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

“Beware — avoid at all costs. Bought an expensive tree (especially considering the market price of them) being persuaded by the online pictures. Received a stump with two short dead sticks grafted onto the top of it. Tried to complain to customer service (online chat only available), sent photographs but they did not want to know. They did not care about the quality of the tree, only whether it was alive or not, claiming it was deciduous and that was that (despite no signs of life at the end of March). These people do not care; they are shameless.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“The pictures on the web sight very misleading,they are fully grown plants. The one you receive are very small, not worth the money, no phone number and you have to pay for returns, anywhere is better to shop for plants shrubs Not gardening express.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“I thought I had checked the reviews on this company before spending £180, the 4 Bay trees I bought were half dead and misshapen, despite sending pictures they expected me to pick up the cost of return ( they were quite large so expensive to return) . I’m gutted as their response was appalling and ruined my weekend. I DO NOT recommend this company”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“I purchased 2 trees from this company, they were apparently delivered when I was not home. However, when I arrived home there was no parcel. Gardening Express have taken no responsibility and will not issue a refund or replacement. They have the contract with the courier yet they are holding me responsible for the delivery driver leaving a larger parcel outside the front door. So I have now lost my money and have no trees. Disgusting customer service.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“Awful company. Placed an order and tried to cancel within 2 hours of placing the order. Their website clearly states that if your order is still at the processing stage AND it's within 24 hours you can cancel from the my account area and get a refund. Both these conditions were true in my case but the cancel order link did not function at all. I mean, it was a physical link but when clicking it - nothing happened. No email address, no contact form and the only way to speak to someone is through their chat function, which I couldn't use until 36 hours after the order was placed. Even though the order has not been dispatched they say they cannot cancel the order as my account area is password protected. I have never heard such a terrible excuse - I mean, which company does not have access to their own systems? Laughable. Avoid, customer service is awful.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“Rubbish product, non existent customer service.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“I wish I had Checked them out before buying as my experience with Gardening Express is so similar to the other reviews here. I have been advised that the plants look healthy by them which is far from true. Would not buy again from this firm. Do not recommend. Avoid”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 14th March 2022

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“Bought three indoor plants in December 2021. All 3 plants were sent in same box. The two ferms dod not look too clever, but thought i would give the plants time. Notified company within 3 weeks plants were dying (with Christmas and new year in-between). Sent in photos of the dried up leaves plant they told me plants looks healthy and it was after the 14 days. But on Ebay there is a 30 day return window. I believe the plants were infected and they just don't care.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“No way to contact them 08448044253 is 'unobtainable' about the issues of a delivery, no email, no chat available, NO GOOD AVOID AVOID AVOID I will try to upload my pics an evergreen with no foliage at all. A magnolia, main stem broken 3 hellebores ... yellow they have been out of the light for so long 2amyrillis... never seen them this tiny 3 paoeny ... dried and shrivelled up WHY DO GOOGLE list them??”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“Last year in autumn I purchased a clematis from Gardening Express, and was very disappointed in the condition it came in, as it should've been healthy in the month I received it, yet all the leaves were dead and falling off, and I was just left with grey dead looking woody stems. I reported the problem straight away, and upon request of the GE chat agent, I cut a couple of the stems to see if there was any healthy looking sap in the stems. There wasn't. I sent photos of proof, but was told to wait until this year (March 2022) to see if it would come to life. The plant still has no signs of life, so I approached Gardening Express through chat again, and was just told to send it back...Not happy about that, having already spent £17 for a dead plant...Ridiculous that their policy insists that the customer has to pay return postage costs, even for a plant reported dead on arrival. I will AVOID in future...”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 9th March 2022

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“Horrendous just received 2 dead conifer boarder trees no customer service can’t get through on portal”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 7th March 2022

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“Dreadful after sales experience following one poor Yucca Purpurea plant which had some bent leaves which they wouldn't do anything about it. I also ordered at the same time (Oct 2021) 2 Yucca Adams Needles which on arrival had some lower leaves cut off. Apparently they don't like alot of rain although they are outdoor hardy plants so I put them under my gazebo for some shelter. Recently I noticed one had rotted off so I used their chatline and I received a patronising email which ended with Goodbye. I was not impressed after sending photographs they were most unhelpful, I have now binned the Yucca plant. I have spent around £150 over the past 6 months and I will not be buying anymore. Their customer service is outrageous, do not buy from this company as once they have your money they leave you standing.”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 6th March 2022

