PULSE Newsletter Issue 2

Floral foam is under growing pressure in 2026, July is one of the best months of the year for cut flowers and flowers have a celebrity moment!

The debate around floral foam continues to evolve in 2026, with pressure coming from multiple directions. The Church of England's sustainable flowers motion is encouraging churches across the country to phase out single-use floral foam in favour of reusable and biodegradable techniques — a development covered by FloralDaily For florists who supply funeral and church work, this represents a genuine shift in client expectations.

On the product side, OASIS® Floral Products launched a plant-based alternative at IPM Essen in January 2025, which has since achieved OK biobased certification from TÜV Austria with a 4-star rating — the highest available. Landfill taxes continue to rise and under current DEFRA waste and resource efficiency frameworks, commercial enterprises face increasing accountability for single-use installation waste. The Sustainable Floristry Network continues to publish resources on foam alternatives.

The BFA's position remains measured: "Sustainability must be informed, balanced and commercially realistic, recognising both environmental considerations and the practical realities of modern floristry."

Shop OASIS® Renewal™ Floral Foam Brick here now.

If your customers are planning garden parties, summer weddings and graduation or birthday bouquets — the good news is July gives you some of the best stems of the year to work with.

Dahlias are the undisputed summer standout, described as "hot, hot, hot" — with varieties spanning Cactus, Pompon, Ball, Collarette, Waterlily and more. They remain one of the most Instagram-friendly flowers in any florist's arsenal, with colours from cream to near-black.

Sunflowers are at their peak, with a huge range beyond the classic yellow — from bi-colour varieties to the dainty 'Sonia' and double Teddy Bear.

Gladioli offer dramatic height (up to 140cm), a wide colour palette from white to deep purple and genuine value for money in summer arrangements.

Campanula is having a moment, with an expanding variety range including double flowers and bi-colours.

Calla Lilies — of which there are 319 cut flower varieties — come into their greatest seasonal diversity in July.

Naomi Osaka stepped onto the Wimbledon courts this week wearing a Nike dress covered in appliquéd flowers with crystal centres as reported by British Vogue.

It got us thinking — the Wimbledon palette of white, green and purple is one of the most beautiful in floristry too. White roses, hydrangeas, lavender, purple gladioli... all in season right now, all perfect for floral orders this July!

Taylor Swift married Travis Kelce at Madison Square Garden on 3 July 2026. Here’s what's known about the flowers:

At the engagement (August 2025): Travis created a secret garden with over 2,000 blooms costing an estimated $38,000, featuring ranunculus prominently.

At the wedding: The venue was transformed into a fairytale castle and garden. Flowers reportedly cost upwards of $500K. Real flowers and lush foliage were used throughout. Specific varieties confirmed in the bouquet haven't been publicly revealed yet!

Here are some important floral dates for your diary:

8–12 July 2026 – RHS Badminton Flower Show

6 August 2026 – BFA Industry Awards: Public vote opens (finalists announced 12 Aug)

27 September 2026 – National Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs National Final — Floral Art

3 October 2026 – BFA Industry Awards Ceremony & Gala Dinner, Nottingham (FleurEx 2026)

October 2026 – FleurEx 2026 BFA's flagship event for retail florists and students

FloralDaily: Supporting florists following the Church of England's sustainable flowers motion (https://www.floraldaily.com/article/9813459/supporting-florists-following-the-church-of-england-s-sustainable-flowers-motion/)

Sustainable Floristry Network: Floral foam alternatives (https://www.sustainablefloristry.org/resources/floral-foam-alternatives/)

Westflor: 5 Top Cut Flowers for July 2026 (https://westflor.co.uk/5-top-cut-flowers-for-july-2026/)

Westflor: Flower Trends for 2026 (https://westflor.co.uk/flower-trends-for-2026/)

BFA: Floristry Competitions (https://britishfloristassociation.org/marketplace/books/floristry-competitions/)

NFYFC: Floral Art (https://www.nfyfc.org.uk/floral-art)

British Vogue: Naomi Osaka (https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/naomi-osaka-wimbledon-2026-outfit?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=dhfacebook&utm_content=null)