PULSE Newsletter Issue 8

We’re celebrating I.S. Sundries’ nomination for BFA Sundries Supplier of the Year 2026 and looking ahead to the trends set to shape the busy Autumn and Christmas seasons.

The British Florist Association announced the finalists for its prestigious Industry Awards 2026 on Wednesday 12th August, opening the public vote immediately. The awards celebrate the people behind the UK floristry industry's success stories — from individual florists and educators to suppliers and innovators — and the public vote gives the wider community a direct say in who takes home a trophy.

The ceremony will take place on the evening of Friday 3rd October in Nottingham, as part of the FleurEx 2026 weekend event. This year's awards are particularly significant as the BFA was itself shortlisted for the 2026 Trade Association Forum (TAF) Awards, with FleurEx having already been named TAF Event of the Year — a remarkable double recognition that underlines the organisation's growing influence and professionalism.

For florists and industry professionals, the public vote is open now and closes ahead of the FleurEx weekend. The BFA is encouraging all corners of the industry such as growers, wholesalers, retailers, educators and students to take part.

I.S. Sundries Nominated for Sundries Supplier of the Year

We're delighted to share that I.S. Sundries has been nominated for the Sundries Supplier of the Year Award at this year's BFA Industry Awards.

The nomination is a fantastic recognition of the team and our continued commitment to supporting florists and the wider industry with the products, service and expertise they need.

As the winner is decided by public vote, we'd love your support! We would be hugely grateful if you could take a moment to cast your vote for us here.

Voting only takes a moment, and every vote counts. Thank you to everyone who has supported I.S. Sundries and helped us reach the shortlist — we're incredibly proud to be recognised alongside some of the very best businesses and individuals in the floristry industry.

We look forward to celebrating with the industry at FleurEx in Nottingham on 3rd October — and hopefully bringing the Sundries Supplier of the Year award home!

The Summer wedding season may not be over yet, but if you haven't started thinking about Autumn and Christmas, now is the moment. The direction of travel is clear — and it's exciting. Here's what the data, the designers, and the buyers are all pointing toward for the second half of 2026.

Autumn: Rich, Earthy, and Full of Texture

The dominant mood for Autumn this year is warmth with depth. Expect customers to gravitate toward palettes built around terracotta, burnt orange, deep ochre, and warm rust — a rich, grounded look that feels sophisticated rather than rustic. Alongside these earthy tones, dusty mauve, antique rose, and deep plum are pulling strongly for weddings and events, offering a palette that photographs beautifully and works across a wide range of venues.

In terms of flower choice, Dahlias remain the star of Autumn — versatile, impactful, and available in almost every shade you need to pull these palettes together. Trailing Amaranthus continues its upward trajectory, adding movement and drama to arrangements. Chocolate Cosmos and Autumn Hydrangea round out the palette nicely, and if you're not already stocking Gomphrena in orange, it's worth considering — it's appearing across trade and editorial shoots.

The design philosophy for Autumn is moving away from tight, structured arrangements toward something more garden-inspired: natural movement, varied stem heights, and what designers are calling "considered informality." Installations are shifting too — grounded floral arches and sculptural pillar arrangements are replacing more traditional overhead structures, and the repurposing of ceremony arrangements as reception backdrops is increasingly a client expectation rather than a bonus.

Christmas: Jewel Tones, Drama and Texture

Christmas 2026 is shaping up to be a reaction against the neutral, pared-back aesthetic that dominated recent years. The direction is toward jewel tones and deliberate luxury: deep garnet, rich amethyst, intense plum and crimson are all featuring prominently in trend forecasts. If your Christmas displays have leaned heavily on white, gold, and blush in recent years, this is a good moment to reintroduce some darkness and drama.

Alongside the jewel palette, cool blues and silvers are holding their place, a frosty, ethereal feel that works particularly well for corporate clients and contemporary venues. Think ice blue and silver to create a look that's calm and high-end rather than overtly festive.

For Christmas retail and gifting, texture is everything. The key shift this season is away from what one industry commentator described as "soft, uniform floral clouds", the homogenous, pillow-like style that's been ubiquitous, toward high-contrast arrangements with real tactile variety. Think preserved mosses combined with structural seed pods, pine cones, eucalyptus fruit and dried thistle heads sitting alongside softer elements. This isn't just an aesthetic preference — it's a practical one, because textural arrangements with dried components hold far better in a retail environment and offer much better margin.

The Bigger Shift: Fresh + Dried, Done Well

Across both seasons, the most significant underlying trend is the continued mainstreaming of dried and preserved botanicals, not as an alternative to fresh flowers, but mixed in with them. This is no longer a niche offering, and the customer expectation has moved: people want arrangements that have longevity and visual interest, and they're willing to pay for it.

For retail florists, this creates a genuine commercial opportunity. Dried botanicals carry excellent margin, produce almost no wastage and are increasingly being requested by commercial buyers (hotels, restaurants, offices) who want arrangements that maintain their impact without daily upkeep. If your dried and preserved range is limited, the Autumn lead-in is the right time to develop it.

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

BFA Industry Awards 2026: Nominees Announced — British Florist Association (https://britishfloristassociation.org/uncategorised/bfa-industry-awards-2026-nominees-announced/)

FleurEx 2026 — British Florist Association (https://britishfloristassociation.org/fleurex/)

FleurEx 2026 — agenda.flowers (https://agenda.flowers/fleurex/)

BFA Shortlisted for the 2026 TAF Awards (https://britishfloristassociation.org/uncategorised/bfa-shortlisted-for-the-2026-taf-awards/)

Best UK Flower and Floristry Events 2026 — FloristPro (https://www.floristpro.co.uk/news-46/best-uk-flower-and-floristry-events-2026.htm)

2026 Floral Trends: UK Florist Colour & Texture Guide — Dried Flowers Direct (https://www.driedflowersdirect.co.uk/blogs/blog/2026-floral-trends-colour-texture-guide-for-uk-florists)

Top Ten Floral Trends for 2026 — Fleurs de Villes (https://www.fleursdevilles.com/post/top-10-floral-trends-for-2026)

8 Of the Biggest Floral Trends to Know For 2026 — Appleyard London (https://www.appleyardflowers.com/flowerdiaries/floral-trends-2026/)

2026 Wedding Flower Trends: The New Romantic — Mollie & Mauve (https://www.mollieandmauve.co.uk/blogs/the-cut/2026-wedding-flower-trends-the-new-romantic)

Fresh Flower Trends In 2026 — NB Flowers (https://nbflowers.co.uk/blogs/what-are-the-top-fresh-flower-trends-for-2026/)