Gardening Express

Anemone Hybrida Bressingham Glow Japanese Anemone SKU P******* £14.99 and Anemone hupehensis Splendens Windflower SKU P******* £14.97 delivered 23 August 2022
I expected these to be delivered in a similar condition to the Anemone hupehensis 'Red Riding Hood' Japanese Anemone Windflower, that is, 'in-season, strong, healthy, full of buds, flowers and shoots'. They weren't. They aren't.
These are short, stubby scrawny, almost lifeless plants with wilting foliage, no flowers, no buds, highly unlikely to have any flowers at all this year 2022!
'Autumn', Gardening Expresses' Quick Messaging System agent advised me 'This is a young specimen and will thrive once settled'.
If I wanted two 'young specimen' I'd have ordered two 'young specimen' and they wouldn't have cost me £29.96 but more like £4.99 each!
It is already mid-Summer heading into late-Summer with Autumn 'just around the corner'.
I've not spent £29.96 for Gardening Express to deliver me two 'young specimen' in 3-litre pots for me to grow myself, I've spent £29.96 to have premium quality 3-litre 'in-season' plants delivered full of buds and flowers!
Furthermore, the Plant Passport shows A ANEMONE, B BE-2.085.018.364 C week 13/16 2021!
And Gardening Express expects us to pay 'return postage'? Unbelievable!

If there was a zero star I would give it.

Disgusting, disgraceful, unemphatic, uncompassionate, rudest company I have come across. There are no ways of contacting them either by phone or email, just their silly online chat forum which takes hours for them to answer. They do not honour their 5 guarantee shrubs and trees, like Large 4-5ft Magnolia acuminata Blue Baby, they sent out a bare root and expect you to send it back in 14 days if it does not flower or sprout leaves. I paid £30 for this tree and left it for 5 months, did a bark test, and it was dead. They were very rude when contacted online (transcript copied for court purposes) and would do nothing cos I had to send it back in 14 days, cr*p, rude, unruly staff, disrespectful, unhelpful, the owner, CB is not interested in feedback even when contacted by LinkedIn. Disgusting, if they want to survive they need to change their business model for sure. Try well known companies like Suttons, or the RHS. This company is really for the dunster for certain. DO NOT BUY FROM THEM YOU ARE WASITING YOUR MONEY. I have now had to get CAB and Trading Standards involved as the item is not fit for the purpose and promise, will take them to court over this of needs be.

Haven't even received my plants zero customer service shouldn't be in business thank god I paid with PayPal

Received a delivery with numerous plants. Some ok, some pretty dead and not as advertised. Started a dispute through the chat as they don't provide a phone number on the website. Talked to two people through chat and Marina the manager on the phone, got fobbed off, despite providing with clear evidence that the plants that I have received are not what is advertised (ornamental cabbages are advertised to be in 10-12cm pots 1l on the website, arrived in 6cm pots and less than 400ml, and some of the heathers were pretty dead).

Got told that the plants are the right plants and there is no issue and if I want to return them for refund I need to cover the cost myself, which I have refused, given that I have received not what I have ordered based on the information provided online.

When I have pointed out the difference in size of the ornamental cabbages both in the description and photos on the website, I got told that the measurements are approximate and the images for full grown plants. This was not mentioned on the product page.

As for heathers, I got told that some of them are not in season and thus don't look great right now. Again, nowhere on the product page is mentioned that they are out of season. On contrary, it says 'Full of buds and bursting in to colour right now'. Again, when I pointed this out to Marina the manager, I got told that I should have done my homework (bear in mind the product page doesn't even mention what types are being sent!).

All in all, the company is a scam and I would advise against shopping with them as you will waste your money and nerves talking to the customer support team.

Through Groupon, Gardening Express were offering Japanese Maples, Peonies and Palms on offer. Out of 4 Maples, 3 exhibit nutrient burns on their tips, 2 of which have little to no foilage and the remaining few leaves are about to drop dead from necrosis. Out of 4 Peonies, 3 are virtually dead. None had any labeling as to the species of maple acer or peony. My palms were ordered on the 15th but have not been delivered. I can only assume that they are dead somewhere.

