Floral Freedom

Boater and florist Roka tells Amelia Saxena how she combined a successful flower business with life on the river.

Roka is heading into her fourth winter living afloat on the rivers just outside of London. The florist and boater, known for her business Roka Brings Flowers, lived in the city for several years before discovering that the local waterways consisted of more than just the Thames. She spent the summer of 2021 visiting the rivers Lea and Stort, appreciating the quiet surroundings and understated lifestyle.

“I started to come to an agreement with myself about who I am and what I want, and boat life looked like a great option for what I needed. I still wanted to be close to the city so that I could sell my flowers at Camberwell Green Market, and the river offered an affordable way of doing this as well as giving me contact with nature. It felt like a great combination.

Boat search

Having made the decision to buy a boat, Roka was in the fortuitous position of being given nine months’ notice on her flat in Camberwell Green. Online boat sale searches proved fruitless until she came across a 40ft narrowboat called Leafy Lady. “It was slightly above my budget but I loved the name! When you’ve lived on a boat for a while, you realise that its name is the least important thing and you should look at the state of the hull, the paperwork, the engine.”

Despite not knowing this at the time, Roka went ahead with the purchase in December 2021, which, thankfully, proved a good move. 

With four months' rent paid up on her flat, Roka assumed that she’d take a slow approach to moving on board, but the pull of the natural elements was too much. “I spent the majority of each week on the water during that first winter because I loved it. I was already cruising and – most importantly for me – I could light my own fire. Where else are you allowed to do that?

Leafy Lady

From the industrial-looking bones of the boat, Roka has created a cosy floating cottage that reflects her personal style. “My friends say I’ve ‘Roka-fied’ it – every place I’ve lived has always had a similar feel. Some people look at my boat and think it’s crazy, others say it’s amazing. It’s very inspired by nature and it suits me.”

Rooftop garden

Plants are the defining feature of Roka’s boat. 

“I realised I needed to organise my life so that I wasn’t reliant on a boss – I needed to become the boss and open doors for myself. I decided to open a flower stall in Camberwell Green Market: Roka Brings Flowers.” 

The funds from these early sales were put towards the purchase of Leafy Lady, although Roka had to establish a way of combining boat life with her flower business. “I felt a bit like an impossible task because you obviously need land for growing plants. But, as soon as I saw the boat, I knew I could build planters and create a flower field on the roof. I could see myself sitting up there, surrounded by plants and vegetables.” 

Roka made the bespoke wooden planters for the roof of her boat in April 2021, too late for planting tulips but just the right time for summer vegetables. The rooftop allotment was a success and so she looked for some land to use as well. “I got in touch with a lady who lived in Hertford and she allowed me to grow plants in exchange for making her garden look nice. It was a lovely arrangement but the travel was killing me – by the time things were ready to pick I was miles away and only had my bike for transport. 

“That’s when the idea of a floating greenhouse came to me – a piece of land that would follow me wherever I would go.”

This is an extract of the feature that appears in the November 2024 issue of Waterways World, click here to read the full article. 

See more of Roka’s boating and floral adventures on Instagram @rokabringsflowers, and on series one of Narrow Escapes, available for catch-up on channel4.com.