National Florist Day
A day to celebrate the magic of floristry together
The first ever edition
Mark the 8th of June in your calendar, as this is when the first edition of National Florist Day takes place in the UK and Ireland. National Florist Day (NFD) is founded and hosted by Purple Spotted Media, publishers of The Florist Trade Magazine and creators of Good Florist Guide.
National Florist Day is designed to celebrate the beauty and significance of the flower industry while recognising the incredible florists who passionately devote themselves to their craft every day. It's a day for florists to take pride in their work, showcasing their talent and creativity. We are excited to announce that Marginpar is participating as premier patron.
A wonderful initiative
The founder and creative force behind National Florist Day, Caroline Marshall-Foster, grew up in the floriculture industry and is still astonished by the wonderful effort people put into it. This dedication extends beyond florists to everyone involved in the process. In Caroline’s words: “Every single person that touches a flower; be it the breeders, the ladies doing the tissue culture work in India, the people working on the farms, the wholesalers, heck everyone including the delivery driver who presents it to the end recipient; has added a little bit of love, a few more goosebumps and more than a bit of magic to the moment.”
Beyond the amazing work that goes on behind the scenes, flowers themselves have the power to profoundly impact people’s lives. Whether it’s a small bouquet or large floral arrangement, they convey emotions that words cannot express. Caroline’s personal slogan explains it perfectly: “Flowers are the only product that can say anything to anyone on any occasion”. This is why florists play such a vital role in life’s important moments, offering comfort and joy when we need it most. An industry that has such a significant impact on our daily lives deserves a special day for recognition and celebration.
About Caroline Marshall-Foster
Caroline Marshall-Foster is one of the best known and respected faces of the global floricultural industry. As a daughter of a florist and granddaughter of a landscape gardener, She grew up in the flower industry. And she still loves it the way she did in the beginning. Caroline is editor of The Florist Trade Magazine, creator and editor of Good Florist Guide and founder of National Florist Day. She is well known for her unique capability to bring people together and inspiring everyone around her with her enthusiasm. This photo was taken during the launch event at The Dorchester in London.
The importance of NFD
National Florist Day (NFD) has set three main objectives: raising awareness, fostering pride and driving sales. The aim of raising awareness is to highlight floristry as a skilled profession and to show the public the value of purchasing flowers from local florists. Creating a special day of nationwide celebration gives florists and everyone else in the floral chain permission to be loud and proud about what they do. This is why fostering pride is such an important objective. Caroline explains “being part of a giant movement, there are over 1000 Registered Flower Magicians, means it’s a celebration and so everyone can use the whole NFD infrastructure and support system to promote themselves without feeling awkward.” The final objective, driving sales, happens on both a local and national level. Locally, through the various initiatives florists set up in their communities, and nationally, via the comprehensive Marketing and PR campaign spearheaded by National Florist Day.
What it all entails
Flower magicians
Nearly 1000 UK and Ireland based florists, aka the flower magicians, have signed up to celebrate this National Florist Day together. The florists have all been invited to join a private Facebook group where they can share ideas, get connected, join in on the challenges and activities and simply enjoy the positive vibes.
100 Faces of Floristry
‘Faces of floristry’ was created to highlight people within the floral industry that have gone the extra mile. In the run-up to National Florist Day, people had the opportunity to nominate their favourite floristry professional. After careful consideration by the Florist Panel, 100 of them have been selected as the faces of floristry 2024. The Florist Panel is led by current BFA Florist of the Year Stephanie Harris of The Rose Garden Florist in Great Dunmow.
The most important criterion for selection is the reason behind the nomination, not the number of votes. This could be an inspiring story about how a florist made a positive impact on someone's life. It could also be florists who have inspired and mentored others or someone who has persevered and succeeded against all odds. The ‘faces’ were announced on a series of fun, and at times very emotional, livestreams in the run up to National Florist Day and have been watched by thousands. You can view them on the Facebook page of The Florist Trade Magazine.
Flower Ambassadors
Twelve Flower ambassadors have been selected to be supporters and advocates of National Florist Day and to inspire confidence in florists to take part. Among them are Neill Strain of Neill Strain Floral Couture London, located in Harrods and Philip Hammond of The Dorchester, where the festive launch of National Florist Day took place. The response after the ambassadors were announced was overwhelmingly positive. They will ‘hold office’ as ambassadors until 2025.
Iconic Flowers
National Florist Day has created a list of 10 iconic flowers. There are several traits that can land a flower a coveted position on this list and earn them the title ‘iconic flower’. It could for example be selected for its unique beauty, popularity or the way it represents a season. As Marginpar, we are very proud that not one, but two varieties that we carry in our portfolio have been given a spot on the list. Clematis and Scabiosa have both received the title ‘iconic flower’. And Clematis has even been chosen as the National Florist Day brand flower.
Clematis has been selected for its unique beauty and ability to add elegance to any bouquet. National Florist Day’s website reads: "Evocative of country gardens and available in a whole host of purples and pinks – and a very rare white - they’ve quickly become a staple must buy for many a florist and a ‘must have’ flower for style aficionados."
Scabiosa has undergone a metamorphosis after years of careful breeding. The flowers have become bigger with even more multifaceted double petals. The colour range is reminiscent of an icecream counter with shades such as French Vanilla, Dark Cherry and Maraschino. As National Florist Day’s website states: "It’s been a constant in cottage garden design for years with its soft papery petals around the bobbly centre but thanks to breeders like Danziger, Scabiosa – also known as the Pincushion flower - is now even more wonderful." Definitely iconic!
The full list is published on the National Florist Day website.
A grand accomplishment
Caroline Marshall-Foster and her team, consisting of Gina Edwards and Anita Janus, have been working tirelessly for months to bring National Florist Day to life. They connected with sponsors, organised press coverage, hosted webinars, developed a toolkit for the flower magicians and made sure everyone got the most out of their experience. Additionally, they created a brand-new website filled with inspiring content. And this is just scratching the surface of their accomplishments.
The response from the market has been incredibly positive. Many florists have enthusiastically joined in, spreading the word about National Florist Day. They have adorned their shops in NFD colours, decorated with NFD bunting, created special NFD bouquets, engaged with local organisations and celebrities, and much more.
What is perhaps most impressive is how meaningful National Florist Day has already become to all those involved. After a successful first run, there’s a good chance it will be rolled out across more countries next year. We certainly hope it does!