Sharing what moves and inspires us.

We loved working with Sophie Powell from U.Flo, an experienced florist, teacher, and RHS judge in training. As a leading London-based educator, Sophie has taught and lectured worldwide, sharing her deep knowledge and passion for floral design.

Sophie was one of the first florists to test an early prototype of Phoam, providing invaluable feedback as we refined our product. We were delighted to invite her to test and demonstrate with Phoam again as we approach market launch. Her expertise in floral mechanics offers a trusted perspective on how Phoam performs in real-world floral design.

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Like many contemporary florists, Sophie chooses not to use traditional floral foam for the vast majority of designs and has taught sustainable mechanics for many years. She’s always eager to try new products that support improvements in the flower industry.

Phoam offers a fresh approach to sustainable mechanics—while it feels familiar, there are some key differences. Sophie immediately noticed its natural appearance, its distinctive colour, and how it absorbs water differently. Unlike traditional foam, which is left to soak, Phoam requires gentle pressure or weighting down for about 45 seconds to fully hydrate. It also has the added benefit of being able to be topped up with water, unlike some traditional products. Committed to reducing plastic waste, Sophie also swapped out plastic tape for twine to secure the brick—a simple, effective, and more sustainable approach.

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Testing Phoam with Flowers: As she began arranging, Sophie quickly became accustomed to Phoam’s ability to hold stems securely. Chunkier stems, like camellia and roses, slid in smoothly and stayed put. "That is not going anywhere, this feels very secure" she remarked as she tested thicker stems, reassured by Phoam’s grip.

Curious about how softer stems would behave, she experimented with different cutting techniques. While a straight cut worked well, she found that an angled cut made insertion even easier, particularly for delicate flowers like stocks and ranunculus.

The All Important Delivery: For florists, stability during transport is essential. Sophie put Phoam to the test, mimicking the movement of a van journey by giving the arrangement a shake test. The result? Complete stability.

"It is really important that it doesn’t move, we don't always work in the venues that we dress and don't usually have lots of access time so making designs in the workroom and transporting them is an important aspect for good mechanics" she said, satisfied that Phoam provides the necessary support for florists who need to create structured designs ahead of time and ensure they arrive securely at their destination.

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A Natural Alternative: Beyond functionality, Sophie was also impressed with how Phoam felt to work with. Unlike traditional floral foam, it left no residue on her hands. As someone allergic to other foam products she found this a welcome improvement.

"I don’t like the feel of traditional foam, and I’m actually allergic to Floral Fibre, it makes me itchy. This feels like a great, easy to use, natural product. Sophie’s enthusiasm and willingness to experiment made her feedback invaluable. Seeing her test Phoam in real-world scenarios was an exciting moment, and we’re thrilled to continue working alongside florists who seek sustainable options without compromising on quality, creativity, or practicality. Watch the video below for Sophie's thoughts on Phoam and how it's destined to become a great mechanic in floristry workrooms around the world.

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The passion for more sustainable choices in floristry continues to inspire us, and we are proud to be part of a movement with more sustainable choices for floral design. Discover what sustainability means for us

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