PULSE Newsletter Issue 18

Posted by I.S. Sundries on 27th Oct 2026

PULSE Newsletter Issue 18

This week, we explore London's first Flower Pharmacy, alongside Christmas planning tips, fresh festive colour palettes and the latest floral trends. We also look back at the spectacular Rooted Flower Festival, celebrate Britain's 2026 Britain in Bloom winners and highlight exciting new scholarship opportunities for the next generation of horticultural talent.

A pop-up Flower Pharmacy has opened its doors in London, billed as the UK's first. Instead of medicine, guests are "prescribed" a bouquet matched to their mood. According to Floral Daily, yellow flowers such as Sunflowers, Roses, Freesias and Snapdragons are used to lift; blue and green blooms such as Hydrangeas, Delphiniums and Chrysanthemums to calm; and vibrant oranges, reds and pinks to energise. It was created with Plants & Flowers Foundation Holland and TV gardener David Domoney, who said: "There's something incredibly uplifting about flowers."

The timing is deliberate. The clocks went back on Sunday 25 October, and the accompanying poll of 2,000 adults found that 37% struggle when the clocks change and 29% say the end of British Summer Time leaves them feeling glum (as reported by FloralDaily). The Foundation is also running a wider multi-year campaign, "Feel the Plant Effect", across the UK, Netherlands, Germany and France, with a free toolkit of videos, a poster and ready-made social posts for the trade as reported by The Florist

Interflora's Floristry Trade Club published a practical Christmas planning piece on 26th October by florist Viv Bradford Christmas Preparations. Her main advice: offer a range of price points — "critically important to capture as many sales as possible" in a potentially difficult trading period — from a £100 premium bouquet to wrapped Paperwhites and bud vases. She also suggests layering add-ons (scented candles, vases, hand creams, chocolates), freshening the palette with orange and pink alongside traditional reds, greens and whites. A garden plant with a planter was a best-seller last year, and a foliage-only bouquet of Spruce, Eucalyptus and Pussy Willow proved popular and easy to make.

On the design side, consultant Karen Barnes (35+ years in the trade) names "Frosted Berries & Bronze" as a major Christmas and Winter 2026 trend: frosted textures, metallic accents and bronze, copper and silver highlights, mixed with seasonal foliage and Winter flowers, read the article here Floristry Trade Club.

The Rooted Flower Festival ran at Hodsock Priory from 23–25 October, with award-winning designers, large-scale installations, a floral catwalk, floral trails, demos and workshops. Friday and Saturday sold out, with a limited number of Sunday tickets left, according to Westflor's event round-up. 

Next up is an Autumn Armature Workshop with Gregor Lersch on Tuesday 27th and Wednesday 28th October at Floral Media Flower Farm, Newark (presented with Julie Pearson Floral Designer). It focuses on Autumn armatures, natural materials and mechanics that help flowers move within a design. Westflor says only a couple of places remain.

The Gloucestershire town of Stonehouse won the RHS Britain in Bloom UK Finals 2026 at a ceremony at Rochdale Town Hall, taking RHS Gold and the Small Town category on the way, read more at The Dirt . It was recognised for a community-led approach to tree care, managing the whole town as an arboretum with a target of 30% canopy by 2040. Of 44 groups competing, other winners included Wrexham in Bloom (Small City & City), North Berwick in Bloom (Coastal), Lisa Oulton of Dover in Bloom (Community Champion) and Florence, from Fletching in East Sussex, who turned a disused phone box into a nature identification and seed-swap hub (Young Champion).

Applications opened on 25 October for the Colegrave Seabrook Foundation's scholarships, closing 31st January 2027, read about it here The Dirt. Eleven scholarships are available for those studying horticulture, plant science or related subjects in the UK and Ireland, including a new Selecta one scholarship (plant breeding and commercial ornamental production, with a visit to Germany) and the relaunched Markham Colegrave Scholarship with Ohio State University (financial support and a US paid work placement). The charity says it has awarded £100,000 through scholarships over ten years. Floristry students may need to check eligibility, as the criteria focus on horticulture and plant science.

Tue 27th – Wed 28th Oct 2026 - Gregor Lersch Autumn Armature Workshop | Floral Media Flower Farm, Newark. Only a couple of places left: https://westflor.co.uk/exciting-floristry-events-we-wanted-to-share

Sat 31st Oct 2026 - Halloween - Capsicum and seasonal plants useful ahead of Halloween and Christmas

Sun 8th Nov 2026 - Remembrance Sunday - Poppy and tribute work

11st Nov - Armistice Day

Fri 27th Nov 2026 - Black Friday

Sun 31st Jan 2027 - Colegrave Seabrook scholarship deadline - https://colegraveseabrookfoundation.org.uk/scholarships/

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