A list of most frequently asked questions and their answers. From the list below choose one of our FAQs topics, then select an FAQ to read. If you have a question which is not in this section, please contact us by sending an email (you can use the "contact us" button in the menu at the left).

How will my plants arrive

When your plants arrive if they do not resemble the picture on the website and seem dry, please don't worry we anticipate this. We have years of experience so let us explain. Our photos are for illustrative purposes only, the pictures on the website are of mature plants in their flowering season. As we deal in live products the season and weather dictates the condition. Sizes and measurements of plants on our website are approximate they can vary significantly in size between seasons.

With mail order plants, the power of the plant is stored in its root system. We understand they may not initially look as attractive as plants in a garden centre, 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 centre, but will get quite a shock once brought home and planted in your garden. They can take some time to fully recover. Our plants do not waste any energy, they are hardened and just waiting to boost into life in your garden.

The reason why plants arrive dry is because we try to prevent the from sweating and developing fungus quickly during transit, also the extra moisture would potentially damage the packaging. We advise watering upon arrival and giving the time to recover from the shock of being in a dark box for a few days. Your plants will appreciate this.

If you follow our guidelines enclosed, you will be rewarded in the growing season by watching your plants growing into mature and very strong plants.

The reason you will not see any flower heads on your plants when they arrive is because flowers are delicate and wilt quickly during transit so we remove them before packing. Doing this also helps to promote new and bushy growth.

Do not be alarmed if you receive your plants without leaves, because in autumn and early spring these plants are deciduous, so it normal for them to look like that. This does not mean its dead, in fact its still very much alive.

There is always one way to know if something is dead or not and that's by scratching the bark hard with your thumbnail and if its green under the bark then its alive and will flourish in spring. However if its brown when you scratch, then its dead or dying. And in this case just contact us.

We mainly supply Herbaceous perennials as bare roots , They are plants that will die down naturally to ground level in late autumn/winter and will re apPear again next spring/summer. As they die down naturally, they may apPear lifeless or as if they are dying but they are not , this is known as being dormant. You will be surprised just how quickly they develop once the temperature rises..

Rest assured your order is guaranteed so if you are still unhappy please contact our customer service. We wish you lots of success.

When I go to checkout my Basket is empty why?

Some customers experience that there Basket is emptied once they go to checkout. This is due to the fact that in order to be able to correctly manage the order during checkout the website needs to place a cookie on the pc and this is not allowed due to security settings. Click the read more link below to learn how to solve this.

You can change this by explicitly allowing cookies for gardens4you.co.uk without changing security settings for the internet in general.

Your pc will stay secure and our website will be able to securely checkout, see below for instructions.

Paypal refers to other company name is that okay?

When you pay using Paypal you may notice that the actual payment is done to B.J. Floradirect b.v.

This is the company that takes care of order fullfillment for both Gardens4you.co.uk, Gardens4you.eu, Bulbsdirect.com, MeinGartenshop.de and several other garden relateded websites and it takes care of the financial handling and logistics for all these websites.

I paid using Paypal but my order still says pending payment

In case you have paid using an Echeck through Paypal it will take a couple of days until this payment is cleared.

During this period your order will keep the status pending payment.

As soon as we receive the message from Paypal that the payment is cleared we will update your order to confirmed and process it.

Do keep in mind that it delays your order for about a week in case you want to send a Gift and/or want it delivered by a specific date.

Other payment methods through Paypal (or Bibit) are cleared immediatly and your order will be updated to confirmed as soon as you have made the payment.

What if an item I want is not in stock?

We keep accurate stock of all items we sell on the website.

However some items that are on the website might show out of stock.

There are 2 possible reasons for this.

1. We sold so much of it during the day that we sold out for that day.

Stock will be updated again overnight, usually there will be stock again next day.

2. It is a seasonal item that we do not ship yet.

You can click on the "ïnform me when available" button and we will send you an email when the item becomes available for shipment.

In both cases we want to prevent selling something to you that we do not have!

The stock show on the website is usually not our total available stock, it is the stock reserved for this website.

Should you want to place a larger quantity than shown on the website, contact our customer service, they will be able to boost stock for this specific item so you will be able to place your order.

Why do I see a different screen when I confirm my order?

Once you have confirmed your order you are transferred to the Secure Bibit Payment Server (part of Bank of Scotland) or Paypal Server to do the actual Payment.

This screen looks different from the normal webpages on our site. In case you pay through Bibit it will show you an overview of your order (we send that info to the Bibit Server) and will ask you for your credit card details, Paypal will aks you to login on your Paypal account.

