Plug plants arrived dry and totally rootbound and never recovered and after 2 months are still not growing will never ever order from this company again total waste of time I'm a landscaper and know a... See more
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21 emails in 13 days despite unsubscribing. 6 after emailing and receiving a response from Customer Service. ...email number 25 today. Says unsubscribed but clearly not. Same thing happened to me y... See more
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Still receiving emails. Now over 30 despite unsubscribing via links, emailing customer service and phoning customer service. Asked to speak to someone more senior and they hung up on me.
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Ordered Iris Metallic Mix from their Groupon advert. The plants have turned out to be nothing like the mix of sumptuous shades shown in their photos (just yellow and blue). They are nice flowers but... See more
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Company details
About Van Meuwen
Written by the company
Established as a producer of tulip and daffodil bulbs in 1973, Van Meuwen diversified into mail order in 1977.
Today Van Meuwen is a horticultural mail order specialist, working hard to ensure you receive the best quality plants and bulbs, delivered direct to your home at affordable prices. Our range includes familiar, well-established favorites as well as exciting new varieties: our buyers are on a constant search for new and exclusive ideas from all parts of the world, so you'll find something different every year.
You can order from the comfort of your own home. 100% customer satisfaction guarantee or your money back. FREE cultural instructions provided to help you gain the best from your plants.
Constant introductions of new, and often exclusive products. We offer many great savings with our collections - see our Special Offers page. All orders are acknowledged with specified delivery dates ensuring optimum product performance.
Our horticulturalists provide invaluable information for the entire tried and tested product range. We have numerous suppliers both here in the UK and in Holland who understand and adhere to our strict quality requirements.
We carefully prepare and pack your bulbs and plants. We have a plant for every situation, in the garden, on the patio or balcony, hanging baskets, shady spots, wet spots, even dry places.
With our large plant and bulb collections you can establish your garden quickly and effectively. You can subscribe to our newsletter to receive regular special offers and new variety information.
Contact info
United Kingdom
- 0333 400 0022
- care@vmplants.com
- www.vanmeuwen.com
2.2
Poor
933 reviews
Replied to 100% of negative reviews
Typically takes over 1 month to reply
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Plug plants arrived dry and totally…
Plug plants arrived dry and totally rootbound and never recovered and after 2 months are still not growing will never ever order from this company again total waste of time I'm a landscaper and know a bit about plants over 50yrs experience I have in situ photos never again....not sure of exact date but around that time I have photos of this appalling service do not use van meuwen.....
May 20, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Van Meuwen
We are very sorry to hear about your disappointing experience with the plug plants you received. This is certainly not the standard we aim to provide, especially to someone with your extensive horticultural knowledge. We appreciate you bringing this to our attention and apologise for any inconvenience caused. Please be assured that we take the quality of our plants very seriously and would like to make this right. Unfortunately, there are no order or contact details linked to your review. If you could kindly contact our customer service team with your order details and we will prioritise your case to ensure a swift resolution. Thank you for your feedback, which helps us improve our service. Kindest regards, Meg. Van Meuwen Customer care.
Literally impossible to unsubscribe
Still receiving emails. Now over 30 despite unsubscribing via links, emailing customer service and phoning customer service. Asked to speak to someone more senior and they hung up on me.
June 23, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Van Meuwen
I’m very sorry to hear that the emails have continued despite your efforts to unsubscribe, and for the poor experience you’ve had with our customer service. This is certainly not the standard we aim to provide. Sadly there are no order details linked to your review. Please can we kindly ask you to reach out to our customer care team and we will ensure this is escalated to our technical team to ensure your mailing preferences are updated straight away. Kindest regards, Meg. Van Meuwen Customer care.
Impossible to unsubscribe
21 emails in 13 days despite unsubscribing. 6 after emailing and receiving a response from Customer Service.
...email number 25 today. Says unsubscribed but clearly not. Same thing happened to me years ago for Thompson's. They have clearly not figured it all out. Unless it is intentional of course.
In response to the reply, email finally seem to have stopped. It took until 21st July after countless phone calls and emails, the majority of which went unanswered. Unsubscribing should be an automated process via the unsubscribe link. It is beyond me how Van Meuwen have got this so wrong.
