I've always trusted and enjoyed shopping with gardens4you. Plant quality is good with a speedy delivery. Recently though I received a delivery where the plants just shouldn't have been sent out, after my initial disappointment, decided to wait to see if they would make a comeback which they didn't, that was when I decided to contact customer service. They responded very quickly, just asked me to send a photo as evidence and they would then replace the order if they still had them in stock or refund me, I was more than happy with that response so all good. Easy to deal with this company even if you experience a problem. 👍
In a nutshell: two out of four plants I received were diseased (the other two are in quarantine waiting to see if they are also diseased) and customer service was rude and argumentive when I tried to ask for my money back (which I did after I had to threaten legal action and lateral flow tests to prove the diseased status of the plants, why is it always a battle?). The customer service in question replied from the UK, the plants came from the Netherlands, I ordered from gardens4you (dot) ie.
To get a response from The UK was bizarre as it's through an IE website and I will certainly be reporting gardens4you for using an IE website to "weare" (dot) ie and the relevant authorities for abusing Irish internet infrastructure and cyberspace.
I am also calling out the nursery (ies?) in the Netherlands for their obvious poor care of plants and the many holes in gardens4you in general's Standard Operating Procedures and Policies I can immediately digress from my experience.
I tried to bring this to their attention and resolve the dispute quietly but after the experience with the UK customer service and no response from Melvin Jansen who I tried to contact I am now bringing this to the public's attention.
Save your money DO NOT buy with Gardens4you, buy local or nationally (most local/national stores are happy to order more exotic plants for you), and support the Irish economy. We as an Irish customer base deserve better than the poor service from the Netherlands and rude customer service from The UK.
My order arrived packed into a single box a day later than expected. One of the plants (the Fatsia Japonica) was already slightly damaged and this must have happened at packaging time. Hope it will recover with some necessary "surgery" and some TLC. Was a bit disappointed but due to my age, acquired disabilities and lack of transport, I will need to rely on online gardening websites in the future.
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Answer by gardens4you.ie
May 16, 2023
We are sorry to hear that a plant arrived in bad condition, contact our customer service we will be happy to receive a picture of the plant and help you in order to solve the issue.
Verified review
May 16, 2023
Quality
Packaging was OK, had some damage to 1 plants leaves another plant had completely came out of its pot, this could also be due to the shipping company used. Package was left wrong way up and we'll shaken about, plant quality is great and exactly as described
The tricolour plant I ordered turned out to be three small pods presumably comprising the whole 'plant'. I'll have to wait and see how they turn out. I was disappointed in the size for the price too.
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Verified review
May 10, 2023
Quick delivery. Of 5 hydrangeas ordered, 3 looked quite robust but 2 were just short stems with only 1 or 2 leaves. Time will tell if they take successfully or not.
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Answer by gardens4you.ie
May 16, 2023
Not all the hydrangeas you have ordered are of the same category.
Some of the hydrangeas in your order will only grow on the current year's growth. Do not worry the order is guaranteed until the 02/07/2023 they will have plenty of time to grow.
Verified review
May 2, 2023
I was a bit disappointed when I got the flowers, I thought they were plants, but they were bare root. A few of the bare roots were dry.
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Answer by gardens4you.ie
May 2, 2023
Our site sells plants in various forms flower bulbs, rhizome, roots, plant in pots. It is therefore important to read the description.
The roots are always sent dry in order not to develop disease or mold. Most of them need to be soaked in water prior to plant them.
Verified review
Apr 20, 2023
The information is not consistent. It says Non poisonous and Poisonous in two different places for the same plants. Also the website is scrappy, it signs out automatically after some time and clears the shopping cart. I like to take my time selecting plants after considering several factors. It was annoying to lose all the items in the cart just when you're ready to add another few.
