Dancer Jennifer Banks leaps into new role as owner of Poppies Floral

If money was no object, I would have fresh flowers delivered to my house on a weekly basis -- maybe even twice a week. Few things give me more pleasure than a vase on my dining table filled with brightly colored tulips or fragrant freesia. I try to buy at least one bouquet a month, even if it's just a big bunch of carnations; their uplifting effect is well worth the expense.

Always on the lookout for new flower shops, I recently ran across Poppies Floral in Fremont, which opened Jan. 31 in the diminutive storefront once occupied by Show Pony. What was too small a space to contain a boutique is just perfect for a flower shop.

Former dancer turned florist Jennifer Banks has painted Poppies a blues-busting bright green and filled it with beautiful, dramatic floral arrangements; modern vases ($15-$30), letterpress greeting cards from Egg Press ($6); and sweet scented beeswax candles from Big Dipper ($6-$20).

With a focus on texture, Banks uses glossy leaves, orchids, calla lilies, fiddlehead ferns and other flowers with unique shapes like Celosia (also know as cockscomb) to create lush and verdant arrangements. Her 18 years of experience as a professional ballet and modern dancer comes through in her designs. She blends flowers in a way that makes them look as though they were meant to be together -- much the way she used to coordinate many movements to create a beautiful dance.

While Banks admits that now is a "scary time to be starting a new venture," opening a floral shop has been a dream of hers for years. She trained with Laura Clare, a well-known floral designer on the East Coast, and uses European techniques in her designs. Her dozen roses, for example, are three individually "spun" bouquets bound together, with green leaves interspersed throughout and a touch of whimsy with a fern curl heart.

Poppies is a full-service florist with arrangements starting at $15 for pick-up and $40 for delivery. Banks does flowers for events and weddings, as well as weekly flower delivery to businesses and homes.

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