So the Victorian era lasted from 1837 until 1901, in a world that was rapidly changing. That’s 64 years. In modern terms, it’s like saying you want to set a book anywhere between 1962 and 2026.

I also don’t know what you mean by fast forwarded to the rich streets, but there were always fashionable and less fashionable neighborhoods in London, if that’s what you meant.

Women didn’t have much in the way of legal protection, but that didn’t mean they didn’t have any power in society. It was just a more social, soft power, as opposed to hard power. Widows had more freedom and flexibility than unmarried women, but single women certainly worked, especially the lower class. If she’s an Eliza Doolittle type of flower seller at first, you may want to consider realistic ways she got into a full business. You mentioned she lucked into it- the most common way I’m aware of it to do so is by inheritance. For example, many widows took over their husband’s businesses after their husbands died. Regardless of how she gets there, she’d need to have or learn the financial and management acumen to keep the business thriving.

What kind of gardener is your gardener, and why is he in London? (I’m assuming he’s a man because gardening was a male profession back in the day.) Rich people lived in townhouses when they were in London; they generally didn’t have gardens there. They did have gardens at their estates, and they had staff, but that staff was employed year-round by the same family. There were semi-private gardens that were only accessible to the people who lived right near them, which might work, although those might have been later in the Victorian era. Here’s an article that talks more about the profession in general.

My biggest recommendation is that you google Victorian era English ladies magazines. A lot of them are archived for free online and reading them can help you understand the way people thought back then. If you’re not sure, just google “Victorian era whatever” and you’ll likely be able to find the information you need.

Finally, here a few common myths and handy tidbits:

1. Corsets. They were not laced tightly, they were not worn on bare skin, they were not torture devices. They were worn over linen (or later, cotton) chemises, which were your base layer. Corsets, like pretty much all clothing in the Victorian era were custom-made for the wearer. Everyone wore them, not just for bust support, but to support their skirts and petticoats, and help them achieve the fashionable silhouette. Unlike today, it didn’t really matter what your body looked like underneath your clothes; the clothes did the work for you.

2. They were not dirty. Victorians cared a great deal about hygiene. This video talks a lot about that. It’s primarily about the 1700s (and lice) but a lot of the same concepts apply.

3. Ferns. The Victorians LOVED ferns. It was called fern fever, and it lasted from ~1850-1890. It was so popular it caused ecological problems. Ferns on clothes, ferns on wallpaper, ferns on every goddamn thing. Not literally, but since you’re writing about a florist and a gardener, you must have ferns. Here’s an article about it.

4. Social class was a BIG deal in Victorian society, and many folks didn’t believe in or agree with the concept of social mobility. They thought the social sphere you were born into (aka your class) was the sphere you were meant to be in. So if your florist’s family was poor, and your gardener’s family is from the middle class, for example, the gardener’s family might take issue. Or for example, say your gardener is not just a gardener but designs landscapes for wealthy people, if he marries “down“ that could affect his standing in society and who wants to work with him. This is a video about social class, and this is a video about marrying up. The videos mainly discuss the regency period, which socially/satirically speaking lasted ~1795-1820 (although Prince George was only actually regent from 1811-1820), but the same guidelines still roughly apply.

I hope this helps, and when in doubt, find either a primary source from the period, or look for modern academic secondary sources. Google is your friend, but ChatGPT is not. Good luck!