Your Bag is Empty
an inner-city field of flowers with bess scott.
you’ll find ‘bess’ a short walk from the bassike paddington store, marked by an array of native flowers bursting out the door and a vintage green and white ‘florist’ sign hanging in the window. bethany scott aka bess was always destined to work with flowers. her great grandmother was a florist, and her great grandfather was a flower grower, as are her grandpa and dad. we spoke with bess about the benefits and beauty of working with australian native flowers – “the shapes, colours and fragrances of our flora should be the envy of the world”.
follow bess’ work @bess_paddington.
how did you get into floristry?
i grew up on an australian native flower farm on the nsw central coast. flowers run deep in my family, my great grandmother was a florist and my great grandfather was a flower grower, as is my grandpa and my dad. dad is a champion of the native flower industry and is constantly planting, breeding and selecting new varieties to increase his offering at the markets. the energy he injects into the industry keeps it interesting for florists and our clients.
to me the industry was irresistible, some of my earliest memories are of the flower markets and being amongst rows of flowers. holidays were spent picking and bunching on the farm, with many early mornings at the flower markets with dad. my first major step into floristry came when i was studying sculpture and painting at sydney college of the arts. i was then lucky enough to work part time for saskia havekes. saskia taught me that i could combine my love of art with flowers to create sculptural arrangements that pushed the traditional floral boundaries. since then i've been spoilt by my role models in the industry who include simone gooch and vic brotherson in london. before deciding to head back to sydney and open my own floral space, ‘bess paddington’.
what made you want to open your own floral space?
i opened my shop in october 2018, so it’s my two-year anniversary this month! living in london made me realise that australians are so lucky to have such unique flowers – nowhere else on earth do flowers grow in such a way. the shapes, colours and fragrances of our flora should be the envy of the world, but they remain largely undiscovered. therefore, my goal became to showcase the beauty of our wildflowers.
now my shop on william street in paddington is always buzzing. i love the neighbourhood and have amazing customers – i just can’t imagine doing anything else. it’s nice to educate customers on all the beautiful native flowers that are available to us, including so many that they may not have seen before. i also love the william street community and without them things wouldn’t be as fun! some of my favourites are; 10 william stfor a special occasion, Paddington alimentari for coffee and salads, chez alex for croissants, barbetta cucina for authentic italian and sushi n blue and mr t’s for easy dinners.
"
to me the industry was irresistible, some of my earliest memories are of the flower markets and being amongst rows of flowers. holidays were spent picking and bunching on the farm, with many early mornings at the flower markets with dad.
"
what are the benefits of working predominantly with native flowers?
besides the unique beauty of australian natives, they also allow me to be really creative and sculptural with my designs – they’re so interesting to work with. i work closely with my dad who grows and sources the best native flowers, and i’m really proud to be able to showcase his incredible produce in my designs. aussie natives also tend to last longer than traditional soft flowers, so that’s always a winner too!
how is sustainability considered and reflected in your work?
i don’t buy imported flowers. buying locally and only australian-grown flowers has so many environmental benefits. if our flowers come in a plastic wrapping, we re-use this whenever possible as a wet pack on our arrangements. we also avoid using floral foam, instead opting to use more hardy flowers that don’t need much water and vases for our installations and arrangements.
what special floristry moments or memories have been a highlight for you?
floristry has taken me to lots of interesting places, both locally and internationally. i just love the daily beauty that accompanies working with flowers in my shop and helping my customers commemorate special moments in their lives. on a larger scale, working on jobs in london and milan; i recall foraging for flowers for the most amazing dinner party in the south of france with saskia havekes and working on a number of beautiful local weddings and events, they’re all memorable in their own way. on a personal level, one of my favourite memories to date was making bouquets for my sisters' small wedding on my family farm during lockdown earlier this year. my dad grew and sourced an extra special selection from his growers just for her wedding, and it was amazing!
what is your favourite flower and why?
i absolutely love dianella. it’s a special australian native with delicate, vivid blue flowers – it’s so unexpected for an australian native. my mum grows it in her garden and it reminds me of home.
any final tips or advice for people when sourcing or caring for floral arrangements?
buying locally and what’s in season is the best advice i can give! you can always ask your florist or grower what’s the best in season at the time. get your flowers into water quickly and make sure you change the water every few days. having the right vase is pretty important too and can make your blooms look even better than before!
"
on a personal level, one of my favourite memories to date was making bouquets for my sisters' small wedding on my family farm during lockdown earlier this year.
"
bess's edit
bess scott, photographed in the ‘bess’ floral space in paddington.
follow bess on instagram @bess_paddington
visit the store at 27 william st, paddington. open to the public, monday-saturday.