the power of magic | jessica connor

 

We had the pleasure of meeting the beautiful Jessica Connor from Poppy and Fern Flowers when we spent the afternoon flower picking and picnicking at sunset at her beautiful space on The Farm, Byron Bay. 

Jess’s passion for flowers and sustainable farming left us feeling so connected to the land and in awe of Mother Nature. 

Read on to follow our afternoon adventures and to hear how Jess creates her magic for Poppy and Fern Flowers.

Krystle x

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.

I grew up here in the hinterland and my parents are still here, I knew I wanted my kids to have the same style of upbringing so I came moved back in my early 20’s. I had the dream of starting my own flower farm but at the time my business was so busy with back to back weddings, I couldn’t see how I was ever going to make it happen. When the space at The Farm opened up I jumped in and haven’t looked back since.

I know it sounds cliché but I feel like I am really living the dream! 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.

My goal is to connect as many people as I can to real flowers, I want to show where flowers come from and educate around why it’s so important to buy local and chemical free. As the sun starts to go down in the flower field it is truly magical, so I wanted to be able to share this. 

Sustainability was something that was always really important to me in my personal and home life, yet not something I had ever explored in my business. I was taught a very traditional floristry style and it was not something that was ever talked about or even questioned in the industry at the time, it was just the way it was done.

About 6 years ago I got to the point where I just couldn’t turn a blind eye anymore, I was ashamed by the amount of waste I was creating and that I was using products (floral foam, single use plastics, imported flowers) that I knew where bad for the environment. So, I started asking questions and searching for another way. Floristry and working with flowers is such a beautiful practice but unfortunately at the moment it’s such a toxic industry that most customers don’t realise.

Don’t over think it. Flowers are already so beautiful each one with its own character. You you don’t have to do much, keep it simple, let each flower show you how it wants to be placed. 

Oh gosh how much time do you have? Yes, I absolutely believe there is a higher power trying to guide us on our true path. Learning to listen and take direction from the universe/source/magic power has been such a game changer for me personally and in my business. When you can align with your true path things become easy, I’m not saying it’s always a walk in the park, but you start to live in a state of flow and things naturally come as they are needed. Manifestation and mantras are another really powerful way I work with this greater power.