Internationally prized garden centre, Petersham Nurseries is a tranquil oasis
and seedbed of inspiration.

Columbia Road flower market and shops are open on Sundays from 8am ’til 3'ish come rain, wind or shine and even on Easter Sunday. Columbia Road is in the East End sitting on the edge of the city with Shoreditch to the west and Brick Lane and Spitalfields nearby.

Now you've got the tree, it's time to decorate. The Christmas shop at Hays Galleria is the Aladdin's cave of christmas decs, it's bursting at the seams with enough twinkling bits 'n' bobs and Christmas sparkle.

Internationally prized garden centre, Petersham Nurseries is a tranquil oasis
and seedbed of inspiration.

Columbia Road flower market and shops are open on Sundays from 8am ’til 3'ish come rain, wind or shine and even on Easter Sunday. Columbia Road is in the East End sitting on the edge of the city with Shoreditch to the west and Brick Lane and Spitalfields nearby.

On Sunday the street is transformed into oasis of foliage and flowers. Everything from bedding plants to 10 foot banana trees are up for grabs. The air is intense with the scent of flowers and the chant of the barrow boys "Everthin' a fiver"? 

A lot of the flower sellers grow their own plants or import flowers from around the world.

They are one of the few streets in the country composed of sixty independent shops. Small art galleries sit next to cup cake shops, vintage clothes stores, English and Italian delis, garden and antique shops. There is also a wealth of great pubs, cafes and restaurants. The shops have a common thread, a love of the flower market and its history, and a refusal to be dictated to by a retail world where the sense of fun has all but gone.

Now you've got the tree, it's time to decorate. The Christmas shop at Hays Galleria is the Aladdin's cave of christmas decs, it's bursting at the seams with enough twinkling bits 'n' bobs and Christmas sparkle. It's home to some truly spectacular pieces so if you're having a Christmas party and want to deck the halls with boughs of holly and jingle bells, Buckingham Palace baubles and silver or gold glitter reindeers, then this is the ultimate place to splurge. 

There are also nativity scenes, illuminated houses, stockings and sacks, treetop angels and Christmas crackers among the crowded displays. It's the only official Christmas shop in London and, like stepping through the wardrobe into Narnia, a winter wonderland awaits 12 months a year. Whether the thought of Christmas fills you with bah humbugs or a tinkling of jingle bells, the glitz and sparkle are worth the trip over to Tower Bridge.