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“Paid around £170 for 3 out of 8 plants, the fact I’d been chasing for a month wasn’t their fault. If the delivery doesn’t happen as they have to do 1000s of orders. Given a refund as they don’t have the plants. Did not care and would never of checked or dealt with it. Also takes 30 minutes of waiting on the phone to be dealt with.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“Bought a cycad advertised as 'HUGE… Bought a cycad advertised as 'HUGE GIANT Cycad'- EXTRA LARGE 80cm-100cm. barely reached 80cm in height including pot and will be considerably smaller when the leaves drop lower, as the they were held upright in the packaging. Unhelpful and uninterested customer service. Scam overselling of products, definitely won't use again”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“I posted a month ago about dreadful experience with this company. 3 pots of orchids, already dead upon arrival, 1 amaryllis bulb that would not sprout after two months, two dead cyclamens that lasted less than a week, and a big pot of narcissus which looked good at first but whenever it started to blossom, the pods went brown and the flowers dried up, and i was careful about watering. Rest of the order were 30 tulip bulbs, 20 daffodils bulbs and 5 hyacinth bulbs. Just when I thought at least these had sprouted, looking forward to spring flowers, I noticed the tulips which i was growing indoors were covered all over with tulip aphids, the infestation was frightening. I had no choice but to throw out all the other bulbs that had sprouted as well. My existing house plants are very healthy, i never had problems for years until these arrived, now even those plants may be in danger. I didn't bother to complain since one has to complain within two weeks of plants being delivered. In summary, my entire order from this company were not only useless, they wasted a lot of my time, emailing the company getting rude replies, cleaning up the various messes, and endangered my existing plants; and Money I could have used on a nice meal out, plus possible losses of other plants. I only wish I had seen all the reviews on this website before ordering from them.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“WHAT DIDN'T GO WRONG? PACKAGING FELL APART DUE TO COURIER LEAVING OUT IN RAIN. PLANT WAS SO DISAPPOINTING, NOT THE SUPERB SPECIMEN PROMISED. CHAT LINE ABSOLUTELY USELESS, OBVIOUSLY TRAINED TO REPEL CUSTOMERS ASKED FOR PTOTO AND WERE APPALLED I DON'T DO PHOTOGRAPHY. SAID IT WAS MADE CLEAR AT POINT-OF-SALE; NOT SO. SUGGESTED I RETURN PLANT, BUT COULDN'T SUGGEST ANYWAY I COULD ACHIEVE THAT WITH NO PACKAGING. ADDING INSULT TO INJURY, CHAT LINE GIRL HOPED I WOULD HAVE "SUPER" DAY. FAT CHANCE. NEVER MET SUCH RUDE, UN-HELPFUL STAFF; SHALL TELL ALL MY GARDENING FRIENDS AT THE CLUB TO AVOID AT ALL COSTS”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“Dreadful plants, terrible customer service. Save your money shop elsewhere. I ordered two Photinia standard topiary trees. The advert stated if bought as a pair they would choose closely matching specimens. After receiving 3 damaged/defective trees and having to endure dreadful customer service, this is what I have ended up with. How this pair will ever be closely matching is beyond me.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“Awful company. Delivered 2 bushes squashed into a box wide enough for one. Damaged, broken containers, dehydrated. Containers put on top of the box. Had to throw them into the bin. Even cello taped them together in plastic bags. Which damaged the branches and leaves. Yodel delivered the box upside down Rubbish customer service. Not answering or helping. Never mind, won’t be using again.”

Gardening Express 1 star review on 17th February 2022

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Posted 3 years ago

“bought £90 worth of plants, complained about most of them. VERY poor condition. I contacted them about the Magnolia that was dying and they tried to tell me that it was because they had gotten water on the leaves !!! Rubbish the whole plant is now DEAD. They won't give you money back even though I furnished them with photos. DON'T BUY FROM THEM IT's A CON”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“Ordered 2 standard photinia red robbin. As per picture, there were supposed to be standard plant with round ball on the top. They used some dying normal photinia, removed leaves from the lower part and sent us calling it standard. What a fraud. I tried to claim back and they rejected saying correct plants. Clearly they knew they are doing this fraud on purpose. HORRIBLE!!”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

Gardening Express is rated 1.2 based on 1,790 reviews