Christmas with flowers

By Rebecca Quaicoe-Duho

With a few days to the celebration of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, Christians the world over are making last minute shopping as they buy gifts for friends and families.
Currently, traders have pitched their tents along the shoulders of the roads, on the pavements and at any available space in an attempt to cash in on the season, which comes along with much shopping.
Items on display are children’s wear, clothing, shoes, ladies’ bags, jewellery, among other consumables, are on display in the commercial hub of the capital.
However, the first florist and horticulturalist in Ghana, Mrs Margaret Nunoo-Mensah, says there is no Christmas without the usual Christmas flowers.
 Christmas is the main Christian celebration event of the birth of Jesus and its celebration spreads happiness. The day of Christmas is an important day on the religious calendar. Christmas is one of six sacred feast days in the Roman Catholic calendar.
The day comes with visiting friends, arrangement of large amount of festive meals, masquerades in the streets, and the exchange of gifts.
To Mrs Nunoo-Mensah of Premier Florist, any occasion would be incomplete without flowers.
Flowers, she says, are integrally woven with Christmas, especially because the birth of Christ is associated with Christmas flowers.
It is on this occasion that the Director of Premier Florist, Ghana's first florist and horticulture shop, Mrs Margaret Nunoo-Mensah, says after a hectic year, it is ideal for loved ones to show their love with flowers.
Superiors can also show appreciation to their employers by sending them flowers.
Premier Florist, established in 1967, has in stock fresh flowers and artificial flowers depending on one's choice.
With an advanced diploma from KEW Botanical Gardens in London, Mrs Nunoo- Mensah says "our 100 per cent satisfaction guarantee is our personal commitment to creating long-term relationships with our customers".
Working together with her daughter, Amanda, who also holds an advanced diploma in floristry, and worked in a lot of florist shops in the United Kingdom, Mrs Nunoo-Mensah says her outfit works with only the best flowers.
Situated at the Danquah Circle, Premier Florist, she says, is committed to serving the general public who call on them with quality service.
In an interview with the florist at her plush floral shop near the Danquah Circle in Osu, Mrs Nunoo-Mensah said her outfit also gave lectures on floral arrangements to ladies clubs such as the Indian Ladies Association.
She says Premier Florist was the first to hold floral shows in Accra and Kumasi where different types of flowers were put on display to the admiration of all.
After training over 600 young ladies over the years who are now on their own, the Director of Premier Florist says the youth can find employment in floral work.
She, however, cautioned that one needed to have an eye for the best, adding that in her outfit, they chose only the freshest, highest quality flowers to satisfy their customers.
As the festive season inches closer, Mrs Nunoo-Mensah said her shop was ready to take up the pressure, saying that working with flowers was her life and she had therefore dedicated herself to serving people with fresh flowers from her floral farms located in Accra and the Central Region.