Finally, the pricing is inconsistent too in terms of value - some plants are good value, some are overpriced. I'm planting a new largish garden, and wanted to pick up all plants from here to make the most of the shipping price however some were too pricey to consider. Guess I'll have to go to the neighbourhood garden centre for those
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Answer by gardens4you.ie
May 2, 2023
Thank you for your feedback.
Let's face it, 70% of the plant kingdom contains plants that are poisonous or dangerous if ingested alone. And 70% of these plants are found every day in our homes and gardens without any accident, because this is very rare in the whole world.If your shopping cart is empty it would be necessary to accept the cookies and not to block them check this in your internet browser and in your options.
Verified review
Apr 12, 2023
It was a good service but when DPD delivered they dumped the box over the garden wall on top of my friends plants damaging some of them and the box was soaking. DPD let this company down.
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Answer by gardens4you.ie
Apr 19, 2023
Thank you for your feedback. We have contacted your local depot and informed dpd of our sadness and displeasure over this kind of "wild" delivery not to be repeated from them.
Verified review
Apr 26, 2023
Was expecting the trees to be more advanced.One of the trees didn’t even have a leaf .Hopefully they will grow to be healthy trees hard to know 🤞
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Answer by gardens4you.ie
May 2, 2023
Our plants are cultivated outdoor. We have -1ºC at night and 12ºC during the day, it is very cold for a month of May. Do not worry the order is guaranteed, the leaves will develop later once the tree will be planted.
Verified review
Apr 10, 2023
Good quality plants but the delivery charge is too much.
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Answer by gardens4you.ie
Apr 19, 2023
The shipping cost for Ireland is €18.95 in total we pay €4 per package in addition to the €14.95 and each additional box costs us €18.95. If you group your orders with friends or neighbors these costs are quite acceptable especially if you order 10 trees that will be delivered for €14.95 you won't find cheaper for very good products quality from the Netherlands
Verified review
Mar 5, 2023
Plants are of very poor quality.
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Answer by gardens4you.ie
Mar 9, 2023
Thank you for your feedback. The photo of one of the 2 buddleias received is completely normal for the season especially during the winter period, we have -2ºC at night here in the Netherlands this is nursery plant cultivated outdoor all year around. Do not worry the order is 2 months guaranteed, if the plant failed to grow the item will be simply replaced or refunded.
Verified review
Mar 9, 2023
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Verified review
Feb 3, 2023
I didn’t realise that some of the plants would arrive not potted and in root form. Maybe it says it somewhere but I didn’t see it.
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Answer by gardens4you.ie
Feb 6, 2023
The photos on our site always show a plant. The product description next to the picture shows you if the plant is delivered as a bulb, rhizome, root or pot plant.
Verified review
Jun 28, 2022
Disappointing and a let down. Unfortunately 6 of the 9 plants didn't survive the delivery in good shape. The flowerheads all turned to mould in the plastic bags they were packed in. In turn the mouldy flowerheads fell down into the plant and any leaves or stalks they lay on turned to slimy mush. I am very disappointed. I'll do my best to cut out the mould and mush and try to bring the plants back to life but that's not what I signed up for. They certainly won't be going in the display I intended them for so from that point of view it was a waste of money. Hopefully I can salvage something...
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Answer by gardens4you.ie
Jun 30, 2022
We are sincerely sorry to hear that. All order placed on our website are guaranteed. Please take contact to our customer service with photos we will be happy to arrange a replacement or a refund.
Here is how our warranty applies.
Warranty period:
-Perennials and potted shrubs/trees: 1 year
-Indoor plants and bonsai: 1 month
-Spring bulbs: 1 growing season until May 31 at the latest.
-Summer bulbs, rhizomes and bedding plants: 1 growing season until October 1st at the latest.
Verified review
Aug 16, 2022
Ordering was easy, but I was disappointed by the appearance on the plant when it arrived. When I contacted the customer services, I was informed it was out of their hands as the plants are grown in gardens and we have just finished a heat wave. The plant looks half dead. Customer services did provide information on how to care for it to get it up to health.
