How I named my business...Saying 'Goodbye' to the original monkey puzzle tree 😢

Finding a name for a new business is a tricky process. It was important to me that the name of my business meant something whilst also being unique and memorable.

So I chose the name of a tree that had been in the background of my whole life.

The Monkey Puzzle Tree is rare and unusual, some people love it and some people hate it. It's been around since the time of the dinosaurs and yet they thrives in the City despite the pollution. It's memorable and uncompromising and a bit of a mystery.

Here's the story of my monkey puzzle tree...

When I was born my parents planted a tiny monkey puzzle tree. You can see it here - insignificant and lost in the front garden of our first house.

The tree came with us when we moved, and became a fixture of family photos, always in the background whenever there was an occasion or a fancy dress day at school.

The tree grew fast and tall. Every Christmas my dad would precariously climb up to the top on a ladder and festoon it with lights.

By the time I'd grown up and left home the tree was as tall as the house.

In the year I was married, cones appeared with seeds for the first time. When I became pregnant, the first baby monkey puzzle trees appeared growing hidden in the front garden.

Eventually the tree grew much too big and tall. By the time it was 40 years old it seemed to want to climb in through the upstairs windows of the house with its spiky arms.

And so the painful decision was made that it had to be cut down before it damaged the building.

So I'm glad I chose the name of this beautiful tree for my business.

And our logo by artist Alexis Snell can remind me of my beautiful tree.