Plant Tattoos Offshoot

Hannah at New Covent Garden Market

I love this photograph. I think it is a picture of a florist in her ‘happy place’! With this Offshoot episode we rejoin the florists we met in Plant Tattoos and visit the London flower market. If you haven’t heard the Plant Tattoos episode then do take a listen. The story of Hannah’s plant tattoos which honour and remind her everyday of her mum, is very beautiful.

I hope that this episode conveys a little of the atmosphere of New Covent Garden Flower Market - for some of us of a certain age, perhaps our mental picture of the original market comes from the opening scene of the film of My Fair Lady and Eliza Dolittle! Today that Covent Garden in London is a very different place filled with cafes and boutique shops, the flowers have long gone. However as Hannah explains in this Offshoot episode, many of the people who work in the ‘New Covent Garden Market’ located in Vauxhall, can trace their family line through generations of people who have worked in the London flower trade.

As Hannah explains in this episode, anyone can go to the market. The choice of flowers is amazing as you can see from the photos but don’t expect there to be any prices - you need to ask the price and you can’t buy just one or two flowers. I had expected flowers, I hadn’t expected to see all the greenery which as you can see Hannah just slung over her shoulder or the sundries - rows and rows of ribbons, and shelves of vases and containers of every shape and size. This is a guide to the market that Hannah wrote on her blog a few years ago and really good to read if you are thinking of visiting.

It was fascinating to hear Hannah and Maya speak about their careers in floristry. Do check out Hannah’s website to see some of her stunning creations. I hope that this episode has shone a light on the job of florists and that next time you find yourself buying flowers you will smile and remember this episode and all the skills that a florist needs to have.