June 11, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Van Meuwen
I’m very sorry to hear you’ve continued to receive emails despite unsubscribing and contacting Customer Service. Please be assured this is not intentional, and we understand how frustrating this must be. Please can we kindly ask you to reach out to our customer care team and we will ensure this is escalated to our technical team to ensure your mailing preferences are updated straight away. Kindest regards, Meg. Van Meuwen Customer care.
begonia plants
My begonia plants were received in fantastic condition, great size and so well packaged by the company. Will use this company again.
May 23, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Van Meuwen
Thank you for your lovely feedback – we're so pleased to hear that your begonias arrived in great condition and that you were happy with the size and packaging. We’ll be delighted to welcome you back again soon, and hope the plants bring you plenty of summer colour! Kindest regards, Meg. Van Meuwen Customer care.
An abhorrent operation
This company will bombard you with marketing emails TWICE a day. There is no unsubscribe link. Instead you have to email them to get yourself removed and, after claiming they have removed you, you will still be pestered with their marketing emails TWICE a day. If their plants were good quality, it wouldn't be so bad, but they aren't. They are expensive, small and sickly.
May 22, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Van Meuwen
We apologise sincerely for the inconvenience caused by the volume of marketing emails and the difficulty in unsubscribing. Your feedback is important, and we are reviewing our processes to improve this. We’re also sorry to hear the plants did not meet your expectations and appreciate you sharing your experience. Unfortunately there are no order details linked to your review so we are unable to contact you directly. Please can we kindly ask you to contact our team and we will ensure this is resolved promptly. Kindest regards, Meg. Van Meuwen Customer care.
Complete sham of a company
Complete sham of a company. They take your money and dont send anything. They dont bother answering their phone, or replying to emails. Thieves and con artists, avoid unless you like giving your money away in return for frustration and anger. They have taken £30 of my money and i have NOTHING.
April 11, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Van Meuwen
We are very sorry to hear about your experience and sincerely apologise for the distress caused. This is certainly not the standard of service we aim to provide. Please be assured that we take such matters seriously and are committed to resolving this for you as quickly as possible. Sadly there are no order details linked to your review so we are unable to look into this further. Please can we kindly ask you to reach out to our customer care team and we will ensure you received a prompt resolution. Kindest regards, Meg. Van Meuwen Customer care.
ABSOLUTELY CRAP COMPANY
It states order despatched within 24 hours, but they have not. If I had read these reviews I would not have ordered. It is now 09/04/25 and the order has still not arrived. Supposed to have been despatched but courier is still waiting for it. Absolutely rubbish Company. Do not use or it’s sister Company.
April 1, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Van Meuwen
We're very sorry to hear of the delay and the frustration this has caused. While we aim to despatch orders within 24 hours where stated, during periods of high demand delays can sometimes occur. We fully appreciate how disappointing it is to be kept waiting, especially when courier tracking hasn’t updated as expected. Your feedback has been noted and will be shared with our fulfilment and courier partners to help prevent similar issues in future. Sadly there are no order details linked to your review so we are unable to investigate this further straight away. If your order is still outstanding, please do get in touch with our Customer Service team and we will ensure this is put right. Kindest regards, Meg. Van Meuwen Customer care.
I am fed up with this company…
I am fed up with this company bombarding me with cheap offers that don't actually exist. When I try to take up an offer I get directed to other stuff on their website. I can never actually get the offers. On top of that they are cluttering up my inbox with this stuff and although I unsubscribe everyday they still keep coming back. It is the worst type of sales technique and doesn't inspire any trust whatsoever. I just want them to go away.
March 21, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Van Meuwen
We're very sorry to hear of your experience and appreciate how frustrating this has been. Our offers should always be clear, accessible, and genuine, and it’s disappointing to learn this hasn’t been the case for you. We’ll ensure your feedback is shared with the relevant teams so they can review how our promotions are displayed and improve the clarity and functionality of our communications.
In the meantime, if you're still receiving unwanted emails despite unsubscribing, we’d be happy to investigate and ensure your details are fully removed from our mailing lists. Please contact our Customer Service team with your full name and email address so we can take prompt action and respect your preferences. Kindest regards, Meg. Van Meuwen Customer care.
