Columbia Road Flower Market — Attraction in London

One of my favourite Sunday markets with bargains galore! I love buying plants and I find going around 3pm is best as you might not get first pick, but you do save lots of money.

In this review, I've written about three visits - one in November, the other in December and the most recent in May. It should give you an idea of what you can buy and prices.

In November, I bought 2 small lavender plants for £5, 3 x 6 packs of plugs of violas and pansies for £5, a bromelian & cyclamen for £5 and a hydrangea for £5 and a baby money plant for £1. This might be one of the best batches of plants I've bought in ages. The hydrangea is still thriving in December, a month later, although one of my lavenders and the hydrangea which were indoors were attacked by aphids so I've repotted them outside a couple of weeks ago. I'm not sure if the pansies, violas and bromelian will last much longer. The money tree is also doing brilliantly.

A few traders only accepted cash. Some traders are really friendly. Others can get grumpy - one of them didn't like me seeing how long the rose stems were.

It was hard work getting it all home. 😝 My plants have cheered me up as it's so cold and grey. I highly recommend this as a winter tonic.

I did a YT short last year when I first started going to CRFM. I was so excited and still am about this place. The photographs and video at the market are from the December visit.

My balcony was very flowery and colourful for November. I hope I can keep it bright and cheerful this year.

I visited again on December 3 and it is super Christmassy.🎄🎄🎄

I bought a small tree for £2.50. It was marked at £5 and when we got there after 12.30, he was selling 2 for £5. Another lady wanted one too and the stall seller didn't mind us buying it together, and even gave me change so we could. It really made my day!

I also bought dried lavender for £5, the cheapest I've seen it, and a cyclamen plant for £2. All three are now on my dining table. I feel like going to Columbia every week for the next few months. 🤣

Update May 2024: lots of geraniums and jasmine. Super crowded still even though it was close to 3pm. Great bustle and happy vibes of people buying flowers and plants. Got geraniums for £1 and also 3 for £5. Was tempted to get a jasmine for £5 but managed some self control. Bring cash as some stalls aren't taking card. Was doing recon on house plants for a friend. There's lots to choose from and all reasonably priced.

Fyi some of the pansies and viola I bought in Dec are still blooming. The hydrangea has a tiny green shoot and I'm hopeful. 🤞My Christmas tree lasted until a month ago. I was...

Columbia Road Flower Market: My Sunday Obsession (and Yours Soon, Too)

Okay, I’m breaking my own rule by writing this because technically, I don’t want more people to know about Columbia Road Flower Market. It’s my hidden slice of heaven and I like it just the way it is—blooming, bustling, and beautifully underhyped. But here we are.

Every Sunday (yes, every single one—rain, shine, hangover or not), I find myself wandering down this dreamy, flower-filled street in East London. It’s a floral fantasy that hits you as soon as you turn the corner: scents of eucalyptus, roses, and fresh herbs mix with the hum of local banter and the occasional “Two for a fiver, love!”

It’s packed with locals, plant addicts, and the kind of people who know the difference between a peace lily and a pothos. You’ll spot the regulars—toting tote bags, clutching coffee cups, and pretending they don’t already have 26 plants at home (I’m currently at 30... not sorry).

Top Tip: Know what you're after and don't be shy to haggle. The vendors are lovely and often up for a deal, especially if you’re charming (or buying in bulk—I once scored a discount for getting 30 plants for my students at Christmas. Teachers, bring your lanyards!).

Getting there is a breeze: hop on the Overground to Hoxton or Shoreditch High Street and you’re a short, leafy walk away. Bonus points—it’s just around the corner from Brick Lane, Spitalfields Market, and all the Shoreditch brunch spots you’ll definitely accidentally end up in after dropping too much cash on lavender and succulents.

The market itself runs every Sunday from 8am-ish to around 3pm, though the early bird gets the best blooms (and avoids the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd). After your flower haul, grab a pastry from Pavilion Bakery, a fresh bagel from Beigel Shop on Brick Lane, or sip something strong from one of the tiny indie cafés dotted along Columbia Road.

And the best bit? It all feels good. Your money goes straight into the hands of people who live and breathe this stuff—no middlemen, no fluff, just pure petal power.

So yeah, Columbia Road Flower Market? It's not just a market. It's my weekly serotonin boost, my happy place, and hands-down the most magical spot in London.

But shhh… don’t tell too many people, yeah?

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I have been going to CRd since I was a child in the sixties, when my auntie lived there and, like the rest of the East End, it was far from trendy. We have then gone there pretty much every Sunday morning, as our kids grew up, for flowers, plants, a coffee and bagel and a pint and Sunday lunch in the pub. We have also enjoyed doing our Christmas shopping in the Wednesday night market. It is a great little working market, in a nice, local, place, with an interesting history. However……like so many other places in East London, it has now been discovered and, worse still, taken over, by the trendy middle classes, who appear to view it as so “real” that they simply have to be seen there, and take photos of themselves and their dog accessories, in order to prove it. Sundays are now rammed with them and just going there to shop is becoming harder. Last night was even worse. I met my now adult daughter, but left after half an hour, after being able to get into only one shop, as hoards of pug carrying trendies, whose every other word is “ like”, descended on the place, blocked the pavement and roads and made getting anywhere near the area around the Royal Oak completely impossible. At one point it became quite scary and people with children began to leave. We made it into one shop and the shopkeeper was furious as “being seen” there does clearly not involve actually buying anything, and those of us who wanted to shop, were prevented from doing so by the crowds outside. The Council has also threatened to stop the Wednesday market if the numbers continue to rise, on safety grounds. Now the trenderati have discovered the place, it will be hard to get rid of them, unless and until, places like Barking suddenly become trendy, so even if the carol singing ( yes, carols are apparently trendy too), can be moved to the park opposite the Birdcage, they can go there to be seen and be real, and leave the rest of us to shop and keep the...