The Rustic Bunch

The Rustic Bunch is a flower farm and floral design studio based at Penmerry Farm, 200 Calcium Rd, Fleetwood, PA 19522. The business combines two related operations under one roof: growing cut flowers in the fields of a working Berks County farm, and designing arrangements from those flowers for weddings, celebrations, and everyday occasions. The studio is run by Katie, who handles growing, design, and client communication, and the farm setting shapes nearly everything about how the business works, from what is available in a given month to the loose, garden-gathered look of the finished arrangements.

Fleetwood sits in northeastern Berks County, north of Reading and east of Kutztown along the Route 222 corridor. Calcium Road runs through farmland on the edge of the borough, which places the studio within a short drive of Kutztown, Topton, Blandon, Fleetwood proper, Lyons, Virginville, and the surrounding townships. Customers from Reading, Hamburg, Boyertown, and the Lehigh Valley are within reasonable reach as well.

Locally Grown Flowers

The defining feature of The Rustic Bunch is that the flowers are grown on site rather than shipped in from distant wholesale markets. Field-grown and locally raised stems behave differently from imported flowers. They tend to have longer, more natural stem lines, more variation in color and form, and a shorter journey between harvest and vase. The result is arrangements that look gathered rather than manufactured, with movement, texture, and seasonal character that is difficult to replicate with a standardized imported product.

Growing on site also means the available palette shifts through the season. Spring brings bulb flowers and early perennials such as tulips, daffodils, ranunculus, and peonies. Early summer moves into sweet peas, snapdragons, foxglove, and garden roses. High summer and late summer are the season for zinnias, dahlias, sunflowers, celosia, amaranth, and cosmos. Autumn brings chrysanthemums, grasses, seed pods, and dried material. Clients who are flexible about specific varieties and focus instead on color palette and overall feeling usually get the most from a farm-based florist, because the designer can work with whatever is at its peak on the day of harvest.

For customers who care about sustainability, locally grown flowers carry a smaller transport footprint and support regional agriculture directly. Some clients also request native or pollinator-friendly material, which a grower-florist is better positioned to accommodate than a shop that buys from a general wholesaler.

Wedding and Event Florals

Weddings are a significant part of the work. The studio handles complete wedding flower packages, which commonly include:

• Bridal bouquets and bridesmaid bouquets
• Boutonnieres for the groom, groomsmen, fathers, and grandfathers
• Wrist corsages and pin corsages
• Flower girl petals, baskets, and hair flowers
• Ceremony arch and arbor garlands, and other ceremony installations
• Reception centerpieces, head table arrangements, and bud vases
• Cake flowers and accent pieces for bars, guest book tables, and welcome signs
• Aisle markers and altar arrangements
• DIY flower buckets of loose stems for couples who want to arrange their own

The DIY bucket option deserves particular mention. Couples who want to handle some of their own arranging, or who have a friend or family member doing decor, can buy loose farm-grown stems by the bucket in a chosen color range. This is often paired with professionally designed personal flowers, so the bouquets and boutonnieres are done by the studio while simpler table flowers are assembled by the wedding party.

Wedding service extends beyond the flowers themselves. Delivery, on-site setup, and end-of-night takedown are part of what the studio handles, including splitting deliveries between a hotel or getting-ready location and the ceremony venue. Storing centerpieces overnight for pickup the following day is another practical service that spares couples from loading vases into cars at midnight. Bouquet preservation is a common follow-up request, and brides who want to dry or press their flowers should raise it early so the stems can be handled accordingly.

Everyday Arrangements and Other Occasions

Not all of the work is wedding-scale. The studio also produces hand-tied bouquets and arrangements for birthdays, anniversaries, retirements, new babies, thank-you gestures, sympathy, and seasonal holidays. Short-notice requests are often workable, though calling as far ahead as possible gives the most flexibility in color and flower choice. Other common requests include flowers for showers, rehearsal dinners, corporate events, memorial services, and farm-to-table style dinners and gatherings.

Because this is a farm studio rather than a street-front retail cooler, orders are arranged by phone and conversation rather than by walk-in browsing. Calling +1 610-413-2737 is the most direct way to discuss an order, confirm what is in bloom, and arrange pickup or delivery.

How the Design Process Works

Clients typically begin with a conversation about the occasion, the color palette, the setting, and the budget. Photographs, color swatches, and inspiration images are useful, as are notes about any flower that carries personal meaning. From there the studio proposes a plan that matches the season. Couples planning a wedding generally start the conversation a number of months in advance, which allows particular crops to be planned or set aside. Specialty flowers with narrow bloom windows, peonies being the classic example, can sometimes be harvested at the right moment and held in cold storage for a later date, but that requires advance notice.

Budget conversations are straightforward and practical. A farm-based designer can often stretch a budget by leaning on whatever is abundant at the time rather than forcing a specific imported variety, and by using foliage, grasses, and seasonal accents grown on site.

Visiting and Practical Information

• Location: Penmerry Farm, 200 Calcium Rd, Fleetwood, PA 19522
• Phone: +1 610-413-2737
• Business type: Florist and cut flower farm
• Accessibility: wheelchair accessible parking lot
• Service area: Fleetwood, Kutztown, Blandon, Topton, Reading, and the wider Berks County region, with event delivery to area venues

Visitors should note that the studio is on a working farm, so parking and access are farm-appropriate. Appointments and pickups are best arranged by phone in advance rather than assuming walk-in hours. Because availability is tied to the growing season, the range of flowers on hand in February differs sharply from July, and the studio is the best source of current information on what is blooming.

Why the Farm Model Matters

Buying flowers from a grower-florist changes the relationship between customer and product. The person designing the arrangement also chose the seed, planted the field, watched the weather, and cut the stems. That continuity tends to produce arrangements with a particular signature rather than a catalog look, and it gives clients a direct connection to a small Berks County agricultural operation. For anyone planning a wedding or marking an occasion who wants flowers that reflect the season and the place they come from, The Rustic Bunch operates on exactly that premise.