Burpee Open draws thousands for day of floral splendor in Bucks County

DOYLESTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — Thousands of people gathered Saturday for a summer stroll through the blooming gardens at Burpee’s Fordhook Farm.

The event, called the Burpee Open, invited guests inside the farm’s gates for a behind-the-scenes look at the magic of Burpee Gardens. The farm on New Britain Road is where the Bucks County company grows and tests plants.

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Standing on a stump in the farm’s Stumpery, landscape architect Jerry Fritz talked about the largest stumpery in the world, filled with shade-loving shrubs, perennials, moss and trees.

In the vegetable garden, farm workers answered gardening questions, including one from Patch about what happens to the vegetables grown in the gardens. It turns out they’re harvested and taken to Burpee’s headquarters in Warminster, where they’re distributed to workers who are asked for their feedback.

The 69-acre farm once encompassed 896 acres, including the site of present-day Delaware Valley University, Doylestown Hospital, Central Bucks West High School and the YMCA. The farm is home to thousands of trees, tens of thousands of shrubs and millions of perennials.

Enjoy this photo essay by Jeff Werner.