'Burpee Open' Returning To Fordhook Farm In Doylestown In July

DOYLESTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — For the first time since COVID-19 shut the world down, a long-time Doylestown tradition is coming back.

The Burpee Open, dating to the 1800s, will return to the grounds of historic Fordhook Farm at 105 New Britain Road in Doylestown Township on Saturday, July 29 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Mark your calendar for a rare opportunity to visit the birthplace of the W. Atlee Burpee Company, today one of the world’s foremost home garden seed and plant companies breeding and growing plants and producing seed worldwide at locations in the United States, the United Kingdom, Holland, and India.

The free, fun-filled day will be full of inspiration with special speakers and new and renovated gardens in addition to children’s activities, music, food trucks, and much more.

The Burpee Open dates back to the 1800s when it was an annual tradition to open the grounds of Fordhook Farm to the public for a “Farmer’s Picnic.” It is said that more than 500 guests came from the surrounding towns and villages in Bucks County to explore the farm and meet the Burpee master gardeners.

In 1888, Atlee purchased several hundred acres in Bucks County, which he named Fordhook Farm. Within a few years, Fordhook Farm was transformed into a world-famous showcase of experimental gardens that developed outstanding new varieties for American farmers and home gardeners.

The farm served as the Burpee family home, an outdoor laboratory for horticultural innovation, and a magnet for visiting horticulturalists from around the world. By the 1890s, Burpee was a household name. In 1915, the 200-page Burpee catalog was sent to a million American gardeners.

Today, the land at Fordhook is still used as “trial fields” for the company’s new seeds. Also located on the farm is a kitchen garden where the company grows seeds that are up and coming.

The link to the RSVP event on Facebook is: https://www.facebook.com/events/112012085209484