Brambles Florists

Sunday 6 June 2010

Introducing...Team blonde (and slightly Ginge)


Next up... Kimberly, our merry trainee florist... Kim is a highly acclaimed and well travelled pastry chef... but after many years of late nights and early starts and the discovering of her green fingers in her Nan's garden... Kim took the brave steps into a career change and stumbled upon us! Kim has been with us for just over a year and has nearly finished her NVQ level 2, which she has studied at Berkshire college of Agriculture. She's a fantastic florist with a real flair for design. She also has a quick wit and a wicked sense of humour, which is handy for the all nighters we like to pull at peak times. Kim has an ability to create and construct huge arrangements with massive impact and her wiring is spot on. Kim spends most of her time at our Reading Shop, Georgies but often comes over to Tadley to help with large weddings and events. Kims favourite flowers are Roses, she has a huge soft spot for our fossil of a dutchman, Cees, who comes on a thursday (often with a nearly empty lorry, but Kim has to go and look anyway)! She loves a glass of good red wine, prefers a pub to a club and enjoys travelling x

Introducing...Team blonde (and slightly Ginge)

First up, Jackie McCouid, The boss, She has a loving brood of three delightful (uh hum) Children, The oldest, George 26, Kat 24 and Sam 18. Kat and Sam both work in the family business while George struts his stuff all day long for a commercial electrical company. You'll see Sam's smiling face if you recieve a local delivery from us and if you pop into the shop you'll probably meet me, Kat, the internal wedding and marketing extroadinaire... I do all the computer and accounts stuff... (more about me later). Jackie's lifelong dream was to own her own flower shop and after the kids were all at secondary school and her job as an administrator in the family coach business got a wee bit boring.. Aunty Bel, former owner of our other shop (Georgies Florists) offered Jackie a job! Jac jumped at the chance and off to reading, and Berkshire college she went. She studied an nvq level 2 in floristry... she gained experience in running a shop and taught the tricks of the trade under the watchful eye of Aunty Bel for a good few years and in 2004 her Dad, George, noticed Brambles florists advertised for sale and told her.. the rest as they say is history. Apart from in 2006 Aunty bel decided to retire from the floristry business that had been in our family for 30 years... she offered Jackie the chance to purchase it and in December 2006 one shop became two and the hard work really began! Jackie's favourite flowers are pompei lilies and peonies.. her favorite wine is merlot she has two laso apso dogs, called Alfie and Archie. Jackie's husband is Andy who you also might see if you pop into the shop... normally making a blinding cup of tea and handing out chocolate biscuits x

If you only have two pennies, spend one on bread and the other on a flower

A fresh delivery of roses and lilies bought into the shops yesterday for sale on monday...



Take a look at the huge calla lilies my Nan's plant has produced this season... i gave this plant to my Nan 3 years ago as it was in the shop... limping of live and past its best.. never known to put a healthy plant down my nan revived it and now look... Stunning mango calla lilies the biggest heads i've ever seen measuring approx 12cm.... If only the green fingered gene had been passed on!