Frequently Asked Questions

How are the gifts packaged?

Our PackagingOur Packaging

All of our gifts are beautifully packaged and will delight before they are even opened! Gluttonous Gardener presents are packed in rustic wooden crates, cocooned in wood-wool, and hand tied with raffia, this all ensures your parcel arrives the next day looking as amazing as it did when it left us. Once empty the crates can be put to a number of uses and at the very least make great kindling! Woodwool, although at times a little messy, is still the best and most natural packaging material that exists, additionally it is one of the few materials that does not compact when damp and yet will make a welcome addition to the compost heap.

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Christmas Gift Questions Answered

We send our gifts out with City Link couriers - WE DO NOT USE ROYAL MAIL and are unaffected by current Royal Mail strikes

Gluttonous Gardener Tips for a successful Christmas gift delivery

1. Ensure someone is in to sign for delivery or leave instruction on where the parcel can be left safe(so that a signature is not required) or if a neighbour can be tried.

2. Make sure you select a suitable date for Christmas - You can choose from the drop down menu on the order form the exact date in December you wish to have the parcel delivered. We would recommend that you do not choose a date any later than the 21st December.

3. Take a look at our list below of plants to see how early you can have your gift delivered without having to worry about opening it up to care for the plant - if you can order early we would strongly urge you to do so.

4. You can choose the exact address that you would like your gift to be delivered to - simply ensure there is someone to sign for the parcel or provide us with delivery instuctions such as "Can be left with a neighbour" on the order form.

5. Relax - we have Christmas all wrapped up at The Gluttonous Gardener and will ensure that your parcel will arrive looking as beautiful as it did when it left us all beautifully hand packed in our signature wooden boxes so there is less wrapping for you to do.

When is the best time to order gifts for Christmas?
You can order your gifts for Christmas Gift Delivery from now until noon December 22nd. You simply select the exact delivery date that you require on the order form. We would recommend that you aim to have your gifts delivered on the 21st December.

How long can I keep my plants in the boxes?

Plants that can be delivered up to 2 weeks before you need to present the gift:
Many plants at Christmas time will be dormant at Christmas and the following Gift boxes can be kept in their crates for up to 2 weeks before you give them to the recipient. It is important that you make sure you keep them somewhere nice and cool - away from the central heating so they do not get tricked into thinking Spring has come early! somewhere like a pantry, conservatory, shed or a room without radiators is fine.

Wine and Vine Boxes, Cranberry Crate, Loganberry Lovers Crate, The currant affair,The Pomegranate Crate, The Blueberry Box, The Give and Fig and Extra Fig Crate, Mulbery Crate, The Olive Enthusiasts and Extra Olive crate, The Beer Crate, The Rose Box, Go Sloe, Gin Drinkers Companion, the blackberry crate, the redcurrant crate, the Fruit Cage, The Mediterranean Courtyard, The Berry Box, The Vineyard Crate and The Rose Garden


Gifts that can be sent 4 days in advance of when they are needed
The following crates will need to be opened within three day of being received - if you can have it sent out direct to the recipient this is the best option, you can alternatively take the plants out of their crates and keep them watered simply placing them back in their crate before you present them.

The Passion Pack, The Red Hot Box, The Orange and Extra Orange Crate,Orangery, The Lemon and Extra Lemon Crate, The Lavender Lovers Crate, The Coffee Lovers Crate, The Gardenia, The Strawberry Crate, The Moroccan Mint Tea Crate, The Orangery and The Herb Tea Crate.

How will my order be delivered and do you use Royal Mail?

We only ever use City Link to deliver our parcels as we know they will be sent overnight to ensure they arrive looking as good as when they left us on the delivery date of your choice. We never send anything through the Royal Mail so will be unaffected by any postal strikes. and will ensure all of your Christmas Gifts are delivered on time.
Delveries take place between 9am - 5:30pm to any UK or European address. It is extremely important that if you have not left any delivery instructions such as "Can be left safe with a neighbour" or "Leave in porch if not in" that there is someone around to sign for the delivery. If there are no instructions to leave safe or try a neighbour and no one is in to sign for the parcel the courier will be unable to deliver and this will then go back out for deliver the following day.

Can I send your beautiful foodie presents to Europe?

We can send out gifts into Europe you need to call in with your order 020 76270800 and would recommend that you order no later than 15th December to allow adequate time for delivery.
£40 2 day delivery
Delivery to Belguim, France, German, Luxemburg, Netherlands costs £40 and is a 2 day delivery service.

£50 is a 3 day delivery
Delivery to Austria, Denmark and Switzerland is a 3 day service.
Orders must be placed by phone 020 7627 0800

How will my gift come packaged?

Our packaging is very much a part of the gift, all the Gluttonous Gardener gifts are beautifully packaged so you won't have to worry about wrapping them up becuase they will delight the recipient before they are even opened. We hand pack all of the crates to ensure that the very best plants and products are selected, all of the crates are lined with wax paper, everything is cocooned in a bed of woodwool and then this is all handtied with large raffia bows and your gift message is attached. We never put any marketing material or any invoices in with our gifts.


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When do we deliver?

Order before midday for guaranteed next day delivery, if you don't need it that soon then you can specify on the order form the exact date that you would like your gift to arrive and also to the delivery address of your choice.

Deliveries take place between 9am – 5:30pm Monday to Friday UK Nationwide (excluding Bank Holidays when we like to take a rest too).
Our gifts are always sent on an overnight courier delivery service to ensure that your gift arrives looking as good as it did when it left us.
We offer a same day delivery service within London (prices vary and start from as little as £13)
Parcels require a signature upon delivery so if you know of somewhere safe that it can be left such as in the porch, these details can be added on to the order form when placing your order.

