I’m always looking for new places to go buy flowers. New Covent Garden Market is certainly not a new phenomenon — a majority of the hotels, restaurants and other major establishments throughout London have shopped this market for all their floral needs for over 40 years. However, it was new to me!
I went one Friday morning to gather flowers before the weekend, and had a wonderful time traipsing around this giant warehouse. It’s a wholesale market, meaning prices are much less than what we’re used to in grocery stores and florist shops. It’s extra energy, but for special weekends or events, it’s totally worth it. Based on my experience at the market, here are my top tips for successfully navigating your way through most any floral wholesale scenario:
1. Go early. The flower market is open from 4am-10am, but really it starts to sell out in just a few hours. Arriving by 8am means most vendors will still be stocked, and you’ll have missed the very early rush. Also be sure to have the right entrance {there are two}. I first went to the fruit and vegetable market, which was about a 10 minute walk from the flower market — oops!
2. Lists! I use lists for everything {to do list addict right here — it’s just so satisfying to cross something off}. Before going, it was super helpful for me to list out what I wanted to find. I got so caught up in the myriad of options that I would have been a little lost if I hadn’t had one.
3. Bring large reusable bags. From the long-stemmed roses to the table decor options, it’s easy to start accumulating goodies that’s too much for two arms. I recommend a heavy canvas bag like LL Bean’s, which protects against any holes that could come from stems poking through plastic.
4. Talk with the vendors. They’ll show the difference between varieties and can help pick the perfect green accompaniment to that pink ranunculus or add texture to that all-green arrangement. They’ll also help out with length, prices {of course} and wrapping the goods!
5. Have both cash and cards. Most of the vendors take credit cards, but for small items that come in under £3-4 total {I picked up 12 seashells to use as place cards this summer that were 30p each}, they ask you to just pay in cash. It makes it easier for everyone.
6. Plan a suitable exit strategy. There are multiple public transit lines that run close to the market, though it is a bit of a walk and with heavy bags of flowers and vases, it can be a daunting task (which I did, and had very sore arms from carrying several dozen roses!). In the future if I’m getting a lot of flowers, I might consider Uber for the pickup {since we don’t have a car here in London}. If you can drive there, all the better.
It was early but so worth it! Like a kid in a candy shop with all my bounty — so excited to get home to decorate.