I just feel the plant should have been delivered healthy to start with. It is trans portable, could they not have brought them indoors during the peak hours?
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Answer by gardens4you.ie
Aug 26, 2022
Seeing trees with stained leaves, dry or downright losing their foliage during or after a hot and dry summer, is a regular phenomenon, which has already been observed during the previous heat wave. It generally takes one or two seasons for the plants to recover and replenish their reserves. Go outside look at the nature around you in extreme heat or not there is not a tree grown outside that has immaculate leaves. You can't order plants grown outdoors expecting to receive immaculate green leaves in August during a drought with 34°C during the day.
Verified review
Jun 15, 2022
I bought 5 Hydrangeas. Some of them were weak. One of them had died in 2 weeks. The other one is on the verge of life and death for a month. Three others are better. Also, I have ordered Aubrieta pink but I got Purple colour. Definitely can not recommend the store. The first negative experience of buying plants. All plants bought in Lidl and Woodies were sold in better condition and adapted well.
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Answer by gardens4you.ie
Jun 30, 2022
The power of the plant is stored in its root system. We understand they may sometime not initially look as attractive as plants in a garden center or supermarket, but they are just as strong or even stronger.
Because people usually buy plants buy their appearance, plants are forced into flower to look attractive in a garden center, but will get quite a shock once brought home and planted in your garden. They can take some time to fully recover if ever. Our plants do not waste any energy, they are hardened off and just waiting to boost into life in your garden.
Verified review
Jun 13, 2022
Very poor delivery service considering the price. Would not buy again. Website gives impression based in Ireland but goods dispatched from UK and that’s fine but we all know if it’s dispatched in Ireland it arrives in window time of stated delivery and pay €5 for goods and €15 delivery but it needs to be done as stated or it’s false and misleading.
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Answer by gardens4you.ie
Jun 30, 2022
Our company is based in the Netherland we advertise plants in all Europe it has never been a secret our address is visible everywhere on the site. Shipping on our website is 12.95€ and not €15. We pay 3€ to DPD by parcel in addition to the 12.95€ our company does not earn a cent on the shipping costs.
Your plant cost 6.95€ and there was nothing to stop you from grouping an order and thus lowering the delivery costs with friends or neighbours.
Verified review
Aug 5, 2022
I didn’t like finding out that although the website seems like an Irish (.ie) site the company is based in The Netherlands. It’s a week since my order and the parcel is only now in DPD head office. That’s too long for plants to be in a box. I won’t order from Gardens 4U again. I can’t comment on the product as I haven’t received anything yet
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Verified review
Nov 11, 2022
I bought a camellia and 2 hydrangea I have to say it was a very fast delivered and the plant was really well packed and protected which I was really impressed! That said, i was a left a little disappointed wt the fact that it is literally a thin twig which I will have to grow it probably in the shed for at least a year before plant it, specially because I was planning to put it in front of the house! Overall happy with the purchase
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Answer by gardens4you.ie
Nov 14, 2022
Our hydrangeas are nursery plants cultivated outdoor all year around we have 5ºC at night and 11ºC during the days. Do not worry once planted in the garden ground and well protected with some mulch of straw they will grow very quickly in march -april when spring will return, order is guaranteed to 30 april 2023.
Verified review
Aug 17, 2022
Most if the plants were in tact despite being delivered upside down...
But unfortunately a lot of them had browned leaves and probably won't survive.
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Answer by gardens4you.ie
Aug 26, 2022
This natural defense mechanism is normal and does not mean that the plant will die. In times of great heat, the leaves of plants, shrubs and trees become stained and dry. This is normal and is the only way for plants to survive the intense heat and dryness that Europe has been experiencing for more than 2 months.
Verified review
Jul 1, 2022
Unfortunately one of the plants was damaged, and the little lemon plant lost some leaves. But I hope to revive them!
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