Lifestyles
Brenham florist and Texas teen draw a crowd at State Fair of Texas with their stunning floral arrangements
By Texas Department of Agriculture
Oct 22, 2010

AUSTIN — Brenham florist and Texas State Florists' Association President Debbie Woltmann featured her floral design skills at the State Fair of Texas in Dallas. The Texas Department of Agriculture’s Food and Fiber Pavilion, presented by Borden, hosted Woltmann as she crafted floral displays before a crowd of fairgoers.  

Using flowers from her Brenham Floral Company Inc. shop in Brenham and pairing them according to color, character and occasion with Texas wines, Woltmann touted Messina Hof Winery in Bryan and Pleasant Hill Winery in Brenham. 

"The Texas State Florists’ Association is honored to partner with the Texas Department of Agriculture in promoting Texas wine and flowers," Woltmann said. "They are a natural fit. I enjoyed presenting two Texas treasures on the Pavilion stage. We reached a lot of consumers with our joint promotion of flowers and wine, and handed out a lot of flowers and magnets.”  

Working with Woltmann was Courtney McCollough, a relative newcomer to the floral world, and a Texas teenager living with Down syndrome. McCollough is an 18-year-old recent graduate of McKinney Boyd High School, who has an amazing talent for floral arrangement.

McCollough received credit for two semesters of floral design at her high school and tested with the Texas State Florists' Association for High School Certification in April, receiving the highest marks in her school. McCollough has found a career path she wants to work toward in floral arranging.  

"Courtney loved working with Debbie and was so excited to learn from a top florist and business owner," said Courtney’s mother, Debbie McCollough. "This whole experience has set it in Courtney’s heart she can do anything."

"We all participate in agriculture at least three times a day – breakfast, lunch and dinner, " Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples said. "Courtney is a great example of how the boundaries of agriculture expand beyond the food on our table." 

For more information on Texas flowers, contact Richard De Los Santos, state marketing coordinator for horticulture, produce and forestry with TDA, at (512) 463-7472 or richard.delossantos@TexasAgriculture.gov.

To learn more about pairing wine and flowers at home, contact Debbie Woltmann at (979) 836-3566 or debbie@flowersabound.com.

To find a local florist, visit http://www.texaslocalflorist.com/.

To learn more about Texas wine, visit http://www.gotexanwine.org/.