Bare root trees, not honoring guarantee
Ordered 3 fruit trees, 1 failed to grow and leaf out despite following planting and care instructions. Van meuwans website states bare root plants and trees come with a guarantee to ensure they are viable in to the next season. CS don't want to know because i purchased through groupon. Yet these were shipped and supplied by Van meuwan, been told to open a ticket with groupon, who don't want to know anything about it. Waste of time and money. I only wanted 1 replacement.
February 16, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Van Meuwen
We’re very sorry to hear of your disappointment regarding your order.
As your purchase was made through Groupon, we are required to follow their guidelines, which state that all queries must be handled directly by their customer service team. Unfortunately, this means we are unable to assist you directly and must refer you back to Groupon for resolution.
We understand how frustrating this must be and regret any inconvenience caused. If there is anything further we can clarify, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Kind regards, Beth at Van Meuwen.
Disappointing: Did not send what was ordered, didn't really seem to care
Just for context: this was not a disaster, or anything like that. Just disappointing.
We ordered 2 different types of potato (one a rarer, more specialised variety. Instead of getting both, we got double the quantity of the more common variety.
When we raised it with the company, the response was a lip-service apology, and some unhelpful nonsense about having "tight controls in place" and that "such instances are very rare", which is of no use to anyone who falls into that "very rare" category.
We will apparently get a refund as the rarer variety has now sold out (inevitably) but as stated we are obviously disappointed, and will think twice before ordering anything but the very common and readily available from this company.
In reply to Hannah's response: order number SO012272626.
December 16, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Van Meuwen
Thank you for your review and so sorry for any disappointment caused. We aim to provide the very best for all of our customers and apologise this has not been the case. Unfortunately, your order details are not included with your review so we are unable to look further into the incident however do appreciate your feedback and will pass on to the relevant departments. Kind regards, Hannah, Customer Care
Plants delivered with consideration of weather conditions.
I ordered a number of rose bushes and spring bulbs. They were delivered when the ground was solid with frost, and following this we were to have storm Bert upon us. The weather forecast was telling this for the previous 2 weeks, the advice on van meuwen site said not to plant when the ground was frozen or water logged.I asked vanmeuwen why they did not delay sending them out, they replied the weather was not under their control. But we all knew the forcast???
I requested their advice what I should do now with the rose bushes, their response was to go buy some planters and compost, at my expense, and to plant the rose bushes until the weather improved. Thank you vanmeuwen, I will look else where in future.
November 21, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Van Meuwen
Thank you for your feedback. I am sorry to hear of your disappointment. We despatch in line with the planting season and not with regards to the weather. I will pass on your feedback to the team regarding this. Kind regards, Lauren
Fantastic customer service
Ordered something last year that were bare roots and most didnt grow this spring, so I sent an email asking for a few replacements, but heard nothing.
I was very surprised this week to receive a brand new shipment of the same plants free of charge.
Thank you so much for the way you helped, I will certainly order from you again soon.
September 12, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Van Meuwen
Thank you for your kind review.
We are pleased to know you was happy with the service received, as we always aim to meet our customer’s needs.
Thank you for feedback; is much appreciated by the whole team.
Kind regards, Megs
A con
Bought three giant jumbo plug plants but the thing is if these were giant jumbo plug plants normal plug plants must have been the size of a seed
August 10, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Van Meuwen
Thank you for your review. I am very sorry to learn of your concerns and disappointment with your order. In order to look into this for you, if you could email us your address, order details and a description of the problem that occurred to care@vmplants.com, we will be more than happy to help. Kind regards, Beth.
Great offer again
Great offer again - bulbs for £3 a pack so purchased all my spring bulbs once again just as I did last year with great results. Once planted it is lovely to watch the flowers appear ann02ouncing Spring has finally arrived.
August 2, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Van Meuwen
Thank you for your 5-star review; is much appreciated by the whole team.
Kind regards, Megs
Gardening for non gardeners
Until my wife had a stroke which has left me with little time to spend in the garden and no very little about flowers. This year thanks to garden ready plants from Van Meuwen I have the most spectacular display of hanging baskets and hastily prepared borders. Very very pleased.
July 30, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Van Meuwen
Thank you for your feedback Dave, I am so pleased that you are happy with your plants from us. That is wonderful to hear!
