Chris Bowers & Sons Avis 

If I could give zero stars I would!
Ordered 2 bare root trees from this company last September. Both trees arrrived in poor condition, no response to either my email or phone call at the time. Planted the trees and the pear tree has survived but the Japanese cherry has not. Sent a further e mail over the recent BH weekend : received a prompt but extremely rude reply from Donald telling me a replacement tree would be sent ( I had actually requested a refund) but that now “ I could perhaps stop moaning and enjoy the fine weather over the long weekend” A replacement tree has arrived and is also in very poor condition. Quite frankly,I am not going to bother wasting any more of my time pursuing this with them but just wanted to advise others to avoid this company at all costs: there are many excellent mail order companies out there who provide lovely plants, this is not one of them.

Ordered two apple trees in September 2025, one fine and one dead. They have not responded to several emails and answerphone messages. The most appalling customer service ... I wish I'd read some of the other similarly negative reviews.

Don't touch them with a bargepole!

Very poor customer service. Bought two crabapple trees, delivery was prompt with no issues. Planted them straight away following the guidelines. One came on perfectly the other didn't do anything.

Contacted customer services via email and I was shocked with the response. My email was polite asking what we could do regarding the issue explaining I didn't have my receipt but attached photos of the tree and my bank statement proving proof of purchase. Donald was so abrupt in his reply, no pleasantries, this was his response :

You go to great lengths to absolve yourself from any 'blame' as such but you haven't bothered keeping the order number - which we need - we do not want proof of payment. You don't even tell us what the tree is that has failed!
Regards
Donald
Nursery Manager.

I replied to his email asking for help as I couldn't find my receipt and was there anything else we could do. He replied :

The order number so we can put your replacement request with the original digital file for your order. And also which tree it is that has failed.

D.

I was so disappointed with the response, I would recommend avoiding this company completely. Customer service is key and this company lacks any form of this.

I have tried contacting them twice further but no reply. I assume I won't be getting one and nothing will be done.

Please avoid this company.

Good stock, but very poor customer service. Of the three plants I ordered, only two have arrived. I’ve tried contacting the company three times to find out whether the last item will be arriving, but no one responds to emails or answers the phone. I also haven’t received a refund for the missing item. Very disappointing.

Never again. One tree was dead on arrival, another is a wrong variety, this could easily have been resolved with some customer service but there is NONE. No response from multiple emails and calls.
Out of pocket. DO NOT USE.

I live on a Scottish island and so obviously some distance. This was clearly explained when I ordered my tree, but going on most of the recommendations, I decided it would be okay. It would've been okay if it had been wrapped properly, but my husband and I were appalled when, after unpacking, the tree was as good as dead! It was bare rooted which had been placed in a dry plastic bag and wrapped in straw. How on earth it was expected to survive is anyones guess. Why a dry plastic bag for goodness sake, especially given the journey it would make ? Further correspondence was rude and dismissive to say the least. I carefully planted the tree and regularly watered it in my polycrub out of the elements where I hoped it would revive, but alas it never did. It may even have been half dead when it was packed! Clearly, there was no real care for the plant or customer service. Very disappointed and appalling to deal with. Haven't bothered to request a refund as I don't want more of the same.

Excellent plant,delivered promptly.

I do not recommend.
Website stated all orders are dispatched in 5 working days. Weeks passed. I contacted them and they said there was a delay and said it would be delivered week commencing 13th April (very late). It was then delivered without warning on the 11th April when I was away for the weekend and sat in the garden for two days in an enclosed plastic bag. Needless to say it’s dead and has done nothing since I’ve planted it up. A complete waste of money. Do not buy from here.

I ordered 4 plants: 3 described as supplied in 2l pots, one bare root. I received all 4 bare root, tangled and tied together with string in a plastic bag. The plant supposed to be bareroot had been broken and damaged in transit and unplantable. The other 3 were not supplied as described.
I tried to raise a complaint with the supplier to explain on the same day as I received the delivery. Their response was (word for word): "Pot grown supplied during the summer; bare root Autumn-Spring. April is a month of Spring. If you bother to untie you won't find they are a 'mess' and it is the best format in which to plant for the time of year. Dealt with promptly instead of glancing inside the bag and tossing to one side will yield best results ...."
I responded and explained that, regardless of their rudeness and lack of respect, nevertheless, one of the plants was damaged and the others were not as described on the website and I asked for a refund and was happy to return the plants. I did not receive a reply, despite a further email to chase it and a phone call that wasn't picked up. Summary: this supplier does not care how the product is received by the customer, does not describe products accurately on their website and has no post sales customer service. Legally due to the Consumer Act I am entitled to a refund: but they will not engage.

18 Aug'24 paid for an almond tree for almost £33, Autumn '24 received a peach or apricot tree, judging by the little fruit it grew, which definitely wasn't an almond.
21 Jul'25 Told them, quoting all the details on the PayPal order including invoice number.
Instant reply saying they would exchange in the bare root season.
17 Nov'25 I mailed asking if they actually expected me to dig up the tree in order for 'exchange' to occur.
23 Nov'25 mailed saying I really would like an answer
26 Dec'25 mailed saying still waiting, next step review
No replies!
Tree has curled up leaves .. leaf curl or insect?
Do I bother with small claims court!

Do not waste your money. Rude customer service.
Ordered two fruit trees last Autumn 2025. It became apparent this Spring that one was a totally different type of tree. Mistakes happen - I get that. But I wasn’t prepared for the rude reply to my email. So much for Gold Star guarantees!

