A new wholesale collection hub for English-grown flowers and foliage launches on Thursday 30 April at New Covent Garden Flower Market, connecting London florists directly with small-scale British growers.
Stem Union, a grower-led hub founded in 2025 by south Cambridgeshire growers and florists Ellie Hunt, Ellie Canon and Cissy Bullock, will operate as a Thursday pre-order collection point at Nine Elms. Orders placed via the Stem Union website are available from 4am every Thursday — flowers cut fresh on Wednesday morning and in London within 24 hours.
Currently representing 16 growers across Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Essex and Suffolk — from micro-scale foliage specialists to larger multi-variety farms — the hub pools supply to give florists access to a coordinated range from a single source. Growers upload weekly availability online; florists order Sunday to Tuesday.
“London florists are desperate for more English-grown flowers, but access has always been the problem,” said Cissy Bullock. “This model removes a major barrier by bringing dozens of small growers together and giving florists a single, reliable place to collect their orders.”
Although English-grown flowers are already sold at New Covent Garden, fragmented logistics have historically excluded many small producers. Stem Union’s model is designed to complement existing wholesalers, not compete with them, by supplying specialist and limited-volume lines that rarely pass through conventional wholesale routes. “If anything, this will bring more florists into the Market,” said Cissy.
The hub launched in the Cambridge area after strong interest from London florists highlighted the need for a capital presence. “Selling an extra 150 stems that might otherwise go unsold can be transformative for a microbusiness,” Cissy added.
Flowers from the Farm, the national trade body representing more than 1,000 UK growers, backs the model. “The launch of the Covent Garden hub marks a significant milestone for British-grown flowers,” said Operations Manager Amber Cottam, noting that 16 grower-led wholesale hubs now operate across the UK with more set to open in 2026.
Celebrity florist Simon Lycett, a longstanding New Covent Garden customer, also welcomed the initiative: “I am so excited that the wonderful and innovative growers of Flowers from the Farm are combining and collaborating with New Covent Garden Flower Market.”
“We’re still in the early days of the revival of British flower growing,” said Cissy. “But if New Covent Garden can once again be a real hub for English flowers, that’s a win for growers, florists and the Market itself.”
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