Truely disappointed. As an experienced gardener im hoping to try and keep them going, but as the summer is drawing to the end, it's likely that most of the stock will die off. I was essentially sent very expensive twigs.

I've sent a support message to GE via their website about the Palms, will give the Maples and Peonies a few more days to pick up otherwise I'll be chasing a refund through my bank and solicitors.

*UPDATE* 03/09/16

Gardening Express have replied back to my email regarding the missing palms. Hoping action is taken to either find or replace them.

In the meantime, I've had avid horticultural expert have a look at my peonies that arrived. They are 100% affected by Powdery Mildew, which is a fungal infection bourne from humid and wet conditions. The best thing to do is treat them with horticultural oil or neem oil, and soap. Cut back all affected leaves and also look into taking preventative action with any other plants you may have as Mildew spreads via spores.
See google for what Powdery Mildew looks like on the Paeonia variety of peonies

UPDATE 07/01/2017
Garden Express have tried to remove my review.
I have forwarded the relevent correspondence to TrustPilot as Gardening Express act in a completely negligent manner and trying to get bad reviews removed. All of the plants died due to infection. I have also contacted trading standards.

I ordered 8 plants on the 4th May and based on their web site information, allowing for busy times, I was under the impression I would receive them after 10 working days max. ( although their web site says they aim for 3-5 days). I e-mailed them on the 17th May having heard nothing as regards despatch or otherwise. As I was going away for a week's holiday the following week, given the delay, I requested they deferred the despatch until I returned the week after. Two days later they e-mailed me to say once an order had been allocated for despatch, it could not be deferred or cancelled. They suggested I re-arranged the delivery requirements with the carrier - Yodel - when they contacted me. Yodel messaged me two days later and gave me a date for delivery - during the week I was away on holiday. They also explained this order could not be delayed or diverted. Very helpful! I managed to get my daughter to spend the day at our house and accept the delivery - which she did. She noticed that one of the boxes was crushed and broken open.The driver said she had to correspond with the office and was not interested in any discussion. She took photographs and a video. She then opened them up to discover the plants were crammed in two per box. One of the bamboo plants was bent & broken. One of the Ilex plants was bone dry and already brown. She looked after them as best she could, watering them every day unto my return 4 days later. I then reviewed all the plants. The dry Ilex was now dead, ( the others were ok but very small.) The broken bamboo was also very ' sick' and I was shocked at the quality of the spindly weedy hydrangea plants they had supplied. They were a special offer at 3 for £30 so I was not really surprised and decided to put those in my greenhouse and nurse them to better health. On checking their website, Gardening Express do everything to prevent you contacting them directly. No direct contact e-mail, no contact number, no live chat facility, just a convoluted online form under FAQs. ( I used this for my earlier query on despatch). I duly sent them a respectful online communication with the facts and photos, requesting a replacement Bamboo and Ilex plant. I have now since sent two more as they have not replied to any. ( I notice they say not to send more than one as their system might consider it Spam - very convenient) I give up - all I can do is now spread the word on Social Media about my experience - which I have started to do. I would suggest they contact a professional online supplier instead who actually cares about their customers and service. Unfortunately I am unable to give them no stars so I have given them the next best.

Date of experience: June 19,2023

9 wYour order #*******
Placed on 23 April 2020 10:04:31 BST

Item Sku Qty Subtotal
Phyllostachys Bissetii - Green Bamboo B******* 1 £24.99
Subtotal £24.99
Shipping & Handling £5.99
Grand Total £30.98
BILL TO:
Mr Randal Foster
16 Castle Gardens,
Wood Street
Geddington, Northamptonshire, NN14 1AE
United Kingdom
T: *******7828

SHIP TO:
Mr Randal Foster
16 Castle Gardens,
Wood Street
Geddington, Northamptonshire, NN14 1AE
United Kingdom
T: *******7828

SHIPPING METHOD:
Standard Delivery - Standard Delivery

PAYMENT METHOD:
Debit / Credit Card
Dispatch is 3-5 working days for all items in stock/season, in busy periods this may extend up to 10-15 working days. Please refer to our delivery information page for more information. Eeks and still no delivery. No way to det hold of them except by Snail Mail or a Ticket System that does not work.