Kind regards, Ryan
I ordered the Best Value Perennial…
I ordered the Best Value Perennial collection. 71 of the 72 plants were in excellent condition with very good roots. I potted them on and they have grown very well. I bought this set for my mum's care home garden and they are delighted with the health of the plants I have given them. Very good service and value. Thank you.
May 18, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Van Meuwen
Thank you for your kind feedback! We're thrilled to hear that the Best Value Perennial collection was such a success and that the plants are thriving in your mum's care home garden. It’s wonderful to know that both you and the care home are pleased with the quality and service. Kind Regards, Michelle
1 star is 1 star too many quite frankly…
1 star is 1 star too many quite frankly but unfortunately i can’t leave 0 star.
Shoddy company. Please don’t waste your time and money on them. There are plenty of other nurseries offering a far better service.
Avoid this company if you value your time, money and garden.
June 14, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Van Meuwen
Good morning.
Thank you for your review and please accept my apologies for any inconvenience caused, this is never our intention.
Our customer care team is always more than happy to help, their aim is to meet our customer’s needs and turn any concerns into a positive outcome.
Should you have any further concerns, or we can offer any help then please do email us with a photo and we will advise further Our email address is: care@vmplants.com
With best regards, Clare
Absolutely terrible company
Absolutely terrible company. my order has been delayed twice & trying to contact them for a refund is impossible. Ignoring my emails.
June 12, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Van Meuwen
Thank you for your review. I am sorry to learn of your concerns with your order and our service. We are working through our emails and typically reply within 48 hours, did you send your email to care@vmplants.com and not to our no-reply email your order confirmation and dispatch emails are sent from? In the hope of resolving this for you, please send me an email to smedia@thompson-morgan.com and I will look into this for you. Kind regards, Beth.
Absolutely underwhelming service!
Absolutely underwhelming service!
I received my 72 mini plugs okay - not quick obviously! The 5 maxi plugs of fuschia I ordered I was told to expe t around 4 weeks after ordering. I phoned the company to say I would be abroad and could they change the delivery date. No chance. The plugs were posted through the door and I returned from holiday to find them totally dry and dead. A complete waste of money. If Van Meuwen cannot 'up' their customer service, they'll be out of business fairly soon. Will never use them again
May 25, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Van Meuwen
Dear Mark,
I am truly sorry to hear about your recent experience with our service. It is disappointing to learn that the fuchsia maxi plugs arrived in such poor condition and that our customer service did not meet your expectations.
I apologize for any inconvenience caused by the timing of your delivery and for the condition of the plugs upon your return. We strive to provide excellent customer service and high-quality products, and it is clear that we fell short in this instance.
We would like the opportunity to make this right. Please contact our customer care team at care@vmplants.com, and they will assist you with a resolution, whether it be a replacement or a refund.
Once again, I apologize for the inconvenience and disappointment you have experienced. We appreciate your feedback and hope to have the chance to serve you better in the future.
Kind regards, Cristina
Worst ever yet
Each year they have got worse, I've been ordering from them for over a decade, the same trailing begonias. The last of the 72 plug plants died today. They arrived leggy, barely alive and I kept them under lights to nurture them. I failed over a wasted six-week period. To extract them from the container was near impossible, most had no growth at all and 12 were empty. The previous year was bad, but this is the last time they get an order from me. Pre-paying them three months in advance and being sent damaged, tiny plug plants that were not worth the postage is shameful. Five years ago they were great, healthy, professionally grown and most flowered.
May 2, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Van Meuwen
Dear Graham,
I am truly sorry to hear about your recent experience with our trailing begonias. I apologize for the disappointment and frustration this has caused, especially after being a loyal customer for over a decade. Your feedback is invaluable, and I regret that our plants did not meet the high standards you have come to expect from us.
We strive to provide the best quality plants and service, and I am deeply sorry that we fell short this time. It is particularly concerning to hear about the condition in which the plants arrived and the difficulties you faced in nurturing them.
We would like to make this right and restore your faith in our products. Please get in touch with our customer care team at care@vmplants.com. They will assist you with a resolution, whether it’s a replacement, a refund, or another solution that works for you.
Once again, I apologize for the inconvenience and disappointment. We appreciate your past patronage and hope to have the opportunity to serve you better in the future.
Best regards, Cristina
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