIVE Trees - Olea europea DEAL76358 1 £49.97 Fargesia nitida Black Pearl - Black Stem Umbrella Bamboo - 120-150cms tall B20034 1 £59.99 Paeonia Pink - Peony Bare Root BR21418 7 £41.93 Paeonia White - Peony Bare Root BR21416 7 The Paeonia pink x 7 and Paeonia white are missing The large fargesia bamboo arrived dead as did one of the Evergreen jasmines also the cornus dogwood. All I’m asking is for replacements OR my money back as you must be able to appreciate how much this has cost us I have used you many times and this is the first time you’ve disappointed me. Unless this is resolved ASAP I will not be using you again and would urge anyone to be very wary”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“You delayed delivery but still wouldn't allow cancellation, told to refuse delivery, when it eventually happens. Emails take days to get a reply, if you get a reply at all. Plants dispatched eventually on a Friday for next working day delivery, meaning the delicate plants spent the weekend boxed up in a Courier Depot. That isn't conducive to delivering fresh healthy plants. All in all a dreadful experience and we are still waiting for the refund!”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Gardening Express is rated 1.2 based on 1,803 reviews