New York's Flower Market: Things my Father Loved

New York’s historic 28th Street flower market opens early. The sidewalk is a rush of colour by 5am, packed with cheerful yellow sunflowers, frothy lime-white hydrangeas and vibrant lilies. Office workers pick their way to work round tropical plants and tall leafy palms sway in the city breeze.

Many of the businesses are family run and passed down through generations. Sammy (80) and his son Steve run Superior Florist (started by Sammy’s father during the Great Depression). They remember the boom days, when the market took up six city blocks and handled a sizeable percentage of flower sales in the USA. “It’s not like that anymore”, says Sammy. Nowadays most flowers are bought in supermarkets or online and the 28th Street, wholesalers and florists are struggling with rent-hikes and restrictive parking regimes.

Cathy FitzGerald hears the market’s stories, and finds out what it takes to make it in this very beautiful - and very tough - business.

(Photo: People walk through the wholesale flower district, 28th Street, New York City)