Ordering plants online can open access to hard-to-find varieties, but it can also leave buyers frustrated when what arrives looks nothing like what they thought they paid for.
One Reddit user said an online order for replacement boxwoods ended in disappointment when the shrubs delivered appeared far smaller than expected.
What happened?
According to a post on Reddit, the buyer needed wintergreen boxwoods after blight killed two existing shrubs. Since local garden centers reportedly don't carry that variety, they placed an order through Fast Growing Trees.
They said they purchased "2x 5gal plants," but what showed up left them surprised by how small the shrubs seemed. "When they arrived, I was shocked since they are barely larger than a 1gal plant," the poster wrote.
They included a series of photos for reference, the last of which showed four plants and read: "The two on the left here are from a local garden center, and the two on the right are from Fast Growing Trees."
The two from the local garden center are much larger.
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The buyer said they asked customer support for a refund, but the company responded by asking them to prove the plants did not meet a guaranteed minimum height, even though they said no such height was listed on the website.
They also claimed a review they submitted, which included photos of the plants they received, was not displayed fairly, writing: "I posted a review showing photos of the actual plants and they hide the bad reviews with photos."
"Lesson learned to not trust online plant stores," the post concluded.
Why does it matter?
Landscaping plants are often expensive, and buying the wrong size or quality can disrupt a yard project, waste money, and force consumers to shop twice.
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Polished marketing photos can create expectations that do not match reality. Images of mature plants may be visually accurate for the species, but they can still leave buyers confused about the size they will actually receive if listings lack clear, specific measurements.
That can be especially frustrating when consumers are shopping for niche or hard-to-find products that they cannot first inspect in person. In those situations, people may have to rely on limited product descriptions, curated reviews, or vague guarantees.
What can I do?
When buying plants online, look for listings that include exact pot size, current plant height, and photos of the actual inventory or representative shipping size, not just images of mature landscaping specimens.
Take screenshots of product pages before ordering, especially return policies, sizing claims, and guarantee language. That documentation can be useful if a seller later disputes what was promised.
Commenters on the Reddit thread also suggested practical next steps. One wrote: "Two words for you: Charge. Back. If you paid online via a card, go through your banking system and tell them you want to do a chargeback because you were defrauded by the vendor."
At the same time, another commenter noted that online plant orders can come with tradeoffs, writing: "Of course the plants are not as filled out as ones in a retail nursery, they need to be shipped. It's the price you pay for access to specific cultivars you couldn't otherwise get locally."
"Go native brother," a third wisely advised.
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