My Top 5 London Places for Flower Lovers

I thought I’d share with you my top 5 London places for flower lovers like me – these are all wonderful hangouts where you could have brunch with your girlfriends and catch up over coffee, take your Mum for a leisurely afternoon tea, plan a romantic date for you and your other half, or even just take yourself and a book, surrounded by delicate scents, pretty plants and inspiring views…what could be better for finding some inner peace?

You may have noticed that of late I’ve developed a thing for flowers – it’s all part of me reconnecting with nature and exploring London’s greener and more peaceful places, away from the hustle and bustle – and aswell as giving me a rich seam of floral inspiration for my new collections like my Rose Halo necklace and my green tourmaline leaf earrings, looking at the beautiful delicate petals, rich colours and watching them bud and flourish makes me happy and gives me an enormous sense of well being.  Take a look at my top places below and get your flower power on.

1. Petersham Nurseries.

As they say on their website, it really is a place of beauty and a celebration of the seasons. It can get pretty busy here so I’d advise going at off peak times like during the week if you can, but any time here is time well spent, with an array of beautiful flowers and plants to peruse and buy, plus a darling little café called The Teahouse - the one I’ve visited is the original in Richmond, but they’ve just opened a new one in Covent Garden too.

2. Kew Gardens, Richmond.

Their world-leading botanical gardens is a must. A really huge space with plenty of one-off events through each season plus amazing greenhouses and hot houses to explore. Plenty of floral inspiration for you here, plus a choice of restaurants and cafes.

3. Boma Garden Centre, Kentish Town.

This is my local garden centre, so it’s a regular visit for me to buy new plants for my ever growing collection of window boxes and hanging baskets. They have a lovely little café here too that’s a perfect spot for reading the Sunday papers and having a cuppa.

4. Queen Marys Rose Gardens, Regents Park.

You know how obsessed I am with roses, they spawned a whole collection and this rose garden is where it all started for me. Queen Mary’s is London's largest collection of roses with approximately 12,000 roses planted within the gardens.  There are 85 single variety beds on display, and although it’s beautiful any time of the year, the best time to see the blooms is the first 2 weeks of June.

5. Syon Park, Brentford.

Only 9 miles from Charring Cross and there’s a train that goes there from Central London, the house and gardens are truly beautiful and well worth a visit – we went around Christmas time once to view their amazing light and laser show in the gardens so there truly is something for all seasons