The Chelsea Gardener — Attraction in London

Horrible experience at this nursing. First, given the price the quality of the plants is not great. They have a pitifully and dismayingly (given the size of the space) low assortment of plants. The ones they do have often do not come in various sizes (for example they didn't even have basil as part of their herb selection). I knew the prices would be exorbitant but given the proximity to my home and my belief that the quality would be good I went. The place was crawling with staff none of whom showed any interest in helping customers. When one woman (apparently the co-manager) was nearby I tried to get get help with finding a plant that would fit a particular pot (no easy task given the low selection of attractive plants and sizes), but moreover no easy task due to her obvious reluctance to help a customer. As I was speaking to her she continued to tend some plants and once she finally decided it might be appropriate to help I had the feeling I was being rushed (and no there weren't other waiting customers). Instead of listening to the customer she would run around he store leaving me in bewilderment as it where or what she was doing. When I selected a plant (a succulent) and started to pot it into the pot I had brought (bought from this store years ago), she mentioned they had run out of the right soil (oh great) and ended up using something presumably not designed for succulents. I then bought two more pots and some herbs and when I was at the counter asked if they could please pot them (literally a 30 second job of placing the plant in the pot and pouring soil in - at least that is how fast the first woman took with the succulent and something they had last time I was there several years ago). The other co-manager (this time a man) interjected as the cashier was going to organise for this to be done that they don't normally do this. I expressed surprise that they had just done this for me for another plant and had also done it in the past, which then promoted him to say "oh well we can do it tomorrow". He was very arrogant and I honestly felt like leaving everything there and not paying. I said the other woman has just done it for me and it took 30 seconds and it's inconvenient for me to come back again given it can be done so quick. He absurdly insisted that they were too busy with customers to do it even though the store was practically empty and then strangely said it people were away for lunch (it was almost 3:00pm!!!). Then he looked me in the eye and said "I can't do it until tomorrow". Needless to say, I'll never buy another product from this place. If you want to be overcharged and treated poorly by maniacal people on power trips, all while not receiving (in my opinion) a decent selection of quality plants, this is your place. Really not the experience or quality one expects from a "premium" nursery. If I can give a small piece of advise to the owners, your management needs changing. The selection and quality could clearly be much better and moreover the rudeness and generally poor customer service of your "two managers" is appalling. Good...

Bought a Variegated Cheese Plant for £800, when I got it home I realised half of it had black spot fungus.

I called up and spoke to Mattie who started a fight with me saying how she’s never seen it and accused me of lying. I have been told repeatedly that it is my fault for not noticing, they have taken no responsibility and blamed it entirely on the customer.

I spoke to Andy and while he took my concerns into consideration I was still told that it was my fault, that they don’t have diseased plants and that I was lying about it even after I sent him pictures of the leaves. I offered to bring in the whole bin bag of leaves as proof but he declined.

He said that he thought I was lying about my horticulture degree and diplomas. He also said that he would not be bullied by me.

Not once was there ever an apology or acknowledgment of responsibility for the fact they sold me a diseased plant for £800.

Instead they offered me a 15% store credit for me to take this review down.

These people are not horticulturist just sales staff and don’t know a thing about their plants or how to care for them.

Go to Worlds End Nurseries down the road, highly trained in all things plants and kinder staff.

I expect far higher standards for the treatment, prevention and care for plants at a place like The Chelsea Gardener. Black fungus spreads rapidly so I wouldn’t be surprised if nearby plants are...

We visited The Chelsea Gardener for a quick coffee and a bite to eat. The setting is undoubtedly charming, with plenty of flowers and greenery, making it a visually pleasant spot for a coffee break. However, our experience left much to be desired.

The food and coffee were decent but overpriced—not surprising given the location. What stood out the most, unfortunately, was the lackluster service. The staff didn’t seem particularly welcoming or attentive. When our order was brought to the table, there were already dirty mugs left behind from the previous guests, and we had to ask them specifically to remove them. Instead of handling it themselves, the server asked us to pass the mugs to her, which felt a bit unprofessional. Additionally, they didn’t bother to wipe down the table before serving us, despite it being visibly messy.

Another inconvenience was the toilet situation—there appeared to be just one unisex toilet, leading to a long queue, which wasn’t ideal.

Additionally, pricing transparency was an issue. There were no clear price displays, and we had to actively search for a menu, which itself seemed poorly maintained.

Overall, while the ambiance is nice, the service, cleanliness, and general experience don’t justify a recommendation. If you’re nearby and just need a quick coffee, it might be fine, but we wouldn’t go out of our way to...