What’s the difference between buying flowers from Gardenia of London and a supermarket or large online florist?
Our prominent position on Wimbledon Village’s prestigious High Street is the perfect spot to observe passers-by snapping our rainbow hued pavement display as well as overhearing their gasps at our vast stock of beautiful flowers. For the most part, seeing pretty posies or bold and unusual blooms evokes feelings of joy and indulgence, or perhaps they trigger happy memories. Every now and then we hear gasps of amazement at the the price tag that can sometimes come with those gorgeous blooms. People ask why our flowers are more expensive compared to supermarkets or large online florists. The short answer is they aren’t the same thing, and you can’t compare like-for-like. The long answer is……
Experience & service
We strive to stock the best quality flowers possible; we choose supply partners and growers that share the same values as us: petals, planet, promise. We celebrate the seasons and are always looking to source flowers that wow and that stop you in your pavement tracks. To us this means long stems, beautiful large heads, heavy bud weights and varieties that are specialist and rare. Essentially, we don’t sell your average bunch of flowers.
In store experience
We employ a team of talented, passionate, and experienced florists who know their proteas from their peonies.
We encourage them to use their creativity and work with the seasons.
They, no doubt, will have started work very early that day and be facing at least 10 hours on their feet. It’s not a job for the faint hearted! It’s only fair to reward them for their commitment, passion and specialist skills, which aren’t easy to come by. We are making a positive social impact. Our talented team are on permanent contracts and receive the London Living Wage. They get a contributory pension and paid annual leave to rest and recharge.
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Bespoke service
Big moment coming up? Talk to us about wedding and event flowers – everything from floral design to planning, delivery and installation.
Want to incorporate flowers into a ‘thing’? Just ask. You name it, we’ll flower it.
Business
Mass production
We don’t mass produce. We buy the best of the bunch via our Dutch supply partners who source the finest from the flower auctions every day and ship to our stores overnight.
Your flowers were probably in the ground yesterday, so you can expect them to stay fresh for 7 days or more.
The world-famous Dutch auctions are based on a simple market supply and demand principal. When the blooms are plentiful and demand is low, so are prices. But when demand is high (think Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Christmas etc.) and supply is a bit lower, prices inevitably rise. We use a set formula to calculate the retail value based on the price we pay, so when prices are low, we pass this on to our customers, but if prices are high, we can’t absorb this and stay in business.
Planet
We believe that we do a great deal to deliver against exacting environmental standards and ensure that we are good to the people around us.
We are proud to be the only* 100% plastic-free florist in London, using packaging that is home compostable.
Our fleet is ULEZ-compliant, and our nationwide deliveries are carbon neutral.
Rent
Our perfect position on the High Street, in one of Wimbledon Village’s oldest buildings, comes at a premium. Our rent is probably more than some, but our location is second to none!
So, why buy from Gardenia of London?
We are committed to putting our people and our planet at the forefront of everything we do.
You might find that our flowers and plants cost a little more - but for us and our business, these things are non-negotiable.
Reducing a negative impact is not enough.
We want to make a positive impact wherever we tread – from paying our people a fair wage, to supporting the local community, to putting a smile on your face.
We will always go beyond the bloom to do the right thing.
When you buy from Gardenia, you can buy in good conscience.
Petals. Planet. Promise.
*as far as we know!