The Sunshine Valley Gazette

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Brady’s father and son fruiterers turn florists in preparation for blooming Mother’s Day

Flair for Flowers   ... Brendan, left, and Col Pearce of Brady’s Fruit, Palmwoods.

With Mother’s Day approaching, Col Pearce and the team at Brady’s Fruit in Palmwoods, are flat out getting ready for what is typically their busiest ‘flower’ weekend of the year.

“This is about our 18th Mother’s Day,” Col said. “We originally started it all those years ago as a little service for our local customers and we haven’t looked back.”

Each Mother’s Day, customers are spoiled for choice as Col meticulously sources the best and freshest blooms.

“We generally have at least 30 to 40 different types of flowers and these include traditional favourites such as Dahlias, Chrysanthemums, Oriental Lilies and Hyacinths. People really love the deeply scented varieties because they make the whole house smell beautiful,” said Col.

Over the weekend, there will be both ready made bouquets available for purchase, or you can have a stunning bouquet custom made while you watch.

“People are often surprised that myself and our son Brendan put the bouquets together,” laughed Col. “I can’t tell you how many times I have heard people say ‘You’re gunna do it!?’”

Sourcing the best and freshest

Col and Brendan’s flair for flowers has ensured that local mum’s, grandmothers and stepmums have been delighted with stunning fresh flowers on Mother’s Day for almost two decades. “Flowers in general are not as inexpensive as they used to be so it is really important to us that we source the best and freshest varieties so that they last longer when you get them home,” Col explained. 

“If you snip the ends and change the water correctly, you will enjoy your flowers for a lot longer. We never really know until the last minute what flowers will be available, which makes life a bit interesting and the challenge is always around getting the correct flowers on the correct days,” Col said.

“It is a huge amount of work but I enjoy bringing the flowers together. I might be a worn out fruiterer playing with flowers, but I always make sure we have the best of the best here for our local customers.”