The annual  visit to Columbia Road Flower Market, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, took place on the Sunday before Christmas, 21 December 2025, arriving at c. 1 p.m. on a mild, though rather sunless, afternoon.

As in 2024, the market appeared to lack the vibrancy of pre-pandemic years.  Very few, mostly small, Christmas trees were on sale.  Fewer cotton (Gossypium) bolls, and willows  (Salix) of various kinds, were available than in 2024, but there were plenty of cyclamens (Cyclamen) and poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima) and winterberries (Ilex verticillata) on offer.

Although holly (Ilex aquifolium) is producing abundant berries in 2025, no loose holly was seen, and the ‘traditional holly wreaths’ lacked berries.  Similarly, although mistletoe (Viscum album) is becoming ever more common throughout England, only one stall was seen to be offering it on sale, a couple of sprigs priced at £3.