Edition One: A conversation with Jess Conner from Poppy & Fern

Jess Conner is a renowned florist, grower, business owner, and educator based in Byron Bay. She runs Poppy & Fern, a vibrant floristry store nestled at the iconic location - The Farm. Jess also operates a flower school for aspiring florists and flower lovers, and additionally grows and harvests her own flowers across an acre of land. With over a decade in the industry, Jess is leading the way with sustainable floristry practices. Her work reflects her dedication to organic and seasonal values, with arrangements and designs that come straight from her flower field. She leads a committed team of women and mentors many students. You can catch Jess in her flower field harvesting at sunrise. I’ve had the privilege of learning from Jess and her expertise and passion are truly inspiring.

Q: Let’s start from the beginning. What inspired you to become a florist? Can you share how the first seed of Poppy & Fern was planted?

A: I started floristry when I was in year 8, and I had to do work experience for high school. My dad had a friend who owned a floristry store, so I literally walked in and asked if I could do it with her. The first week was such an eye opener, I was so inspired and it was the first time I've been introduced to a woman in business - doing her own thing and being super creative. At the end of that work experience, I asked if I could continue. She really took a chance on me, and it was also at a time in my life where I was potentially could have gone in a not-so-great direction, so it was really amazing to have such a powerful woman take me under her wing.  In terms of Poppy and Fern, I first started in different areas within the industry. I did retail and wholesale, then also high-end weddings. I would often think of that first boss who was doing it for herself and I really wanted to have my own business and do things the way that I wanted to do them. Although I learned so many different things from all the different areas, it was really being my own boss and being able to create everything from scratch that motivated me.  So, I opened my first store when I was 21, and it was very traditional retail based - pink and blue teddy bears and balloons, because that's what everybody else in my town was doing. It didn't take me long to realise that's exactly not what I wanted to be doing, so I started making small changes. Poppy and Fern was born a little later when I decided to go back to a home studio, after I had my daughter, and I when I wanted to have another baby. There was no way I was going to continue in a store with a shop front. So, I moved back to a home studio, and focused just on wedding and events and did a rebrand, so that was the perfect time for Poppy and Fern to evolve, through a time where my life was also evolving.

Q: What evolution has Poppy & Fern gone through?

A: Poppy and Fern continues to evolve over time and another reason why I love being in business for myself is because I can really change and grow at the same time as my family and life circumstances. That's one of the things I really love and try to encourage and empower other women with, to embrace the times of change.

Q: Where do you source your inspiration from and how would you describe your overall design aesthetic and vibe?

A: Inspiration definitely comes from the garden and from the earth - anything that's growing. We grow flowers here [at The Farm], and we have an acre, and I'm very inspired by what we grow and what's in season at the time. Also when I travel, I like to look at other things that grow in natural landscapes. When I go down south, I get really inspired by all wildflowers, the grasses and the super red earth. I definitely am inspired from the land first and also the seasons. I would say my aesthetic is very abundant and organic, I love having a lot of different flowers and textures, but nothing too structured. Anything that's wild and free. 

Q: How important is sustainability to you?

A: Sustainability is one of my core values. I make sure I know where all my flowers come from, so they're either grown local, by us here at the Farm or I can trace them back to an Australian grown farm.  I also don't use any floral foam at all, so we use all sustainable designs and limit plastic and reduce waste as much as we can. We also limit any single weights, plastics and we try to reuse vessels as much as we can. 

Q: What is your favourite part about your day-to-day work with flowers and running a business?

A: My favourite part of what we get to do is harvesting the flowers. Going out into the field, it's always such a beautiful time of the day. It's normally around sunrise. I also really enjoy the education side as well and being able to empower and inspire other florists coming into the industry, and assisting florists and guiding them into creating a more successful business that's stable and part of a lifestyle for themselves. 

Q: Outside of work, what do you like to do to fill up your cup?

A: Outside of work, and because my work is pretty face to face at the moment and I'm doing a lot of talking and interacting with other people, I like to do a lot of grounding work and coming back to myself in nature - that's really important to me. I might spend a full day at the creek by myself, or go for a walk in the rainforest or lay on the beach all day. This time of year, I love doing cold plunges in the creek. I live in the hinterland and my creek gets down to 1 or 2 degrees. So being able to do a quick cold plunge and then lie in the sun for the rest of the day, that's what really helps me come back to myself.

Q: What are the current trends you are seeing across events and weddings, and what trend have you enjoyed most to date?

A: I love colour and seeing a little bit more personality in the designs. I think we got really stuck, especially here in Byron Bay. It was very white, bleached and neutral - and everything was the same. Whereas now I feel like we're getting a bit more colour and personality back throughout the work. I don't always follow trends as we definitely stick to our own style. But seeing more colour and being able to play with that more is definitely helping keeping things fun.

Q: Can you share which flower you love most and why?

A: I feel like I don't really have a favourite flower and I get asked this all the time. I really love what's in season at the time. It's always the most vibrant and abundant things. Obviously, I have a really soft spot for anything that I personally grow myself!

Q: What is a favourite memory with flowers?

A: I remember the very first wedding that I used flowers that I grew myself, and that was really, really magical.  I remember standing out in the flower field literally cutting flowers and putting them in the bouquet - it still gives me goosebumps. That's probably the most magical part. 

Q: Lastly, do you have any words of wisdom or advice for young florists, creatives, or business owners?

A: Just start and don't be worried about what other people are doing or saying. Just keep going - the more you can get your hands on flowers, the better. And I don't mean you have to go to the flower markets and spend hundreds of dollars. Even if you can buy one bunch, the more you can touch flowers and interact with flowers, the more you're going understand how to design with them.