The actual verification of your card and payment is done on the Bibit or Paypal Server. After payment has been done you are transferred back to our website together with the information if the payment succeeded. We will display a message if the order was completed and will send you an email as confirmation if it was a success.

The advantage of this solution is that we do not need to store any credit card information on our server.

Cookies

Both the website and the Credit Card Clearing Company (Bibit) use cookies to enable a safe and secure shopping experience and a secure transfer of your payment.

A cookie is just a key written on your pc/Apple so the shop can keep track of what is in your Basket and the Credit Card Company uses it to make sure that he who is shown the payment information is actually the same person that placed the order.

Due to strict security settings on some pcs/Apples the website might not be able to place this cookie, causing either a failure to put anything in your Basket or an error during the payment procesing ("order not found or already paid").

How do I check my orderstatus online?

To be able to check your orderstatus online you need to click on the "your account" button on the customer service menu on the home page. This will bring you to account maintenance where you can view your recent orders and their status. You need to be logged in for this, if your not logged in yet it will ask you for your userid and password first.

Why do I not see full size images in the shop?

Full size images are shown in a separate pop-up window. Make sure that you allow pop-ups from this website to be able to see the full size images.

How do I return a parcel?

Due to the delicate nature of our products there is no need for returns, we would dispose of it's contents on arrival. If there is something wrong with your item(s) just email us describing the problem and we will replace the item for you free of charge, we trust our customers. If you require a refund your money will be refunded minus the cost of delivery.

I never received a password/confirmation email

If you did not receive our email containing your password or our order confirmation, in may be caused by the fact that the password and/or confirmation email sent to you has been considered as spam. Check your junk mail folder just in case it has gone to there instead.
Read more... [I never received a password/confirmation email]

Why do I need to login?

The first time you place an order you need to register. In this process you create an userid and a password for future access.

This is done for security reasons, it ensures that you can check your orderstatus and re-use shipping addresses the next time you order, but prevents other people from looking up your information. If you just want to browse the website and read our tips there is no need to log in or having an account.

What plant size do you deliver?

plants and trees are either sold as pot plants, plugs or bare roots. What type is used for a specific product is indicated on the detail page of that specific product.
Read more... [What plant size do you deliver?]

Are my plants alright?

Please do not be alarmed at the apPearance of your plants when they arrive, Shrubs and perennials are often dormant when the are delivered so they may not have any leaves and apPear dead if ordered in autumn or winter but the will spring back to life as soon as the weather picks up. Try to plant them as soon as possible after you receive them and give them some time to establish themselves in their new homes.

Bulbs and perennials planted in autumn will not flower until spring or summer, so be patient.. it will be worth it, when it comes to gardening, patience isn’t just a virtue it’s essential!

How and when is my order shipped?

We will dispatch your order at the appropriate time for planting in your area even if we have the product that you have ordered in stock earlier. If you would prefer to receive your order earlier than the appropriate planting time, you need to select the ASAP option at checkout or contact customer service with your request.

In spring we hold orders until all danger of frost has passed (March). In autumn we hold orders until the temperature drops and the soil cools down a little (September).

Once the season begins (spring and autumn), we collect all orders up until Monday morning. All orders are then shipped on Tuesday afternoon, we like to make sure that items are in boxes no longer than necessary. Parcels are ferried to the UK overnight and are either delivered at Royal Mail or Home delivery Network the next morning. The majority of orders will be delivered between Thursday and Saturday except for destinations in the north of Scotland or any of the Islands off the mainland.

For orders outside UK different shipping times apply depending on destination, email our customer service for details.

Will I get all items I ordered at once?

We always try to deliver all your products in one shipment.Since you can only order from the website what we have on stock at that moment this is no problem. Occasionally we might however run short of a few items, we will then ship that remaining part of your order asap (usually within one week after original shipment). Any aditional shipments will not affect your shippingcost.
Read more... [Will I get all items I ordered at once?]

Is my credit card billed straight away?

No we do not bill your credit card straight away. When our creditcard processor (Royal Bank of Scotland - Bibit) captures your credit card information there is a 5 day delay before your card is actually billed. This leaves time to cancel the order without actually having to reverse payments, should this be required.
Read more... [Is my credit card billed straight away?]

What if there is something wrong with my order?

If there is a problem with your order, you should contact our customer service department either by freephone or by email (use the contact us button on the main menu for further details). They will make sure that your problem is dealt with swiftly, we always believe our customers! All refunds will be made minus the cost of delivery.
Read more... [What if there is something wrong with my order?]

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