Written by Rona Wheeldon
September 11, 2018
Crisp early mornings, leaves just starting to turn and blackberries ripening in hedgerows...autumn's on its way!
And there are so many wonderful season blooms available this month at New Covent Garden Flower Market. Let's start off with these striking Tom Pearce chrysanthemums, which have just begun to appear on the traders' stands.
British Flowers
Make the very most of the incredible range of British flowers, which are still to be found in abundance. Check out these gorgeous pale orange dahlias at Zest Flowers in their specially dedicated British area. They've got lots of other colours too.
Boxes upon boxes of homegrown blooms can also be found at Pratley, including these zingy zinnias.
And that's where you'll also find Amaryllis belladonna, also known as Belladonna Lily, with its pink scented petals and chocolate-coloured stems.
Back at Zest Flowers for this delicate filler. Have you come across it before? It's called Verbena hastata.
Perfect for a dramatic, moody design is this red amaranthus at Pratley. And they have the bronze variety too.
Plus you'll find Sweet Williams with their clove-like scent there. If you'd like to discover more about this member of the Dianthus family, pop over to this fact file.
Just how pretty is this Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle', with its dainty pale lime florets?
Both white and pink Cleome, also known as Spider Flower, can also be found at Nine Elms this month.
And head to Porters Foliage for arching branches of white English snowberry.
This is a brief overview of just some of the homegrown blooms you can find at the Flower Market this month. Also available are Alstroemeria, Asters, Astrantia, Callianthus, Chrysanthemums, Cosmos, Chocolate Cosmos, Honeysuckle, Japanese Anemones, Lisianthus, Penstemons, Persicaria, Scabious, Sedum, Solidago, Snapdragons, Statice, Verbascum and Verbena bonariensis. So, you'll be well and truly spoilt for choice!
World Flowers
I'm sure you're very familiar with pink sedum, but have you come across this white variety before? It's called Sedum spectabile 'Iceberg' and it's available at Dennis Edwards Flowers.
Sure to be a hit, if you're fond of the wild, unstructured and garden-inspired style of floristry is this wonderful grass, Chasmanthium latifolium, at Bloomfield.
For roses with a nod towards autumn, what could be better than Kahala with its bi-coloured petals in pale peach and burnt orange?
If it's hips and berries you're after to add texture to your designs, how about this Rosa 'Easy Hiphop' at Dennis Edwards Flowers? By the way, if you missed it first time around, do take a read of this special report, A florist's guide to rose hips, berries and seed heads.
It may remind you that Halloween is on the horizon...Physalis lampion. And it can be found at several flower wholesalers. If you own a shop, now might be a good time to start thinking about window display ideas for next month?
Certain to add a splash of sunshine to arrangements are these fabulous Sunrich sunflowers at DG Wholesale Flowers.
Or for a pop of red, how about Viburnum opulus 'Compactum'?
Have you ever seen this flower before? Also known as shoo-fly plant, its Latin name is Nicandra physalodes. With its pale lilac bell-shaped flowers and unusual seed heads, it's ideal for a 'just-picked-from-the-garden' style of bouquet.
This is another flower which is causing a lovely stir. Chrysanthemum 'Etrusko' is its name and what amazing, fluffy petals it has!
And finally on the flower front, just how breath-taking is the colour of this Hydrangea 'Magical Ruby Red Classic' at Bloomfield?
British Foliage
The soft, wispy seed heads of clematis, commonly known as Old Man's Beard, at GB Foliage would look wonderful in trailing bouquets, adding movement to large arrangements like pedestals or even fashioned into a circle as a base for an autumnal wreath.
Amongst their English selection, they also have containers brimming full of Ligustrum, also known as privet.
Making a very welcome appearance at Porters Foliage is Spindleberry. Apparently, in the past, it was used to make ‘spindles’ for spinning and holding wool, hence its name.
British Plants
British Cyclamen plants at L Mills are a sure indication that autumn's on its way. Whilst you're there, feast your eyes on their striking Echinacea plants too.
World Plants
The popularity of houseplants shows absolutely no signs of abating, which is great news! Have you seen that the latest Garden's World Magazine has covered them not only as a feature, but also on their front cover? Hanging plants, in particular, are proving to be a real hit. How about these Nepenthes, also known as Monkey Jars, at Quality Plants?
Or for something really unusual, how about these hanging ferns? Their furry silvery rhizomes, which look almost like tentacles, grow outside of the container.
Making heads turn at Evergreen Exterior Services are these Anemone 'Elfin Swan' plants, with their nodding flowers of white with violet undersides.
Over at Arnott & Mason, you'll find virtually every type of mini cacti and succulent imaginable. Plus they have larger specimen cacti including Opuntia microdasys. Its common name is very aptly, Bunny Ear Cactus.
Sundries
With the trend for all things rustic continuing, if you're searching for earthenware containers for plants or vases for flowers, head to C Best. Turn right when you enter their showroom and you'll be greeted by an extensive array in shades of light grey, black...
...and even chocolate brown. And you heard it here first. They're currently in the midst of clearing a special area to make way for their Christmas stock, which will be arriving later this month!
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this edition of the In Season blog and it’s given you lots of inspiration! Don't forget, it's just an overview of availability. Visit us soon and see for yourself the phenomenal selection of flowers, foliage, plants and sundries, all under one roof. As always, we’d love to hear from you if you have any comments or questions. Simply fill in the boxes below.
P.S. Huge congratulations to Rebel Rebel! Their stunning floral crown created for Beyonce has appeared on the front cover of the September issue of US Vogue magazine. Take a peek of the Cover Shoot Behind the Scenes video.
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