Our Team
In addition to the students and staff of The Camphill School Transition Program at Beaver Farm, there is a small but dedicated team behind Foxfield Flowers working 12 months out of the year.
Chiara Bruckner: Program and Garden Manager, Floral Designer
When The Camphill School expanded and purchased Foxfield Farm in 2019, they were wowed by the beauty and potential of the land. The expansion doubled the size of the campus, increasing the possibilities of vocational crews that the Transition Program could offer. Chiara Bruckner was their first thought, as she had been born and raised at The Camphill School’s Beaver Run campus. After leaving Camphill as a young adult, Chiara had traveled the country, expanding her knowledge in all things landscaping, gardening, and floral design.
Chiara has been at Foxfield Flowers since its inception. With her experience, artistic ability, and leadership, she has taken what was just an idea and been instrumental in creating not only a fresh cut flower farm, but also a business in the community of Phoenixville that provides a multitude of opportunities for the students at The Camphill School Transition Program at Beaver Farm.
Chiara has not only designed and installed thoughtfully curated pleasure gardens for clients; she also has years and years of experience in the realm of wedding floral design of all types as well as building and operating food based gardens in a variety of climates. After traveling the world, she moved back to Pennsylvania and started her own garden design and wedding floral business working in Old City Philadelphia and on the Main line. In Philadelphia she met her partner Drew Gillis and welcomed their daughter Twyla to the world. In 2019, she received a call to come check out some land the school had purchased and to see if she had any ideas for it.
Which brings us to today. Chiara is now the brains, heart, and hands behind Foxfield Flowers. She has dedicated days, nights, weekends, and holidays to, selecting, growing, harvesting, arranging, and distributing gorgeous seasonal flowers alongside the students and coworkers of Beaver Farm. Her vision is present in every area of Foxfield from the tiny bloom in the greenhouse to the masterful dahlia archways she has created for weddings and special events.