A Guide To Covent Garden Flower Market

Oh the market. How I love it.
Driving there and back before sleepy London arises, walking around rows and rows of blooms, with other flower lovers that you seem to be in a secret club with. The hustle and bustle of trolleys piled high with foliage, the chatter of born sellers, those whose floral stall has been passed down through generations of family, as they explain cost, care, quality of all the flowers that burst from every bucket in every corner of the room. It is a place that is so beautiful, where you’ll see and smell flowers and plants you might never have experienced before. You’ll meet the most interesting of flower folk, everyone with a story to tell, laugh, joke and natter with other market dwellers. It’s a life that lives at night, and by 10am it is all but over. Not one visit is the same as the last.

My first visit to the Covent Garden Flower Market was during my studying days, when I was young and completely wide eyed. The market back then was in it’s old place of residence, down the road from the stunning building it now occupies, just off Nine Elms Lane in Battersea. A huge warehouse, filled with various sellers, their wide and stunning array of flowers, plants, pots, shouting over one another to be heard by the florists who wandered. It was, needless to say, incredibly overwhelming and unlike anything I’d seen. In it’s new location, everything feels more organised - foliage has it’s own section, sundries have their own section, flowers (of course) have their space, and the cafe is a haven amongst it all. There’s even spaces upstairs where workshops can be held!

When I had heard they were finally reopening their doors with lockdown easing, I was buzzing to go back. With my working-from-home boyfriend, Ryan, deciding to take a timely day off from his home office (read: my bedroom), I suggested it was finally time for him to come and see the market in real life, as opposed to just seeing it through Instagram posts at 5am when he wakes up 4 hours later. I chose not to question his agreement too much - though I’m sure it had to do with the breakfast sandwich I promised - and to the market we went, as beautiful and brilliant as ever.

I wanted to write a little ode to the market, and also give tips to you if you want to go but are understandably overwhelmed by the thought, or from past visits! It’s one of my favourite places for a reason, so if you ever need a visiting companion, I’m willing to get up with the sunrise and meet you there!

TIMING IS EVERYTHING - Open Monday - Saturday (excluding Bank Holidays), 4am is for the Florists, 6am is for you. It means you miss most of the total chaos time and gives you some space to shop around peacefully, and pressure free. Go before 8am however, as some stalls begin to shut down around that time before the official closing time of 10am. They’ve been up all night, so seems only fair! You can tell the divide from the moment you arrive - there’s a two storey car park. The bottom level is filled with branded floristry vans, waiting for their trolleys of flowers to come. Upstairs is filled with cars, waiting for your arms-full of blooms instead. You might have to do the loading in several trips if you’re buying plenty, so bare that in mind when shopping! Alternatively, you can grab a porter to help you - don’t forget to tip them!

BUYING IN BULK - Unlike normal high street florists, the New Covent Flower Market is made for suppliers, florists, event planners and designers, so you have to buy in bulk here. Everything is in bunches of various sizes, as they don’t expect you to just be buying for one bouquet or arrangement. That could be 5 stems (for the bigger, more expensive flowers), or 50 (for the smaller ‘filler’ flowers). You might find it differs from seller to seller, but it won’t vary hugely. Just bare it in mind when shopping there, and do your research! This means the market might not be hugely cheaper than shopping from your local independent florist, and you might find it easier and less wasteful to just pop down the road, instead of heading to Battersea at 3am.

IT'S NOT A CLASSIC MARKET - When you think of a market, you might think of those Sunday markets where you can haggle down the price of your veg, or the markets in foreign countries where the first price is never the final price. However, this market is not like those. Prices are not displayed, as it varies based on supply, season and demand, meaning prices will vary from week to week and even day to day at times, so you’ll need to chat to a seller to find that out. Also, remember the number he says won’t include VAT so that’ll be added when you pay. Ask around to compare prices, and consider the quality, variety, stem length and number of stems in a wrap - it all comes into play with cost. Numbers aren’t pulled out of thin air so showing respect to your salesmen is important - if you argue a price, trust me when I say the seller won’t appreciate it, won’t accept it, and won’t forget you. Note! Cash is still the best way to pay, and most sellers have a minimum card cost, but with COVID I think this has changed slightly. Make sure you’re not caught out and have both.

RELATIONSHIPS ARE TO BE MADE - The market is filled with suppliers, everywhere you turn there are flowers and people and everyone sells a similar stock so… HOW DO YOU CHOOSE. I think sometimes, the best thing to do is chat, ask questions, interact with the salesmen and woman. Sellers love to take the time to show you round - I once chatted to a seller from one stall for a good 20 minutes about my love for Canada as I was wearing a Toronto Maple Leafs jumper, and it quickly made that stall a favourite for me to go back too. There’s not a bad stall there, so whichever you end up choosing, you won’t be disappointed, But it’s nice to go back to a friendly face. Also, remember these salesmen are wonderfully typical Londoners, so they’ll joke with you, they’ll play - don’t take anything too seriously, it’s only flowers after all!

FLOWERS FLOWERS EVERYWHERE - Following on from point 1 about timing, feel confident that no matter what time you go, there’s likely to still be LOADS on offer and to choose from. British flowers are delivered Mondays & Thursdays but there’s loads available everyday and new blooms arriving all the time. However, I know for me , when buying in bulk for a specific wedding, it really helps to plan as much as possible. If you have your heart set on a particular flower, you can preorder or call ahead to check stock. You can grab contact details for the sellers either on their Instagrams, or via the market website.

ITS NOT JUST FLOWERS - Yes, flowers are the main selling point, but no matter what you might need, the market probably have it. There’s rows and rows of plants and trees, there’s dried flowers and silk flowers, there’s pots and planters, there’s aisles of wires and ribbons in every colour under the sun. Anything you might need to achieve your floral dreams, they probably sell it in the market too, so you can grab it along with your blooms.

GET YOUR BREW WITH YOUR BLOOMS - It would be wrong of me to do this post and not mention the heart of the market. The Garden Cafe provides you with that caffeine hit, as well as the bacon buttie to persuade your partner to get up and come with you. It’s a buzzing hub of goodness, filled with plants, sellers, florists and reasonably priced goods for your stomach too. No visit to the market is complete without a coffee from here - trust me, you’ll need it.

And with that, I hope you feel more prepared to navigate the aisles of New Covent Garden Flower Market. COVID has put a big dent into all of our years, and the floristry industry is no different. Local florists, and the market itself, need support - more now than ever. If you are a flower lover, go and explore there, grab a coffee, have a chat, maybe even discover some flowers and foliages you never knew existed. If you can’t bring yourself to the early wake up time, then make an effort to choose your local independent florists who need the boost and your loyalty to stay on your high street. Its a personal plea, but it echoes those of the industry I live, breathe and love.
Big thanks to Ryan, my flower newbie and trainee photographer.

Introducing you to Ryan - new flower fan