Foliage is one of the great specialisms of New Covent Garden Market. It is no exaggeration to say that you will not find a better, more extensive, more inspirational range of foliages anywhere in the UK.
Foliage Row has to be seen to be believed. Outdoors between Doors 4 and 5 of the Flower Market, is an oasis of British foliages to inspire and enthuse any florist worth his or her salt!
Equally delightful, of course, are the charming folk at GB Foliage and Porters Foliage, true experts in the world of British foliages.
David Gorton is a great favourite of Hattie Fox of That Flower Shop, and countless others who buy British Foliages from him all year round. David specialises in a huge variety of fresh foliages from growers, farms and woodlands across the country working with suppliers who have been bringing foliage to the Flower Market for generations. His team includes the smiling Adil.
Porters Foliage is the work of the very wonderful Barry and Bryan Porter, fourth generation foliage specialists. In addition to their great range of British stock, they import fascinating foliages from around the world and have an encyclopaedic knowledge of where and how they grow.
Foliage Row changes its colours with the seasons more than any other area in the Flower Market. In Spring you are greeted by towering branches of cherry blossom, flowering magnolia and bunches of camellia.
In Summer, the flowering foliages come to the fore for which there is even a dedicated section on the British Seasonal chart!
Later in the year, Foliage Row takes on rich autumnal shades with leaves of russet red, yellow and browns before welcoming in mountains of pine, spruce, holly and ivy for the festive trade.
Working with British foliage is one of the most effective ways to reflect the seasons in your designs, to add texture and movement. Foliage is one of the main ways for skilled, independent florists to stand out from the crowd. Ditch the salal and leather leaf and embrace the world of foliage!
Scroll through these foliage favourites for just a hint of what Foliage Row has in store at this time of year:
Forsythia
Flowering Privet
Spirea
Variegated Privet
Escallonia
Beech
Oak
Briza
Hornbeam with Allium byzantina
Grasses
Rose foliage
White Leaf (Sorbus)
Photinia
Birch
Lilac
Foliage Care Tips
The best advice for looking after foliage is to firstly ensure that your vase is scrupulously clean of bacteria. Then trim and split the stems and immerse them as deep as possible in water and for as long as possible. Foliage is thirstier than you imagine, so keep the water levels topped up.
If in doubt, talk to the experts at GB Foliage or Porters for advice.
Where to buy at the Flower Market
Foliage Row is outside Doors 4 and 5 at New Covent Garden Flower Market, and open for business all year round (save for the occasional public holiday) on Monday to Saturday.
Your two expert traders are:
If you have any comments or questions about flowering foliage, we would love to hear from you. Simply type in the boxes below…
