Meet Jess ~ the flower goddess who runs Poppy and Fern at The Farm, Byron Bay.
We recently had our latest photoshoot in amongst her beautiful flowers and thought we would share a little about her and her love for all things blooming!
Can you tell us a little about your every day life at Poppy & Fern?
I know it sounds cliché but I feel like I am really living the dream! Being a farmer florist at The Farm in Byron Bay, I mean could it even get any better? I have the perfect balance of outside farm work and inside design time. When I’m not harvesting flowers, designing in our shop or sending flowers out into the community, I’m hosting Flower field tours, sharing my knowledge running workshops or having conversations on all things beautiful local flowers and sustainable floristry.
Your arrangements are just stunning! We all adore flowers but when did you discover that you loved them so much you wanted to make a living from floristry?
Thank you! I was a pretty creative child and loved playing outside, I designed and grew my first flower garden by age 10 and was always given the job of cutting a bunch of flowers to take when we would go to friends for dinner. In high school I did work experience in a traditional florist shop and that’s when I really fell in love and realised I could do this as a job. I continued working in the shop and after year 12 I went on to do my Certificate training. I’m so grateful to my first boss for encouraging me to follow my flower dream and giving me a start when I was so young. I often forget that this is work, I still get so excited by the flowers and love that I get to share my passion every day.
What inspired you to start your own flower farm?
I had been in the floral industry for about 10 years before I started dreaming of growing my own flowers. Living and working in the Byron area we didn’t really have any local flower farms at the time and I often struggled to source the beautiful blooms that I saw down in places like Sydney or Melbourne. When I was on maternity leave with my second child I studied Horticulture and Permaculture and started growing super small scale in my backyard. I continued to dream about having my own farm, then when a space opened up here at The Farm I jumped on the opportunity and haven’t looked back.
If you could give any aspiring florists a piece of advice, what would it be?
When it comes to designing, don’t over think it. In fact don’t think at all, you have to feel it, let the flowers tell you where they want to be placed. The more you force it the more over worked and stiff the arrangement will look. Some times its best to put it down, go for a walk, take a breath and start again.
What is your FAVOURITE flower? And why?
Choosing one would be like trying to choose which of my children I love the most. I love them all! In saying that I do have certain flowers that I use more in my designs depending on the seasons, In winter and spring I use lots of Ranunculus, Poppies, Freesias, Orchids Then when Summer comes around I use Dahlias, Cosmos, Zinnia, Paper Daisies, Snapdragons. I don’t currently grow any but I also love big Garden Roses.