I ordered 4 bare root fruits trees from Chris Bowers & Sons 2 Apple, 1 apricot and 1 Damson. All arrived in March well packaged, though the damson didn’t look too great from the start. Having planted many bare root trees and hedges previously we knew it can sometimes takes them a while to show signs of life.
Now 9th May the damson as suspected is dead, as is the apricot, the apples on the other hand are doing well. Having planted 22 trees from various companies these are the only two that have failed!
So I phoned Chris Bowers, like everyone else no answer! So I emailed them this afternoon to ask for a replacement, but I had deleted my email with my order number on. So sent my name and address along with the email hoping they could track it down, most companies can.
Unlike other reviewers I had a very prompt reply, as follows
‘we will replace but we definitely need the order number; it will be on the packing slip if you don't have the original e-mail confirmation.’
I explained I no longer had the packing slip as I threw that out back in March! So asked if they could look it up using my address, I listed what trees I ordered, even the date when payment was taken and for how much.
They replied very promptly again with this
‘Our database doesn't work that way, most more sophisticated online CMS databases don't these days. That is why an order number is provided - twice.’
I’m sorry but there was no need to be condescending about it, so I replied ‘I’m sorry your system can’t be that sophisticated if you only have one way to call up a previous order!! Also not a To, kind regards or we apology for this, exactly what I have copied and pasted above!! Disgusting!!
I know I haven’t given them a chance to rectify the issue, but after that I’m now not bothered if they don’t. Customer service goes a long way and clearly they are lacking in this area and reading other reviews their standard of trees are too. Far better quality and size from my local nursery, they were out of some of the varieties hence why I placed the order with Chris Bowers in the first place!
Never again!!

i ordered 3 damson trees, of the three one arrived obviously dead, i tried to contact the company by email and by telephone, neither of which were answered. i have no other way to get in touch, so i wrote by snail mail, again no reply.
i leave it to you as to choosing a company with zero customer service.

Ordered two bare root trees, followed care instructions and planted out. One turns out to have a failed graft, and is only alive below the graft. They are unresponsive to emails, calls and social media. Not honouring their guarantee about trees surviving the first year. Avoid at all costs.

I bought 2 pear trees in December last year and it wasn't until recently when they started to sprout that one was half dead. I was advised to cut the dead section off. This meant I was left with a tree about a foot high instead of the 4 foot high tree I had bought. Clearly I am not satisfied at all. The so called gold standard guarantee says that if the customer is not satisfied they will replace or refund. Neither has been offered. They just ignore my messages.

We ordered three bare root trees which came really quickly and were beautifully packed with minimal plastic. Two of them were good healthy trees and soon flourished, and are now in leaf, but the third one did nothing. We decided it was dead and asked for a replacement, they took a couple of weeks to reply to two emails but the new tree arrived within days of the second email. It’s looking really healthy and I’m sure all three will bring us joy for many years.

Ordered a specific cherry tree variety bare root through the winter. Upon leafing out and blossoming it is not the variety ordered. I have emailed the listed Chris Bowers customer service email TWICE over the course of a month with no reply received. I have given them time to respond as I appreciate this is a busy time of year. Receiving no reply is a great shame as it has reflected poorly on the business in general and the tree ordered was not cheap for something I really do not want. I should have done my research on the business as this is clearly a problem that has occurred to other customers before. Sadly, very disappointed. I am happy to forgive a mistake if it is remedied accordingly but I am less inclined to forgive this sort of behaviour.
One star for the plant, it is doing well but overall not impressed. Look elsewhere if you are after something specific.

Tree not as ordered. Chris Bowers do not reply to emails or phone calls. AVOID this company. An astonishing 34% give only one star.
I ordered a ‘prunus Autumnalis Rosea’ mid January. Tree delivered on schedule and looked good, but of course it was dormant. I’ve looked after it carefully and it came into leaf and flower. But it isn’t autumn flowering and it’s not ‘rosea’ , that is, pink. I have taken photos which I sent to Bowers, with no response.
I don’t know what variety it is, it looks a lot like a common wild cherry. It will grow to big for the space in my little garden
I feel very cheated and angry, but I’m not giving up. I paid £34 for this tree. Absolutely dreadful service.
I’m now going to ring Trading Standards!
This company mustn’t be allowed to continue with these standards.
Please note ; you have to give a date to this experience, I have given the date I contacted Bowers, tree bought in JanuRy.
UPDATE. 2/5/26. FEELING VERY CHEATED BY BOWERS , I CONTACTED PAYPAL. RESULT! FULL REFUND VIA PAYPAL.

Extremely poor service from a company that clearly doesn't give a toss about their customers. My order was placed on 16 March. Absolutely no contact or update to inform me that it would be delayed. I tried repeatedly to call but no answer. By the 24 March I sent email to cancel order and continued trying to contact them. Still no reply. Got a message from delivery company on Saturday 28 March - 12 days after ordering - to say package arriving that day. What I got was a dried up dessicated sapling that couldn't be revived. We gave the tree some TLC, potted up in good quality, free draining soil. Today is 30 April and still no sign of life. Total cost of order was £38 for a dead sapling. Absolutely shocking way to treat people. If you can't supply what has been ordered, alive and on time, then at least have the decency to let customers know, apologise and refund their money. BTW happy to supply photos of said tree if you don't believe me!!!
Update - 10 May 2026 - I can confirm that our Cheal's weeping cherry blossom is dead. Absolutely no leaves and no roots have formed. No surprise at all since what was supplied by Chris Bowers was a dried up twig with no roots.
Still can't get through on the phone, have sent an email requesting a refund but I suspect they will ignore it.

Fantastic customer service and excellent fruit trees. All arrived well packed, none damaged. Expert advice when I need it!