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Do you offer a corporate bespoke gift service?

The Gluttonous Gardener also offers a bespoke gifting service. We are not limited to our existing range of over 50 inspiring gifts ideas, we can come up with a gift that is as unique as your company. This could be simply to reward staff or thank clients at Christmas or even to promote a new product to the press to ensure it gets noticed. Our corporate gifts are naturally eco friendly and kind to the environment.
There is no minimum order and we can come up with a range of ideas on request. We can incorporate your product in to our crates and have our crates branded with your company logo. For more information on our bespoke gifting service you can email sally at sally@glut.co.uk or visit our corporate page for more information....... back to top

Does there need to be someone in to receive the parcel?

We require a full postcode in order to deliver your parcel – if you do not have this then please give us a ring on 020 7627 0800 and Sally will be happy to find it for you. It is also very useful for our courier to have a contact number for the address of where the parcel is being delivered in case of difficulty locating the address.

We require a signature upon delivery of your item so please ensure that there will be someone in to sign for the parcel on your chosen day of delivery. If you know that there is somewhere that the parcel can be left safe so a signature is not required please email sally@glut.co.uk with your order details and instructions on where your parcel can be left safe.

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What happens if no one is in?

Our courier will make two attempts at delivering the parcel. If there is no one in the first time they will leave a card to instruct the recipient that they have been and then the parcel will be sent out for delivery again the following day (Monday if the first attempt was on Friday). The parcel is then held in a fail cage for 5 days after the second attempt and if the recipient has not contacted the courier by then it will be returned to us and you will be charged a second delivery charge to have it sent out a second time. We obviously do our best to avoid this happening and will contact customers if we think there is a problem with delivery before it is returned to us. It is however important to ensure that there is someone to receive the parcel at the time of ordering.

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Who Loves us?

We are recommended in The Online Shopping Town - a unique online town of niche shops and boutiques, with graphic streets that you can have fun walking around. Don't forget to vote for us if you visit! You can find us on the Gardening Gifts street.

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Same day delivery in London

Prices start from as little as £13 for same day delivery and vary depending on their destination. We can deliver to all parts of London and can specify a time for delivery such as after 6pm etc. This is an ideal service for last minute present buying please contact us to get a quote.

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When to order?

For next day delivery orders must be received by 12 but it is always a good idea to ring to check as very often we can still get orders out for next day up to as late as 3pm. Orders received by 12 on Friday will be delivered on Monday – however with certain crates it is advisable to have them sent out the following week as they may suffer having spent the weekend in transit – if in doubt do give us a call or email us.

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How much is delivery?

Delivery is £8 (UK Mainland) and is sent by courier on the date of your choosing - We do not pre pack any of our gifts and so they will be lovingly packed on the day of dispatch for next working day delivery to ensure plants are received in the shortest time possible and look as good as they did when they left us. When you order your gift you can receive the parcel as quick as the following working day or you can choose a specific date, weeks even months later the choice is yours.

Saturday delivery costs £16. Delivery to Northern Ireland, Scottish Islands, The Highlands and the Channel Islands costs £16 and is sent on a two day service. If you are sending more than one item to the same address delivery is still only £8 or £16"

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Alternative delivery options

Saturday Delivery is £25 your parcel will be delivered before midday on Saturday. We can also offer services such as delivery before 12, by 10:30, by 9am and by 7:30 - prices vary.

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Do you deliver abroad?

We are unfortunately no longer delivering our products into Europe. If the situation changes we will update the website.

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What wines come in the Gluttonous gardener packs?

All of the wines and Champagnes that come with Gluttonous gardener gift crates have been carefully selected for us by renowned London wine merchants Lea and Sandeman. We pride ourselves on the quality of all of the food and drink items that are packed in our boxes and for the oenophiles amongst you a little more information is supplied below:

Champagne Benedick Brut NV

A blend of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, with about 10% Chardonnay to give a dash of elegance. Our house champagne is considerably better than some widely available cheap Grandes Marques, and very consistent in quality.

- “The best house Champagne I have tasted in a very long time”. Egon Ronay

Red Wine - Château Belle Garde

Really firm wine with a beautiful crimson colour, brilliant fruit, fleshy tannins. Already selected in the 'La Revue du Vin de France’.
This wine got the Gold Medal at the 'Concours Agricole de Paris'.

White Wine - Mâcon-Vinzelles

Made by a small group of conscientious growers, relying upon good quality fruit rather than oak. This wine is outstanding value and quality for the Macon region. Winner of the Médaille de'bronze Paris 2006.

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What pots do your plants arrive in?

Where the plant is destined to spend any length of time in the pot we use terracotta. Although fragile and heavy, terracotta is the best choice for your plant, allowing free drainage and air supply to the root system. As well as this it looks nicer than most alternatives. Where a plant is destined for planting it will either arrive in a re-cycle-able growers pot, or if dormant root wrapped with moss and Hessian.

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I don't know what plant will grow best in the recipients garden...

For advice about the plants and their requirements please give us a call and Ned or Sally will be able to help you out and make some suitable suggestions about what will grow best.

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Are your plant gifts available all year round?

We do our best to make all of our crates available all year round but nature is a fickle mistress and some plants are simply not available year round. As well as this the less green fingered may be unaware that many plants change their appearance throughout the year so may not appear as on the current website image. If you are in any doubt feel free to call us on 020 7627 0800 to check.

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Who took your fabulous photographs?

Georgia Glynn-Smith www.glynnsmith.co.uk

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