West Country Lupins have emerged as one of the standout plants at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show, driving strong demand at New Covent Garden Flower Market over the past two weeks.
With a blooming window of just three weeks each year, these vibrant flowers have become a top choice for designers and exhibitors at the Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) flagship event in west London. Gardening 4u by Will, a wholesaler at the Market, holds exclusive rights to stock West Country Lupins.
“We’ve built a great relationship with our grower, who gives us exclusive access,” said business owner Will Hogger, pictured alongside colleague Paul Cockerill. “The lupins flower all summer and come in bold, bright colours that florists and designers really love.”
In the lead-up to the show, business at the Flower Market spiked. “We were packed with customers,” said Hogger. “In just four days, we sold 24 trollies of stock—about 25% more than a typical May week.”
Much of this rush was linked to the Chelsea in Bloom competition, held alongside the main flower show. Retailers around Sloane Square and King’s Road decorate their storefronts with floral displays in a bid to win top honors.
“We supplied lupins to Lucy Vail Floristry for her Chelsea in Bloom designs,” Hogger noted. “We also sold foxgloves and marguerites to Ruth Davis of All 4 Love London. Her displays were absolutely stunning.”
Lupins are only available for a short time, so florists and gardeners eager to buy them need to act fast. However, these flowers can return year after year with proper care. “If you deadhead them at the end of summer and feed them well—liquid seaweed is great—they’ll come back each year and grow even bigger,” said Hogger.
Looking ahead, Gardening 4u by Will is expanding its offerings of English-grown flowers. Roses, rhodanthemum, and outdoor lavender are among the new additions. “We’re focusing on exclusives that set us apart,” said Hogger. “We want our customers to find things here they can’t get anywhere else.”
In a related visit during the flower show week, floristry students from Moreton Morrell College toured New Covent Garden Market. Based in Warwick in the West Midlands, the college is part of the British Florist Association, and many of its students go on to work professionally in the floral industry.
For many students, including Stacey Guest, it was their first time at the market. “We were all in heaven. Everything is under one roof,” said Guest. “It’s my first visit and I thought it was brilliant. I’d love to move to London just to be near the market.”
Living in Rugby, a town in the Midlands, Stacey typically travels to Coventry or Birmingham for wholesale flowers. “The selection there isn’t close to what’s offered here,” she said. “There’s a big opportunity for wholesalers who want to open in the Midlands.”
Earlier in the week, the students had already explored the Chelsea Flower Show. After their visit to New Covent Garden Market, they continued their floral journey with a stop at Kew Gardens.
